Welcome to the HoosLeft podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the Hoosier left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers and I’m recording from Bloomington.
As we close in on Indiana Primary Election Day 2024, I turn to the top of the ticket. The United States Senate Seat being vacated by Trump-sycophant and denim shirt aficionado gubernatorial candidate Mike Braun (boooo!) is up for election this November. Hoosier Republicans threw all their weight behind 3rd-district Congressman Jim Banks, somehow an even more pathetic Trump-bootlicker than Braun, clearing the field for the insurrection-supporting, Russia-loving, MAGA dickweasel.
Indiana Democrats, on the other hand, have a contested primary. In one corner, former State Representative and longtime lobbyist Marc Carmichael; in the other corner, psychologist Valerie McCray. I liked my last two-part episode so much, I thought I’d do another, presenting each of the candidates before you head to the polls.
First up, Dr. Valerie McCray - I will paraphrase from her website:
Dr. Valerie McCray was born and raised in Indiana, nurtured in Indianapolis k-12 public schools and is a graduate of Arsenal Tech High School. While navigating the challenges of being a single mother, she earned a BA, MA, and Ph.D from the University of Michigan.
With 35 years in the psychology field (25 years licensed), she has witnessed how U.S. policies profoundly affect the mental well-being of our people. She’s worked directly with veterans struggling with PTSD, incarcerated individuals in desperate need of support and rehabilitation, youth struggling to overcome the effects of violence, and more. It’s clear that mental health must be a national priority and we cannot address our nation’s challenges one mental health crisis at a time.
As a mental health clinician, she will bring a unique perspective to Congress because she understands firsthand how policy impacts the lives of real people - not just statistics; but the human beings behind those numbers. Whether it’s improving access to care, addressing root causes of trauma, or advocating for policies that support mental wellness, she will be a tireless advocate for the well-being of every American.
Dr. McCray was incredibly generous with her time, so we get a chance to go deep. She and I will talk about the mental health lens through which she views politics, her influences, and thoughts on the Biden administration. I’ll ask her to comment on Democratic Senators who have disappointed and what she would do about the filibuster. We discuss women’s reproductive rights, healthcare, housing, climate change, immigration, the economy, foreign policy, and why Jim Banks sucks.
But first, this plea for your support:
2024 has proven to be far more difficult than many of us expected - and I was counting on a trying year. After my 19-year old son passed away in January, the day-in/day-out grind of handyman work just didn’t seem important anymore. I doubled down on HoosLeft in an effort to shed more light on state & local politics, where Indiana’s Republican supermajority and their financial benefactors enact policies that ensure more Hoosier parents know the grief of losing a child - by allowing guns to flood our communities, bullying queer youth, and poisoning our environment… or simply running the next generation out of state with their draconian policies.
I’ve received an outpouring of support. Our subscriber base has grown tremendously, and we’re picking up paid subscribers all the time. I’ve been able to publish more frequently, learn new skills, and expand beyond audio into video podcasting. But the cushion has run out. My wife and I have exhausted our savings so I’ve had to don the Carhartt once again, returning to work repairing, remodeling, and renovating, working on this project whenever I can. I’d much rather devote my time to this, and to you, but I can only give this project the attention it truly deserves with your help.
I will continue to work to highlight Indiana’s bad actors so we can replace them with more empathetic leadership, and also shine the spotlight on the activists, organizations, and elected officials who are doing the hard work to build a more just, equitable, and compassionate Indiana for the next generation of Hoosiers. And I’ll take on Democrats too: when they put their donors over their voters, when they talk out of both sides of their mouths, and when they fail to push back against GOP authoritarian extremism with the necessary urgency and tenacity. The party is a tool we can use to achieve our goals - it serves us; we do not serve it.
I will go deep to provide information and analysis you won’t get anywhere else in the Hoosier State. I’m not motivated by the dollars, but everything costs money. Web hosting, equipment, editing software, travel to meet with other activists and organizers, and most of all, time. I need your financial support with a paid subscription over at scottaaronrogers.substack.com. For five dollars a month or $50 a year, you can help me push our state in a better direction, and help me keep the lights on. And while the best way to help this project is a financial contribution, if you can’t afford it at this time, you can still help. Subscribe at the free level over on Substack. Set your favorite podcast player to auto-download new episodes of the show. Rate and review the show on whatever platform you use. Follow me on social media at facebook.com/hoosleft (spell); I’m also now on Bluesky at the same handle. I’m personally at scottrog78 (spell) on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter; and on Mastodon at scottrog78@hoosier.social. Prefer a visual medium? I’m now posting full video episodes of the pod on YouTube and clips on TikTok: the handle on both of those is @hoosleft. Please, subscribe to those. But, most importantly, share our message. Forward the articles to friends, family, and colleagues; don’t just like, but share on social media; nobody is coming to save us - we must be our own saviors.
With your investment, a full time HoosLeft could look like new content every day, full coverage of the 2024 election cycle in Indiana and beyond; and zooming out to see how the networks acting in our state function nationally and even globally. And even though I’m here asking you for money, I do not plan on paywalling any content because, as Sarah Kendzior (whose stuff you should definitely read, btw) says, “it’s not cool to paywall political content in a political crisis.” I believe in open access to information, and your support helps make that knowledge freely available to all Hoosiers. But I desperately need your contributions in order to keep bringing you all the content you deserve. So please, before this interview, pause right now, go to scottaaronrogers.substack.com and subscribe at the paid level. To those who have contributed already, my sincere thanks. And to everybody, thanks for listening.
The following conversation took place on April 1, 2024 and has been lightly edited for length. Here’s my interview with Dr. Valerie McCray.
Once again, that was Dr. Valerie McCray, psychologist and candidate for United States Senate.
Because she and I went long, I will keep my post-show notes extremely brief. I also spoke with Mr. Carmichael and will be back soon with that interview and my thoughts on this race before we head to the polls.
But for now…
Thanks for listening. Thank you to my guest today, Dr. Valerie McCray - find her at valeriemccray.org. As for me, you can find me on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and TikTok at hoosleft and on most other social media sites at scottrog78. If you want to reach me, send me a DM on the socials or email me at scottrog78@gmail.com. If you haven’t yet done so, when you’re finished here, please go to scottaaronrogers.substack.com and subscribe at the paid level. Help me keep this project going. Until next time, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana.
HoosLeft #33: Hoosier Next US Senator? - Part I
Guest: Dr. Valerie McCray, Candidate for US Senate
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