Candidate Q&A: Thomas Rockwell

Thomas Rockwell is running for Indiana State House District 56 as a Democratic candidate in the 2026 general election.

Bio highlights: I’m a graduate of Earlham School of Religion where I received my Master of Divinity. My full-time work is as a denominational official for Western Yearly Meeting of Friends (a Quaker denominational group) supporting pastors and churches across Indiana and Illinois. I also serve as one of the co-Pastors of West Elkton Friends Meeting just over the border in Ohio.

Before entering ministry, I worked in forestry, helping private landowners connect with reputable timber companies for harvests, supporting hundreds of farmers and rural landowners to improve their properties sustainably.

Reasons to run: 1.) Dysfunctional policies like SEA 1, passed by our supermajority, have led to staff cuts at our schools and cities, stopping our communities from funding local libraries, all without meaningfully lowering taxes for anyone except for large international corporations.

2.) No party represents regular working people. Both parties focus their energies on the opinions of a small group of “local leaders” rather than going out to their neighbors and seeing what they think needs to change in our community.

Top priorities: 1.) I want to see protections for tenants’ rights. Wayne County has a slumlord problem and tenants have no legal avenues for fighting back under the current Republican Supermajority. 2.) I want to expand access to health care. We’ve knocked on thousands of doors in this election and I hear every night from neighbors who have five- and six-figure medical bills they aren’t able to pay. 3.) The state needs to request a constitutional convention to get money out of politics. Republicans talk about local control and states’ rights; they should follow through on these principles by harnessing the state’s power to request changes at the federal level. Every candidate should back this initiative or answer to their constituents why they want big money to continue running our politics.

Specific skills: I work with churches with a range of theological and political positions, helping fervent Evangelical congregations and progressive congregations focused on social justice to come together around the projects and beliefs where they can find common ground. These skills of working across division are critical in our divided culture.

I am also an effective organizer and community connector: my campaign has knocked on thousands of doors in Wayne County. I am willing and able to do the work of reconnecting our neighbors into the political process.

Should continue: READI, Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, provides state funding for locally developed projects focused on housing, infrastructure, quality of place, workforce development, and economic growth. One of its strengths is that regions identify their own priorities rather than relying entirely on one-size-fits-all projects from Indianapolis. READI requires partnerships among state government, local communities, nonprofits, and private investors, which helps our community get on the same page about our needs. I support programs that make it possible for local communities to lead their own development.

Needs to change: Our partisan districting process is an insult to Indiana voters. Hoosiers should choose their politicians; politicians should not be choosing their voters. Redistricting should take place once per decade and only to account for population changes. It should be overseen by a nonpartisan committee with professional experience drawing nonpartisan districts and a group of randomly selected registered voters who select workable and impartial districts for state and federal elections.

Accept election results: Yes

Funding strategies: I want to ensure that data centers pay for their own energy costs and don’t receive massive state subsidies at the expense of local families’ tax dollars.

Large corporations that have a lot of employees on public benefits should pay taxes to cover the costs of these state benefits since they won’t voluntarily pay living wages. Similarly, I want to see taxes on corporations that ship jobs out of state and on large out-of-state landlords who are very often unaccountable to their tenants.

I also want to help different levels of government and non-profit agencies in Wayne and Henry counties coordinate on federal grant programs to ensure we don’t leave any funding — especially for low-income housing — on the table.

Engaging the public: This question implies that current officials hold regular public meetings: they don’t. Most Indiana legislators don’t pick up constituent calls. I will host constituent gatherings monthly, both online and in person. I will schedule and advertise regular times to work from public spaces where constituents can meet with me.

I will advertise my office’s contact information and actively seek out input from disconnected constituents, not just the small group of “local leaders” who claim to represent the views of the district.

I will regularly post on social media about legislative activities and the work I am doing for the community.

Other comments: People have lost faith in politics because our political system is broken. Local candidates, like my opponent, receive six-figure donations, so that moneyed interests can control their votes. We need elected officials who are not bought and paid for, who don’t toe the party line under all circumstances. We need a new generation of leadership who wants to do the work of reconnecting people to the political system. I’m the only candidate in this race who has knocked on thousands of my neighbors’ doors in this election. I want to be a leader who serves the people, not big money.