Keri Yousif, November 13, 2025

“Life is not affordable; that’s what keeps me up at night,” said Democratic candidate Kacey Blundell, who kicked off her campaign for state senate on November 7th in Terre Haute. Blundell is running for State Senate, District 38, the seat currently held by Republican Greg Goode. Blundell said the cost of living is one of her main concerns, as is public education and health care.

Blundell isn’t alone. A recent poll cited the cost of living as first on voters’ minds in a run up to last week’s election, with health care as the top priority. “When I’m worried, someone with a good job, and my husband has a good job, what are other people doing? People are struggling,” Blundell stated. 

Running for state senate has long been a dream for Blundell. She interned for the State Senate as an undergraduate at Indiana State University, working with Democratic Senator Tim Lanane, who served in the senate from 2008-2020. “I fell in love with the Senate during my internship,” she explained, “and I’ve always wanted to run. When (Jon) Ford resigned in 2023, I thought, ‘this is my moment.’” 

From Indiana State University to candidate, Blundell has had a career in civil service, working for child protective services and now the criminal justice system. Blundell is also an alumna (class of 2022-2023) of Hoosier Women Forward, which is a state Democratic leadership program that seeks to train future community leaders and politicians. 

Goode’s seat is not an easy choice. The seat has long been held by a Republican, since Jon Ford beat Democrat Tim Skinner is 2014. Ford went on to win re-election in 2018, beating Democratic candidate Chris Gambill 55.9% to 44.1%. In 2022, Ford ran unopposed, winning his third term as state senator.

Goode, like Blundell, will be running in his first general election, as he was elected by Republican caucus in 2023 to fill the seat vacated by Ford’s resignation. Senator Goode, however, has not officially declared his candidacy (Goode did not respond to requests for comments). And, indeed, it is still early, as candidates cannot officially file until January 2026. 

Blundell said her early campaign launch is to lay the groundwork for a long race. “I took two years to make my decision,” she said, “and now I’m ready to do this.” When I asked her what separates her from Goode’s potential candidacy, she responded:  “I’ve spent my entire life in civil service; I know the issues. I came from nothing, and I made myself something. I know what it is to struggle. I have a different perspective.”

I also asked her about online political incivility, if she had any strategies for how she might weather the potential darker side of campaigning. She laughed: “I survived having a middle-schooler and a toddler at the same time! I’ve got a thick skin.”