Joseph Trost

Joseph Trost earned a high school diploma from Lakeland High School. His career experience includes working as a construction worker.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was raised in LaGrange County and attended Lakeland High School, the son of a public school teacher and an Army master sergeant. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science, with a minor in history, from IU Indianapolis, I spent eight years working as a concrete form setter for foundation walls in the housing industry.

That mix of blue-collar work and firsthand knowledge of how government works gives me a perspective often missing from Indiana politics.

For too long, the rules coming out of our statehouse and Washington have favored big business and investors first, working people second. Tax breaks and favorable regulations tend to flow to corporations and developers, while the people who actually build this state see their wages stagnate and their benefits shrink. When government picks winners, it’s usually the folks with lobbyists, not the folks with work boots.

I’ve lived that gap. I know what it’s like to build something with your hands all day, then watch decisions that affect your paycheck and your family’s future get made in rooms you’re not invited into. My goal is to bring that understanding to the table and fight for policies that put working Hoosiers on equal footing with the interests that usually get heard first.

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?

Rural poverty in Indiana isn’t just about jobs, it’s about the cost of keeping a car running so you can get to one. I support Right to Repair laws that stop manufacturers from locking out independent mechanics and DIYers with restricted parts, tools, and repair software. Hoosiers should be able to fix their own vehicles and equipment without paying dealer markups.

I also want to eliminate sales tax on used car purchases. Rural families often rely on older, affordable vehicles just to get to work taxing that necessity twice punishes people who already have the least. Cutting costs on repairs and used vehicles keeps money in working families’ pockets and keeps small-town mechanic shops in business.Childcare costs are crushing working families in Indiana, often rivaling rent or a mortgage payment. Too many parents are forced to choose between working and paying someone else to watch their kids. I support expanding the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) so more working families qualify for assistance, not just those at the very bottom of the income scale. Raising income eligibility limits and increasing provider reimbursement rates would help more parents afford quality care while keeping local daycare centers and in-home providers open and fairly paid. No parent should have to quit a good job just because childcare costs more than they make.Government doesn’t belong in individual’s business, and that includes tracking your every move. Flock cameras and similar automated license plate readers are popping up across Indiana, scanning and storing data on every vehicle that passes, whether you’re suspected of a crime or not. That’s mass surveillance without a warrant, and it raises serious Fourth Amendment concerns. These systems also create massive databases that can be hacked, misused, or turned into tools of control far beyond their original purpose. I’ll fight for strict limits on this kind of surveillance technology, real transparency on how it’s used, and stronger protections so Hoosiers aren’t tracked by their own government without cause.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about common sense economic legislation that supports Labor. I am passionate about the civil rights our country affords to its citizens and am a staunch defender of keeping government off people’s back especially for the 4th amendment. I want to end the voucher system in public education because it simply is a coupon for wealthy families who were going to send their kids to private school anyway. I want education investment to increase as I see it as an investment in the working class. Lastly I believe that most decisions made in government need to be focused on the wellbeing of the working people not corporations.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

MadVoters MVP