Southwestern Indiana native Brandi Durham Pugh has announced her candidacy for Indiana’s 49th State Senate seat as a Republican. In the May 5 primary, she will face incumbent Jim Tomes, who recently filed for reelection.
Durham Pugh, a first-time candidate, filed to run against Tomes because she thought he was going to retire. She said the senator announced his candidacy after she had made the decision to run.
“Yeah, I don’t recant when I say I’m going to do something,” she said. “I’m going to do something because, I mean, if you can’t trust what I say, how are you going to vote for me?”
Durham Pugh said she decided to enter politics following concerns about public safety.
“I saw how much Evansville was changing, and not always for the positive,” she said. “I want my kids and my future grandkids to have safe streets.”
Professionally, Durham Pugh works for the Indiana Donor Network in organ and tissue donation, a role that involves long shifts and frequent travel to Indianapolis.
She said the job has influenced her perspective on policy and decision-making, particularly through exposure to life-and-death situations.
Her top priority, she said, is addressing the rising cost of living. She pointed to housing, utilities and food costs as major concerns, adding that many families are forced to make difficult financial trade-offs.
On her challenge to the incumbent, Durham Pugh said she shares many of his values but questioned the decision to seek reelection after previously indicating plans to retire. She framed her candidacy as an opportunity for continuity with a longer-term outlook.
She does not support strict term limits and would not give a definite answer as to how long she would serve if elected, saying the length of service should depend on whether a lawmaker still has meaningful work to complete.
Durham Pugh also addressed workforce and immigration policy, specifically criticizing the use of H-1B visas in certain cases.
She said that employees should prioritize training and hiring domestic workers rather than relying on foreign labor.
“Why do you need to go to India to bring somebody here to do a job that you are educating students to do? We should focus on making sure our people are the best of the best, and we can give them jobs so they can support their life and their future families,” Durham Pugh said.
In terms of immigration as a whole, she said the current immigration system affects Indiana residents disproportionately.
“If we could deport as many [immigrants] as we possibly can, we would be able to have housing for your generation. We’d be able [to] fund social security so when you retire, you’re covered,” Durham Pugh said.
While she described herself as “tough on immigration,” she expressed support for asylum-seeking refugees in limited situations.
“If they go to their home country for vacation, I think that is an automatic deportable offense,” she said. “If they are coming here and trying to create a positive life for themselves, I don’t want to say look the other way, but give them a chance to file the paperwork to stay the legal way.”
Durham Pugh also weighed in on data centers in the area, saying residents should have a voice in where they are placed and that farmland should be spared.
“If it’s also a farm that feeds people, and now you’re going to build a warehouse there, well, who’s going to offset that food production that you’re no longer producing?” she said.
As the interview concluded, Durham Pugh acknowledged the difficulty of her campaign but emphasized her long-term goals and optimism.
The Shield asked Durham Pugh if she would support her primary opponent, Tomes, if he advances to the general election. She said she and the senator have a good relationship, and she would offer support if she loses the primary.
Durham Pugh’s official campaign updates can be found on X.