Indiana Thompson

Indiana Thompson earned a high school diploma from Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stout in 2019. His career experience includes working as a small business owner/educator.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m Indiana Thompson, a lifelong resident of Wisconsin’s 67th District and a candidate for State Assembly in the Fall 2026 election. My family has called this district home for generations, and I was raised in Chetek, where I attended the Chetek–Weyerhaeuser Area School District. Growing up here taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, and giving back to the community that raised me.

I graduated summa cum laude from UW–Stout with a 4.0 GPA, majoring in Golf Enterprise Management with a minor in Business Administration, while competing in NCAA Division III golf. During my senior year, I accepted a full‑time General Manager position at Big Fish Golf Course, balancing demanding work responsibilities with completing my degree. That experience gave me a real understanding of the challenges working families face.

In 2021, I purchased Pinecrest Golf Course in Dallas, Wisconsin. Owning and operating a small business has tested my character and strengthened my appreciation for long hours, responsibility, and resilience. I also proudly serve as the head girls golf coach and assistant boys golf coach at Chetek–Weyerhaeuser, as well as a substitute teacher. Coaching and mentoring young people has been one of the most rewarding roles of my life.

My wife, Alexa, and I recently purchased my grandfather’s home, land that has been in our family for over a century. I’m running to protect our rural way of life and deliver common‑sense solutions for the people of the 67th District!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We are in a public education shortfall in Wisconsin. Once one of the best states in the nation to send you child to a public school, Wisconsin thrived on hard working families to fund their schools. With public schools footing the bill for private school vouchers, our families can no longer continue to see property taxes raise and their child's education decline. We need to end the private school voucher program and get our property taxes back to affordable levels. Private schools suck $800,000,000 away from public school systems. This $800,000,000 is coming from our own pocket! Imagine what our public school system would look like if they used only one quarter of that amount! I will fight for our public schools!It is no secret to the people living in the 67th district that we are in a healthcare desert. My wife and I know this firsthand, as we have to plan to have our child around driving to Eau Claire, which is an hour away from our residence. This is scary for young people like us and should not be tolerated. As a district, we comprise over 57,000 people. We no longer have an OBGYN to service any of the 57,000 people living in our district. This is wrong. There are common sense ways where the state legislature can regulate insurance companies to comply with hospital pricing to keep them afloat. There is no reason why insurance companies get a better rate than a private payer. The time has come to start regulating the insurance industry.Starting a small business is hard; I know from experience. There are way too many hoops to jump through and red tape to cut that but the time you need to purchase a facility or equipment, that is already gone! Too often to entrepreneurs lack the funding they need to buy an asset that helps their business out in time. I experienced this firsthand when I bought my golf course! The better rates are usually from the local economic development or SBA section, but these bureaucratic firms take too long to act. Frankly, if you don't have cash, you are behind. But who of us have cash laying around for the next opportunity? These government run agencies need to have less regulation, or at the very least, policies put in place to help us faster.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am very passionate about education and healthcare. I am very involved in our local school district as a head coach and substitute teacher. My wife is also a full time teacher in the district. I see day in and day out children that need our help more than ever. Many of our rural schools are underfunded, leading to referendums every voting cycle. This is uncalled for. Our schools and our taxpayer dollars should not be paying for private education. This is such a simple solution that our state legislature cannot come to an agreement on! This is frustrating.

Our rural healthcare desert needs to change as well. There are solutions out there that will work! We need to work together to compromise on a solution that will work for both parties.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to one of my personal mentors, Lee Killoren. He was my high school golf coach and recently best man in my wedding. He is one of the hardest working men I know and always does the right thing. Honesty, integrity, and gritty are three words that describe him. He puts his children first in everything he does, which is such an amazing feat, in my opinion. I learned the value of honesty from Lee. I can be honest to a fault, and that is OK. Legislators should be upfront and honest with their constituents. I will be with you! Hard work and determination can manifest you any place you want to be. He taught me that and I live up to that everyday.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials need to have a great work ethic, unwavering confidence in themselves, honesty to a fault, integrity to the constituents and constitution, and the will to do what is right for the betterment of the state.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

This person needs to compromise with the other party first! We have a very divided state and the best thing our legislature could do is to work together to find common sense solutions to problems that you and I face on a day to day basis. This would help unify both parties at a state level to work faster to get policies written to help people. Disagreement and compromise is great! That is why we have so many regular people like you and I running for public office. I am ready to compromise with the opposite party to figure out how we can make this state a better place to work and live!

What legacy would you like to leave?

If elected, I want to leave a legacy of compromise and hard work. I want to work for our kids and public education system so they have a better Wisconsin to grow up in than I did. I want to work for my wife so she can have a child within our district. I want to work for our workers, who often go overlooked. I want to work for our public safety, so we can have reliable and affordable healthcare systems again.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at Sioux Creek Golf Course in Chetek WI when I was 13 years old. I worked for a fantastic owner/boss who taught me the value of hard work, honesty, and never giving up. He helped me grow into the person I am today. I am forever grateful for his guidance and help through life. I stayed with Sioux Creek until 2018! I loved working on the golf course and making it look wonderful. It translated to my ownership experience at Pinecrest Golf Course in 2021 very well!

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle (diagnosed) with anxiety and depression, personally. I feel like I am worked past exhaustion to provide for my business and family and I don't have anything left to give. I struggle finding purpose some days and that is very frustrating. I feel like everyday is Groundhog Day and I never get a break from the stresses of normal life. A business owner should not have to work 100 plus hours a week to survive; plus other side jobs. This is not the American Dream. I have talked to many business owners and this is their life as well. It is not specific just to me! I want to fight for you, so you don't have to feel the same way I do!

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The governor and the state legislature should act as two arms on a body. Both should work together when there is not a trifecta. Not working together only hurts the people of Wisconsin. I think the legislature has gotten better at this the past few years, but there is still work to do. It is time for fresh, new individuals to be elected to the state legislature that are willing to work together to make Wisconsin better.

If there is a disagreement on a bill between the governor and the legislature, the governor should still have veto power, but he or she should be willing to find a way to work with the state legislature better to come to compromise.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our state is dealing with a healthcare shortage, public education levels decline, and affordable housing shortage. These three issues will impact Wisconsin the most over the next 10 years. If the legislature doesn't work ASAP to compromise on solutions to these issues, they will increase 10 fold for us.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is NECESSARY for policymaking! I am not sure why legislatures at the state and national level are not willing to sit down and listen to the other party! This is frustrating to me! After all, an elected official is paid by the tax payer to get work done! The bare minimum expectation would be to sit down with the opposite party to come to a compromise on issues such as healthcare, public education, and housing! We need more legislative officials that are willing to work together instead of pushing their own personal agenda!

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

I vaguely remember the 911 incident in New York. I was 4 years old at the time and I remember it shaking the US to its core. This is probably the most significant event in our history besides the revolutionary war. As someone who grew up in the aftermath of 911, I DO NOT stand for terrorists to our state and country. We need to protect AMERICA and WISCONSIN first and foremost!