Episode 106: I SPI a Rural Socialist
Guests: Ben Davis, Candidate for Indiana State House (SPI-District 13)
https://www.bendavisforindiana.com/
Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from an unapologetically leftist perspective. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers and I’m recording from Bloomington.
Going back to the earliest episodes of this podcast, we’ve debated whether it is possible to affect progressive change working in the confines of the Democratic Party. Despite the frustration, the gatekeeping, the thumbs on scales, and constantly feeling like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football, I’ve always advocated — and continue to advocate — for working within the Democratic Party. The hurdles to running independently, in my opinion, are too great; and the reward for commandeering the structural power of the party too enticing. It’s like going to war in a fishing boat or trying to hijack a battleship.
My guest today disagrees. And that’s okay. Ben Davis is running for Indiana House District 13— a sprawling rural district in western Indiana stretching from West Lafayette up to Kentland and down to Covington. Having never identified with either of the major parties — and consequently not voting in their primaries — he was ineligible to run as a Democrat (at least without the permission of his local gatekeeper). So Davis is carving his own path, running outside the system as a member of the new Socialist Party of Indiana. SPI is attempting procure enough votes to gain a ballot line in future elections — a tough hurdle to clear, but perhaps an important step in breaking the two-party duopoly.
In the following conversation, we’ll talk about that decision, the barriers to running an independent campaign, and overcoming decades of “red scare” baggage around socialism. We’ll look at who Indiana’s current representatives really serve, the corrupting influence of money in politics, the resonance of economic populism in rural areas, and the two main pillars of his campaign platform.
Real quick before we get to the interview, a big ask. This is an independent media project; we don’t paywall content; we don’t sell out to advertisers; we don’t have billionaire benefactors. Only individuals like you keep this thing going. It is a foundational principal of HoosLeft and the Progressive Indiana Network that we refuse to hide valuable information behind paywalls in the middle of a political crisis, even if that’s not in our financial best interest. So please, if you find value in this work, go to ProgressiveIndiana.net and subscribe at the paid level - it’s only $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help us build the infrastructure that will pop the right-wing media bubble in this state. You can make a one-time contribution to HoosLeft on Cash App or Venmo. Links are in the show notes.
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Now, here is my conversations with Ben Davis
In The Interview:
00:00—02:30 — Easy W’s: Who, What, When, Where
Ben Davis (he/him) - lifelong Lafayette resident; father of 3; career in IT
Interested in using technology to help people — not for its own sake
House District 13 (Ballotpedia)
Cracking: One Type of Gerrymander (Ballotpedia)
Indiana GOP’s failed redistricting push (Capital Chronicle)
04:00—0:30 Running Outside the Two Party System
Never voted in a primary — doesn’t identify with either party
Definitely not a Republican, but has serious criticism of Democrats
Militarism/Empire; Support for Israel; Corporate capture points of contention
Ballot requirements for Indiana candidates (Ballotpedia)
Scott’s interview with Nathan Gotsch (HoosLeft)
Socialist Party of Indiana (Socialist Party USA)
10:30—17:30 Overcoming Socialism’s Baggage
63% of Indiana elections are uncontested (Ballotpedia)
Sanders/AOC/Mamdani change perception of socialism in the US (AP)
History of “Red Scares” in America (EWOC)
Sanders won in Indiana in 2016 (Guardian)
17:30—19:00 Indiana tax policy and who it benefits
14 states with flat income tax (Tax Foundation)
Indiana 39th in teacher pay (Capital Chronicle)
Indiana’s low rankings in healthcare (Ball St. Daily News)
Lafayette transit cuts (Journal & Courier)
19:00—25:00 Embracing Economic Populism
How Democrats lost rural voters (Guardian)
A critique of identity politics from the left (Jacobin)
Both major parties support capital, empire, incarceration, etc.
Focus on “winning” but not on “delivering"
Average price of a new car crosses $50K (Car & Driver)
Federal minimum wage hasn’t increased since 2009 (NPR)
25:00—29:00 The Devil’s Bargain: Money in Politics
JB Pritzker Interview w/ Hasan Minhaj (YouTube)
NYC Matching Funds Program (NYCCFB)
Zohran’s 100K Volunteer Army (Jacobin)
29:00—36:30 Socialist Party of Indiana & Democratic Gatekeeping
Ballot access for political parties in the state (Ballotpedia)
Building parallel structures
The failure of the two-party system (Post Alley)
Crossing party lines bites candidates (Courier & Press)
37:00—44:00 Overview of Davis’ Policy Platform
Focus on human rights & wealth inequality
Board member at Gender Nexus, father of a gender-diverse child
Republicans’ use of trans community as a wedge (GLAAD)
Gender-affirming care ban for youth in Indiana (ACLU-IN)
Racial disparity in imprisonment (Sentencing Project)
America’s deepening affordability crisis (CBS)
INGOP offers minor tweaks to property tax bill (IndyStar)
44:00—49:00 “Opening a Lane” for Independents in Select Races
49:00—56:00 How Davis Plans to Overcome the Odds
It’s gotta be from the bottom up
Meet people everywhere
DSA has limited VAN access
Democratic brand is toxic in rural areas (AP)
Closure of Boswell Elementary School (Citizens Institute on Rural Design)
56:00 Closing Pitch and Where to Find Out More
Once again, that was Ben Davis. It’s a long, lonely road running outside the two-party system, but more power to those who try. We’ll keep an eye on his campaign and hope to follow up down the line.
But for now, that’ll conclude our episode. I’ll be back this Sunday — as I am every weekend — with HoosLeft This Week, streaming live on YouTube, Facebook, and of course at the new ProgressiveIndiana.NET. Indiana’s most thorough weekend Sunday news and politics talk show, it’s a lot of fun — if you can call following the news in this timeline fun. My panel and I go “around the corn” to cover all the week’s top Indiana news stories and look at US and international happenings through a Hoosier lens. I hope to see you there in the comments, but if you can’t make it live, the program will be available for download later Sunday afternoon.
Thanks once again to Ben for this interview, and for his courage in taking the road less traveled — and thank you for listening. One last reminder to please consider supporting HoosLeft and the wider Progressive Indiana Network with a paid subscription if you’re able. This independent media project relies solely on the generosity of kind patrons like you to make this information available for free to everybody. Again, that’s at ProgressiveIndiana.Net. We could also really use a follow on social media at progressiveindiananetwork on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel at the same handle. Over on Bluesky and TikTok, the handle is @PINIndiana.
You can find me on @HoosLeft.US on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads; @HoosLeft on all the rest. Direct message me at any of those sites with feedback, tips, ideas, and concerns or email me at scott@hoosleft.us. Finally, please forward the show to a friend and have them pass it on, too. Let’s keep building this project - and a truly democratic state — one conversation at a time. Until the next one, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana.
