Produced by:
Progressive Indiana Network :
https:/www.progressiveindiana.net
Moderator:
Derrick Holder: https://www.progressiveindiana.net/s/hold-em-accountable
Candidates:
Drew cox: https://www.drewcox.org/
Darren Patrick Griesey: https://darinpatrick.com/home/
Joe Mackey: https://joe4hoosiers.org/
Jayden McCash: https://www.facebook.com/MCCASH4CONGRESS/
Paul McPherson: https://votemcpherson.com/
John Whetstone: https://www.whetstoneforcongress.com/
SUMMARY:
Progressive Indiana Network presents the Democratic Primary Debate for Indiana’s 4th Congressional District, moderated by Derrick Holder of Hold’em Accountable. Six candidates joined the virtual forum: Drew Cox, Darren Patrick Griesey, Joe Mackey, Jayden McCash, Paul McPherson, and John Whetstone. Across eight substantive questions, the field staked out broadly progressive common ground on economic security, health care access, agricultural policy, infrastructure investment, public safety reform, democratic accountability, public education, and general election viability — with genuine points of divergence on Medicare for All implementation, the role of charter schools, an assault weapons ban, and congressional war powers authority. The debate concluded with the Hold’em or Fold’em speed round, in which all six candidates answered yes or no on twelve foundational policy questions, revealing near-unanimous agreement on most items and notable splits on the assault weapons ban, Supreme Court expansion, and congressional war powers.
BREAKDOWN:
00:00:22 Welcome and Introductions
- Moderator Derrick Holder, host of Hold’em Accountable, opens the debate on behalf of Progressive Indiana Network
- Six candidates introduced: Drew Cox, Darren Patrick Griesey, Joe Mackey, Jayden McCash, Paul McPherson, and John Whetstone
- Roger Day was not reachable for the debate; Thomas Hall Jr. announced withdrawal from the race
- Debate rules outlined: 90-second opening and closing statements, 60-second responses per question, 30-second rebuttals at moderator’s discretion
00:03:00 Opening Statements
- John Whetstone (Crawfordsville): small business owner who grew up in poverty shaped by his father’s medical debt; calls for $17.25/hour minimum wage tied to inflation, Medicare for All, and getting big money out of politics
- Drew Cox (Lafayette): Marine Corps veteran and Purdue professor; cites ICE enforcement, housing, and health care as motivating issues; emphasizes getting big money out of politics
- Darren Patrick Griesey (Monticello): fourth-generation farm owner with 30 years in community development; highlights legislative experience with the Department of Justice, HUD, and rural sewer infrastructure
- Joe Mackey: born and raised in the fourth district, former fourth district party chair; calls out the incumbent as complacent and therefore complicit on health care, housing, and education
- Paul McPherson (Warren County): faculty and administrator at Purdue, farmer, engineer; cites misuse of taxpayer dollars and the need for a longer farm bill
- Jayden McCash (Brownsburg): father of three running a Hoosier-first, anti-war, single-payer, pro-union campaign; prioritizes Medicare for All and ending overseas spending
00:12:40 Question 1: Economic Security for Working Families
- Drew Cox: supports Sanders’ Raise the Wage Act ($17/hour by 2030); calls on Congress to assert authority over tariffs being passed as costs onto working families
- Darren Patrick Griesey: pitches his “day one pledge” — a Medicare for All system managed by states, a Network Transfer Fee Act to reduce federal income taxes, and an American Energy Freedom Act to lower electricity costs
- Jayden McCash: supports raising the federal minimum wage; emphasizes unions as the backbone of wage growth and the need to raise all wages, not just the floor
- Joe Mackey: calls data center development misguided; advocates reviving biofuel and biodiesel subsidies to stabilize Indiana’s $35 billion agricultural industry
- Paul McPherson: supports living wages; calls for legislation holding corporations accountable for infrastructure costs when building data centers in under-resourced areas
- John Whetstone: advocates for $17.25/hour minimum wage tied to inflation starting immediately, not phased in; shares firsthand accounts from customers at his store selling belongings to make rent
00:20:13 Question 2: Healthcare Access and Costs (from Carol Dunfee, Martinsville)
- Darren Patrick Griesey: supports a Medicare for All system federally funded but state-managed; criticizes people who complain about health care costs without utilizing ACA exchange options
- Jayden McCash: calls Medicare for All a birthright; argues health care tied to employment is fundamentally unjust
- Joe Mackey: supports Medicare for All in principle but argues Sanders’ plan leaves 20% of the country — mostly rural — uncovered; advocates rural mobile health programs modeled on Nevada’s
- Paul McPherson: notes the federal government already spends $2.5 trillion on Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA subsidies; proposes redirecting that into new facilities at roughly $40 billion per state
- John Whetstone: supports Medicare for All and highlights rural transit — like Montgomery County’s Sunshine Van — as a necessary complement to any universal coverage plan
- Drew Cox: supports single-payer; argues Medicaid cuts disproportionately harm rural hospitals; endorses mobile integrated health units and raises Indiana’s maternal mortality crisis
00:27:05 Question 3: Protecting Family Farms from Corporate Agribusiness
- Jayden McCash: opposes Trump tariffs that have left farmers sitting on unsellable product; calls for rebuilding trade relationships and investing federal funds in family farm distribution
- Joe Mackey: preparing to tour a White County ethanol plant; argues biodiesel and ethanol create local markets for corn and soy lost to foreign tariff retaliation
- Paul McPherson: calls for “grow local, buy local” incentives; supports federal and local regulations capping how much farmland large corporations can acquire
- John Whetstone: focuses on antitrust enforcement — fertilizer, seed, and output markets are already too consolidated; calls for breaking up agribusiness monopolies under existing law
- Drew Cox: agrees on antitrust; also advocates cannabis and hemp legalization as replacement crops for market share lost in corn and soybeans
- Darren Patrick Griesey: focuses on reducing input costs and expanding vertical market opportunities through USDA; acknowledges the generational succession problem — next-generation farmers often don’t want to farm
00:33:24 Question 4: Infrastructure Investment
- Jayden McCash: supports lighting state and federal roads as a safety investment; focuses on reducing rural traffic fatalities
- Joe Mackey: flags that U.S. water policy hasn’t been updated in 40 years; calls for a modern water consumption and reuse policy to protect rural communities from data centers and large corporate energy operations
- Paul McPherson: ties rural decline to farm consolidation; supports block grants for infrastructure and holds broadband companies accountable for failing to execute on federally funded last-mile internet plans
- John Whetstone: argues rural transit investment keeps young families in small towns rather than forcing them to relocate for work; links rural population loss to suppressed wages
- Drew Cox: points to the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ($1.2 trillion over five years) as a model; contrasts it with proposed $1.5 trillion defense spending and argues the money exists to do more
- Darren Patrick Griesey: prioritizes education funding targeted to state and local needs rather than test scores; highlights experience using USDA grants, low-income housing block grants, and infrastructure block grants in Monticello and Monon
00:43:43 Question 5: Public Safety and Root Causes of Crime
- Joe Mackey: calls out ICE’s lack of de-escalation training and constitutional literacy; condemns federal agents shooting American citizens; argues telephones and whistles are not weapons
- Paul McPherson: rejects GOP framing of immigrants as criminals; supports reining in ICE to focus on genuinely dangerous individuals in coordination with local law enforcement; backs expansion of DARE programs to reduce drug demand
- John Whetstone: calls for abolishing ICE; argues wage increases address the root cause of most crime; calls for investment in mental health facilities to reduce drive times to psychiatric care
- Drew Cox: calls ICE a rogue entity; invokes the 1980 Mental Health Systems Act signed by Carter and defunded by Reagan as a model to restore; calls for cannabis legalization and rethinking the war on drugs
- Darren Patrick Griesey: proposes a national firearm testing program before purchase or possession; draws on his DOJ experience with Project Safe Neighborhoods and community policing in Indianapolis
- Jayden McCash: calls for severely defunding ICE; shares that his father died of a heroin overdose in 2014; calls for investment in rehab centers and reducing the stigma of addiction
00:50:21 Question 6: Restoring Democratic Accountability and Public Trust
- Paul McPherson: calls for ending censorship of scientific and professional networks; advocates making federal data and research publicly accessible
- John Whetstone: argues Trump’s rise reflects a justified distrust of a system that serves corporations; frames his democratic socialist candidacy as the answer
- Drew Cox: supports repealing Citizens United through a constitutional amendment; pledges full campaign finance transparency
- Darren Patrick Griesey: has a Transparency Act proposal covering Congressional and Supreme Court term limits, Supreme Court transparency, and eliminating Congressional stock trading; developing a civics book for young voters
- Jayden McCash: agrees on repealing Citizens United and capping campaign spending; calls for elected officials to host free, open town halls and stay connected to constituents
- Joe Mackey: notes that Citizens United repeal legislation already exists but can’t get a hearing under a Republican Congress; calls for passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act; argues PAC donor disclosure is the central transparency reform needed
00:56:10 Question 7: Public Education Funding (from Kate Faust, Wheatfield)
- Drew Cox: opposes taxpayer funding for charter schools; supports cannabis legalization to generate education revenue; cites his mother’s 36-year teaching career and $60,000 salary as evidence of systemic underpayment
- Darren Patrick Griesey: proposes the Fair Education Funding Act — consolidating 15 federal funding formulas into one, mandating $15,000 per student minimum, and shifting from test-score to needs-based allocation
- Jayden McCash: agrees no tax dollars to charter schools; calls for raising teacher pay, strengthening teacher unions, and funding classroom supplies
- Joe Mackey: supports Title I revival for competitive teacher salaries; prefers federal earmarks over block grants; wants education decisions returned to local school boards and educators
- Paul McPherson: disagrees partially on charter schools, noting his wife taught at a public charter school that served students who learn differently; supports makerspace investment and hands-on skills training
- John Whetstone: argues war spending ($50 billion in recent military actions) should be redirected to schools; calls for funding vocational programs; highlights the need to publicly fund daycares as early education infrastructure
01:02:31 Question 8: Electability — Who Can Flip the 4th District?
- John Whetstone: grew up in a conservative trailer park; argues cross-aisle credibility comes from shared economic concerns; notes no one in Greencastle seems to know who Jim Baird is
- Darren Patrick Griesey: points to his broad policy platform, two-term pledge, 10% salary scholarship tithe, and cross-demographic appeal as a farmer and entertainer; believes the race is winnable
- Joe Mackey: cites a decade of district-level organizing; argues blue collar Democrats are winning red districts on dinner table issues; believes the gap against Jim Baird may be as small as seven points
- Jayden McCash: argues his Hoosier-first message can peel away 17-20% of Republican voters who were sold an “America first” promise that became “Israel first”
- Paul McPherson: has knocked on over 3,000 doors; emphasizes his background across manufacturing, farming, and education as unique preparation; commits to constituent-facing town halls if elected
- Drew Cox: argues his military background as a Marine and Afghanistan veteran sets him apart in a general election against two Republican veterans; highlights the veteran suicide and homelessness crisis as a defining issue
01:09:40 Hold’em or Fold’em Speed Round
All six candidates answered yes or no on twelve policy questions. Results:
- Automatic voter registration at 18: All six — yes
- Ban congressional stock trading: All six — yes
- Pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants: All six — yes
- Nationwide rent increase limits: Cox yes, Griesey yes, McCash (inaudible, but yes), Mackey no, McPherson yes, Whetstone yes
- Tuition-free community college: Griesey yes, Mackey yes, McPherson yes, Whetstone yes, Cox yes (McCash got skipped - sorry)
- Federal wealth tax on ultra-high net worth individuals: All six — yes
- Break up large tech companies under antitrust law: All six — yes
- End fossil fuel tax breaks and subsidies: All six — yes
- Federal law restoring abortion access protections: All six — yes
- Federal assault weapons ban: McCash yes, Mackey yes, McPherson yes, Whetstone no, Cox no, Griesey no
- Congressional approval required for military engagement: McCash yes, Mackey no, McPherson no, Whetstone yes, Cox no, Griesey yes
- Expand the Supreme Court beyond nine justices: McCash no, Mackey no, McPherson no, Whetstone yes, Cox yes, Griesey yes
01:15:46 Closing Statements
- Paul McPherson: directs viewers to votemcpherson.com; pitches his cross-aisle problem-solving approach and willingness to meet people in the middle
- Joe Mackey: argues blue collar Democrats are winning red districts on affordability; commits to keeping the focus on district needs over party priorities
- Jayden McCash: reiterates Hoosier-first platform; pledges to block $1.5 trillion military spending without Medicare for All first; advocates uncapping the House from its 435-member limit; website mccashforcongress.com
- Darren Patrick Griesey: frames the race as right versus wrong; pledges a series of day-one bills on term limits, Social Security, universal care, education, energy, gun violence, and tax reform; website darrenpatrick.com
- Drew Cox: thanks candidates and moderator; argues military background as a Marine and Afghanistan veteran is essential for a general election against two Republican veterans; website drewcox.org
- John Whetstone: argues the government has served career politicians, the ultra-rich, and the military-industrial complex long enough; calls for refocusing on families, workers, and Hoosiers; website whetstoneforcongress.com
