Mary Allen

Mary Allen lives in Evansville, Indiana. She served in the U.S. Army Reserve. Her career experience includes working as an at-large city council member in Evansville, Indiana, where she has also served as vice president of the council. She has been affiliated with the following organizations:

Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Board

Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization

Sixth and Zero, owner[1]

Virginia Street Properties

Enterprise Zone, chair[2]

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?

Mary Allen is a small business owner, Evansville City Councilor, grandmother and an Army Reserve Veteran. She has spent her life serving her community, from non-profits to small businesses to City Hall. She's running for Congress in Indiana's 8th District because Hoosier families are struggling while Washington protects the powerful. Mary sees families choosing between rent and groceries, seniors rationing medication, small businesses being crushed by monopolies. She's not a career politician. She's a citizen who shows up, listens, and fights for everyday people. That's what she'll do in Congress... show up and fight for you. She is one of us, fighting for all of us.We are in an affordability crisis. Families earning minimum wage need over full-time hours to afford a modest apartment. Childcare workers, nursing assistants, retail workers are working full-time but cannot cover rent, groceries, and healthcare. Corporate monopolies have rigged the system. Corporations control beef, seeds, and farm inputs and set prices farmers and workers face. Workers get squeezed on both ends. The Federal Trade Commission is investigating if consolidation lets companies raise prices while suppressing competition. Congress protects the powerful, not working people. Mary will fight for real wage increases that keep up with inflation, fair markets and breaking up monopolies, and an economy that works for working people.Healthcare costs are crushing Hoosier families. If you buy your own health insurance on the marketplace, your premium could double when enhanced subsidies expire. Families are also facing skyrocketing drug costs and surprise medical bills. Pharmaceutical companies and private equity-backed medical chains are making record profits while you ration medication and go into debt. Letting this happen is a choice to make you poorer and sicker. Mary won't make that choice. She believes accessible and affordable healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I ran because Congress started sounding like an echo chamber, disconnected from the people who actually live here. Too many representatives repeat talking points from whoever is in power instead of speaking with their own communities. I’m passionate about making sure every voice is heard. That means rural towns where generational farms are disappearing, city neighborhoods feel forgotten, and young people aren’t sure they’ll ever get ahead. I care deeply about how all the big questions connect… education, immigration, healthcare, affordability, and basic trust in government. My passion is rebuilding a politics where Congress listens first and remembers who it works for.

Campaign websiteAllen's campaign website stated the following:HealthcareHealthcare is a human right, not a privilege.Here’s what that means for you: Healthcare shouldn't bankrupt you.We’ve watched the Trump administration cut Medicaid by a trillion dollars while rural hospitals close their maternity wards and emergency rooms. In Indiana, five rural hospitals are at risk of closing entirely. Twelve more have already cut services. Over twenty counties don't have a place to give birth.Universal healthcare is not a radical idea. It’s just smart. It lowers costs by focusing on prevention instead of emergencies. It cuts waste. It stabilizes families. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.But this isn't just about economics. It's about our values.I will fight for :protecting Medicaidfunding rural hospitalsaccess to quality healthcareAffordabilityWe are in an affordability crisis. Here's what that means for you: Your paycheck doesn’t go as far as it used to.  Three out of four Hoosiers working in Indiana's most common jobs — nursing assistants, childcare workers, retail workers — can't afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. Not because they're not working. Not because they're lazy. But because wages haven't kept up with rent. Hoosiers working full-time are choosing between heating their homes and filling prescriptions. A family earning minimum wage would need to work 122 hours a week — that's three full-time jobs. Parents are moving back in with grandparents. Young people are leaving Indiana. And Congress is helping the people who caused the problem. I will fight for:real wage increases that keep up with inflationhousing investments that build homes for working families, not luxury condosan economy that works for working people not just the wealthy and well-connectedChildcare & Working FamiliesThe inaccessibility of childcare is impacting the American workforce more than ever.Here’s what that means for you: You can't work if you can't find childcare.That's the reality for tens of thousands of Indiana families right now. Childcare costs over $14,000 a year for an infant in center-based care. - more than tuition at Ivy Tech. Even if you can afford it, you can't find it. Only 61% of kids who need care can get a spot. Perry County, for example, has one licensed childcare center for 20,000 people. Evansville families wait years. And the state just froze new childcare vouchers until 2027, leaving 30,000 children on a wait list.This isn't a parenting problem. It's an economic crisis. It’s why businesses can't find workers and why young families are forced to leave our communities.  Indiana loses $4.2 billion every year because Congress treats childcare like a luxury instead of the essential infrastructure it is.Here's the truth: Childcare workers earn $29,000 a year. That's poverty wages for the people taking care of our children. No wonder we have a workforce shortage. No wonder centers are closing.I will fight for:full funding for childcare vouchers to eliminate the waitlisthigher pay for childcare workers so centers can actually hire and stay openexpanded On My Way Pre-K (public preschool)federal investment in childcare infrastructure because it’s just as important as roads and bridgesPublic EducationEvery child, no matter their zip code, deserves quality education.Here’s what that means for you: Your child's school doesn't get a fair shot.Here's why: Indiana relies heavily on local property taxes to fund schools. That means if you live in a wealthy neighborhood, your kid gets new computers and experienced teachers. If you live in a county where factories have closed, your kid gets hand-me-downs and teachers working two jobs.That's not fair. It’s not who we are. Public education is the foundation of everything — economic growth, opportunity, democracy itself. It costs money to teach kids to read, to run a science lab, and to support kids with disabilities in the classroom. That's not a luxury. That's what we're supposed to be doing. And right now, we're not doing it equally.Federal funding matters. Title I helps disadvantaged students. IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) ensures kids with disabilities get real support. Head Start gives low-income kids a real start. These programs work. But they're underfunded and under-resourced.And now they’re under attack. The current administration is dismantling the Department of Education, cutting staff by 50%, and freezing funds that have already been approved. And, what about rural Indiana - where schools already struggle? It would be devastating. Your child's reading specialist? Gone. Smaller class sizes? Gone. Services for kids with disabilities? Gone. This isn't about "returning power to states." It's about abandoning the kids who need help most to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.I will fight for:federal funding for public schoolsa living wage for teachersImmigrationLet’s be clear on one thing: a broken immigration system helps no one. A record high 79% of Americans say immigration is good for the country. Here’s what that means for you: Our Immigration policy should reflect our values, not our fears.We must remember that behind every policy are people. They are our neighbors, your child's classmate, your coworker, the nurse who helped you in the hospital. We cannot continue to treat hardworking families as criminals, rounding people up and denying them due process. That's not who we are.Our budget shows our priorities, and right now, they are completely out of order. Congress is spending billions on detention centers while our schools are underfunded and our rural hospitals are on the brink of closing.We are a country built by immigrants, yet right now, we're making it harder to immigrate legally. We've allowed dehumanizing language to make it easier to ignore the humanity of our neighbors. It's time to stop.I believe in strong borders. Security matters. But security and compassion are not mutually exclusive. We can secure our borders while also treating human beings with dignity. Legal pathways to residency and citizenship should exist and right now they're disappearing.Here's what's true in Indiana: Immigrants contribute $4.6 billion in taxes and generate $12.3 billion in spending power. They enrich our schools, fill jobs we need, and strengthen communities. They're not a threat to Indiana. They're Hoosiers.I will fight for:secure bordersimmigration reform that is humane and smartcommon sense oversight of the Department of Homeland Securityprotecting the Department of Education from being forever dismantledMilitary and VeteransI’m an Army Reserve veteran. My brother was a Marine in the war in Iraq. This is personal.Supporting our military requires more than words of appreciation… it requires sound policy decisions that uphold the integrity of their mission. The military's job is defending America from threats…not policing American streets. As a member of Veterans for Peace, I believe true support for our military means preserving their proper role and working to preserve peace.Our veterans have made immense sacrifices to protect our freedoms. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that they receive the care, respect, and opportunities they have earned. This means ensuring timely access to quality healthcare, mental health services, education, job training, and housing support.And right now, we are failing them.Veterans deserve more than a thank you. They deserve real healthcare, not  waiting months to see a VA doctor. They deserve mental health services that are actually available. They deserve job training that leads to a good-paying job. And they deserve a roof over their head. Rural veterans in particular get left behind. Their VA clinic is a two-hour drive away. Mental health services are very scarce. Job training is underfunded. This isn’t charity…these are earned benefits, paid for through sacrifice.We must strengthen the systems that help veterans transition successfully into civilian life. We must recognize their skills as assets in our communities and workforce.By upholding our commitment to veterans, we affirm the values of service, gratitude, and unity that define our country.I will fight for:protecting the mission of the militaryprioritizing VA funding, especially in rural Indianaworking for peace at home and abroadBuilding Back TrustRestoring faith in government begins with a simple idea: Your voice should matter as much as a billionaire's.Here’s what that means for you: Right now, it doesn't mean anything. The Citizens United decision opened the floodgates for unlimited corporate spending in politics. Your congressman can trade stocks based on information they learned in classified briefings. Gerrymandered maps ensure that politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their politicians. This isn’t democracy. This is a rigged game.Overturning Citizens United is essential. We also need to ban congressional stock trading. Your representatives shouldn't be profiting off inside information while you're struggling to pay rent. We need fair maps so voters actually decide elections. And yes, we need term limits so Washington stops being a retirement plan for millionaires.But here's what matters most: I will show up, I will listen, and I will tell you the truth. Even when it’s hard I will represent you, not the president. I will vote my conscience, not my party. Congress has the power to hold a president accountable…Republican or Democrat. I have the courage to do that.I will fight for:overturning Citizens Uniteda ban on congressional stock tradingage and term limits for CongressAgriculture & Rural EconomyFarmers feed the world, but corporate monopolies are eating their lunch!Here’s what that means for you: Our farmers do the work, Big Ag takes the profit.Indiana’s 8th District is built on agriculture. But the family farm is under attack. It’s not just the weather; it’s the market. And let’s not forget about the Tariffs. Four massive corporations control nearly 85% of the beef market. Four corporations control 66% of the seed market. They fix the prices you pay for inputs, and they fix the prices you get for your harvest. They squeeze you on both ends.It’s about freedom. You bought your tractor. You own it. You should have the right to fix it without hacking a computer software system or paying a dealer thousands of dollars. But manufacturers have monopolized repair, bleeding farmers dry.Washington has let consolidation kill the family farm. We’ve lost thousands of dairy and hog operations in Indiana, replaced by massive industrial operations that don’t care about our land or our neighbors. It’s time to put the power back in the hands of the people who actually work the soil.I will fight for:Fair, stable international markets for American harvests.A National Right to Repair law so farmers can fix their own equipment.Breaking up Big Ag monopolies to ensure fair markets for livestock and grain.A Farm Bill that prioritizes family operations over corporate conglomerates.— Mary Allen's campaign website (April 17, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.