Another Andy Jacobs Sets Sights on Congress

(INDIANAPOLIS) – A familiar name in Indiana politics is moving toward a run for Congress.

Andrew J. Jacobs is the son, grandson and namesake of two Indiana congressmen. Andy Jacobs Sr. represented Indianapolis in Congress for a single term, while Andy Jacobs Junior served in the House for 30 years before his retirement in 1996.

The latest Jacobs, 29,  is a Marion County deputy prosecutor, and has formed an exploratory committee not for his father’s old seat — now held by Democrat Andre Carson — but the seat of retiring Republican Susan Brooks, which stretches north from Indy’s northside. Jacobs says he’s “leaning more and more” toward making the race.

Jacobs says he’d make campaign finance reform a top priority, and says he’ll follow his father’s practice of running a low-budget campaign and accepting no donations from lobbyists or political action committees. He says he hopes to prove the point that a giant war chest isn’t a prerequisite to win office, and says it’s important to establish the principle that special interests are entitled to a voice equal to everyone else’s — but no greater. 

Jacobs says he’d follow his father’s example in another way, recalling the longtime congressman as “unwaveringly positive” in approaching the job with a sense of joy, and listening to and working with those he disagrees with. The elder Jacobs died in 2013, and his son says he was frustrated at the increasing partisanship in Washington. Jacobs says the result is an unproductive Congress, and notes the partisan divide has spread to the general population. He says he’d brainstorm ways to break down the partisan bubbles in which the only voices people hear online are those they already agree with.

And Jacobs says Congress needs to expand access to health care while making it more affordable. He says expanding Medicare is a logical vehicle, since the infrastructure is already in place, but says that shouldn’t mean the abolition of private insurance as some Democrats have proposed. He says “Medicare for all” is a popular slogan, but shouldn’t turn into “only Medicare.”

Former Indianapolis State Representative Christina Hale, 2018 nominee Dee Thornton, and chemist Jennifer Christie are already seeking the Democratic nomination. Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith is the only Republican to raise any money for a run so far, but Indianapolis State Senator John Ruckelshaus, former Carmel State Senator Mike Delph, and former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard have all indicated they’re looking at the race.

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