Moderators:
Scott Aaron Rogers: https://hoosleft.us/
Dion Bergeron: https://www.youtube.com/@dionsdailydose
Candidates:
Ryan Kominakis (D): https://www.ryankominakis.com/
Travis Gearhart (L): https://www.travisgearhart.com/
SUMMARY:
With just over a week until Election Day, HoosLeft host Scott Aaron Rogers and Dion’s Daily Dose host Dion Bergeron co-moderated a debate for Indiana House District 4, which covers parts of Porter County including Valparaiso and Kouts. Democrat Ryan Kominakis and Libertarian Travis Gearhart took part. Republican incumbent Ed Soliday, who has chaired the House Utilities Committee since 2011, was invited but did not respond to the moderators’ requests. The candidates answered ten questions across five topic areas — cost of living, health care, education, economic development, and public safety — followed by a 12-question yes/no speed round and closing statements. The two found wide common ground: both criticized corporate tax breaks and data center subsidies, called for repealing right-to-work, backed legalizing and taxing cannabis, and were critical of license plate cameras and of Soliday. They split on a data center moratorium and on school vouchers, which. Gearhart closed by urging voters who don’t choose him to vote for Kominakis rather than Soliday.
BREAKDOWN:
00:00:31 Introduction
Rogers and Bergeron introduce themselves and the candidates, note that Soliday did not respond to requests to participate, and explain the format: two-minute opening statements, five topic areas with two questions each (one from each moderator), 90 seconds per answer with alternating turn order, a yes/no speed round, and two-minute closings.
00:02:07 Opening Statements
Gearhart goes first, as determined by a backstage coin flip.
- Gearhart: Former Republican: South County Republican chair, Hebron Town Council member, and an unsuccessful at-large county council candidate. Left politics disenfranchised and returned after Soliday’s text message to Republican Portage Mayor Austin Bonta. Says he was always more libertarian and that a third-party candidate isn’t beholden to downstate special interest money. Describes Northwest Indiana as a mixed bag, neither red nor blue.
- Kominakis: Marine Corps veteran who deployed multiple times in five years, including Afghanistan. Says he fights for workers every day. Criticized Soliday’s 20 years in office, especially as House Utilities chair, for corporate handouts and for representing donors over constituents. Pledged to be a real voice for House District 4. (Parts of his statement were lost to a connection problem, which Rogers noted afterward.)
00:06:48 Q1: Housing and Local Control (Cost of Living)
Bergeron cited a $275,000 statewide median home price, a national first-time buyer median age of 40, and House Enrolled Act 1001’s pros and cons. He asked what else Indiana should do for housing affordability in Porter County and how much the state should decide versus local communities.
- Gearhart: Agrees with critics that decisions should be as local as possible. Fine with cutting red tape and zoning hurdles but says local governments need autonomy. Compared it to data centers, where local voters’ objections should be heard. Said the bigger fix is raising Hoosier wages by attracting good jobs, not small data centers.
- Kominakis: Noted Valparaiso requires builders to include some affordable housing. Said first-time buyers face private mortgage insurance and down payments, which his VA loan let him avoid, and that young buyers likely need subsidies. Said he isn’t deeply versed in HEA 1001 and would want to investigate it. Called for common-sense solutions.
00:11:48 Q2: Utility Rates (Cost of Living)
Rogers cited a NIPSCO rate increase of about $23 a month (nearly 17%) and noted the House Utilities Committee shapes the rules on trackers, the sales tax on utility bills, and fixed charges. He asked what changes each candidate would support in January and how to keep them from raising costs elsewhere.
- Kominakis: Said Soliday, as House Utilities chair, is far more than one vote and wrote the legislation that raised utility bills. Wants to repeal laws that let utilities pass costs to customers through trackers outside the regular rate case, including those tied to House Bill 1007.
- Gearhart: Agreed with Kominakis “100%” and would go further: a full audit of NiSource and a rethink of the legal monopoly system. Floated changing how the IURC is chosen, such as election by mayors instead of governor appointment, without committing to a single fix. Cited rate increases and a large CEO pay raise at NiSource. Added that a Republican text message criticizing him for saying he would caucus with Democrats shows why he would.
00:16:40 Q3: Medicaid Cuts and Fraud (Health Care)
Rogers cited a drop of about 343,000 in Indiana’s Medicaid rolls in a year, many due to missed paperwork, a new federal pilot using AI to look for billing fraud, and work requirements beginning in January. He asked where to draw the line between guarding against fraud and keeping eligible Hoosiers covered.
- Gearhart: Supports finding fraud, but wants it pursued at the top level too, including corporate subsidies such as data center tax cuts (”corporate welfare”). Said Republicans tend to slash and burn, and that cuts must be measured and targeted. Asked why so many Hoosiers need assistance and pointed to bringing in high-paying, often union, jobs.
- Kominakis: Said health care should be a right and that people will lose coverage under these laws while officials focus on cuts rather than people. Pointed to a $4 billion surplus and said data centers should invest in Hoosier communities. Faulted Soliday for not forcing that through House Bill 1601 and said he would negotiate to get something in return for constituents.
00:21:34 Q4: Medicaid Waivers (Health Care)
Bergeron described caps on waiver services, two full waivers, and a waiting list of more than 13,600 Hoosiers. He asked about the state’s responsibility to people on the waivers and to providers, and for one specific thing each would do in the House to protect them.
- Kominakis: His wife used to work at Opportunity Enterprises. Said the state should take care of vulnerable people and pointed to the $4 billion surplus and $655 million in tax revenue lost to data center incentives. Believes the needs can be met without raising taxes. Blamed the Republican supermajority for protecting corporations and utilities and said he expects to flip it.
- Gearhart: His fiancée, a past Direct Support Professional of the Year, works at Opportunity Enterprises. Agreed with Kominakis and called handing large tax breaks to big companies cronyism, not free-market capitalism. Called cutting necessary services amid a surplus “criminal.” Proposed legalizing and taxing marijuana as one way to pay for services.
00:27:43 Q5: Funding Priorities and Property Taxes (Education)
Bergeron described Senate Enrolled Act 1’s property tax limits and the state budget split, with education and health and human services making up nearly 87% of the roughly $46 billion general fund. He asked whether more money for schools or health care would come from cuts, taxes, or something else, and for one specific cut or tax.
- Gearhart: Said Indiana is taxed enough. Criticized the state for cutting property taxes while shifting burdens to local governments and stripping local authority — “pick a lane.” Would rather cut the income tax than property taxes. Would end corporate tax breaks and legalize and tax cannabis, citing Michigan and Illinois.
- Kominakis: Called SB 1 a scam that siphons money from police, fire, and schools and leaves communities choosing among a local income tax, a school referendum, or accepting data centers. Said local officials of all parties are angry about it. Praised Valparaiso, Wheeler, and Washington Township schools, which he and Gearhart attended, and said private institutions are slowly defunding public schools. Would make corporations either pay taxes or invest in communities in exchange for subsidies.
00:32:57 Q6: School Vouchers (Education)
Rogers cited the Choice Scholarship Program’s growth to about 80,000 students and $548 million, its opening to all families in July, and the first year more vouchers went to families earning over $100,000 than to lower-income families. He asked whether vouchers should stay universal or be limited, and whether accountability should change.
- Kominakis: Vouchers need to go. Said private and home schools don’t face the same rules as public schools and called vouchers another way for the Republican legislature to defund public schools. Said support for families should not come out of public school funding. Also called for restoring teachers’ bargaining rights lost around the time right-to-work passed, comparing them to his own contract rights in the steel mills.
- Gearhart: Agrees on repealing right-to-work. Does not want to end vouchers outright and agrees with the principle that families should be able to use their tax dollars for another school, but called the current system extremely flawed. Said vouchers go largely to religious schools and sports-driven choices such as Andrean, and that public schools must take everyone while private schools can pick and choose. Wants the system reworked on a level playing field and paired with ending right-to-work.
00:38:00 Q7: Tax Abatements (Economic Development)
Rogers cited $322 million in abatement savings in 2026 and a legislative fiscal staff review concluding abatements generally don’t change business decisions. He asked whether Indiana should allow, limit, or end them and what companies should have to show before taxpayers subsidize them.
- Gearhart: Said abatements are overused and sometimes serve to reward donors. Doesn’t want to eliminate them — they are a tool — but said they have been abused and need more accountability at the state and local level, and far more conservative use.
- Kominakis: Wants a hard look at what works, including a third-party study, and wants to see where the fiscal staff’s numbers come from. Tied abatements to SEA 1 and the 2025 data center and nuclear bills (House Bill 1007, SB 423 and 424, House Bill 1601). Said the abatements should end or be paired with negotiated returns and consumer protections, citing a 50-year tax break for data centers. Called for flipping the Republican supermajority.
00:43:04 Q8: Long-Term Jobs for the Region (Economic Development)
Bergeron noted regional frustration that big economic wins land elsewhere, and cited the South Shore Double Track project, casino jobs, and disputed data center job counts. He asked for one specific thing each would do to bring long-term, well-paying jobs and how to do it from outside the governing majority.
- Kominakis: Noted Democrats are outnumbered about 70 to 30. Cited his experience as a union rep working across the aisle to get things done outside the contract. Wants strings attached to subsidies like those in House Bill 1601 for data centers and quantum computing, such as union labor requirements or a responsible bidder ordinance (RBO). Said to consult mayors, city councils, and residents where projects are built.
- Gearhart: Said data centers bring construction jobs now, and noted Local 150 has reportedly voiced support (per what he had read), but that research suggests few permanent jobs follow. Said big corporations don’t routinely bring big-paying jobs, citing Amazon’s treatment of drivers. Wants to end right-to-work, be pickier about tax cuts, and not “sell out to the first person that shows up with a check.”
00:48:03 Q9: Cannabis (Public Safety)
Bergeron cited federal plans to move cannabis to Schedule 3, Illinois and Michigan cannabis tax revenue, and Northwest Indiana’s role as a drug and human trafficking corridor. He asked how Indiana can tap the revenue while keeping residents and law enforcement safe.
- Gearhart: Legalize and tax it. Argued legalization puts cannabis on par with alcohol and removes the illegal-market problem, as in Michigan and Illinois. Said Indiana is wasting court resources criminalizing peaceful Hoosiers and that the reefer madness era is over. Said local ordinances can handle smell, as with cigarette smoke. Noted he has read that federal rescheduling could complicate tax questions.
- Kominakis: Gave a similar answer. Compared it to alcohol Prohibition, where legalizing, taxing, and regulating cut the problems. Called that healthy capitalism and said he would love to see cannabis legalized, though he isn’t sure how easily it would happen. Called Indiana backwards on the issue, pointing to Sunday alcohol sales only recently being allowed, and said other states legalized without trouble protecting residents.
00:52:25 Q10: License Plate Cameras (Public Safety)
Rogers cited Flock cameras across Porter County and recent abuse cases in Jackson County, Indianapolis, and a Porter County sheriff’s lieutenant’s demotion. He noted Chesterton’s town council voted to end its Flock contract and Indiana has no comprehensive state law. He asked whether the state should set statewide rules or leave it to local governments, and how to balance privacy with law enforcement utility.
- Kominakis: Called the cameras a major issue with documented abuse of power, while acknowledging police say they help. Said more studies are needed on whether they’re worth it and that, absent regulation, “we got to put a stop to it.” Said cities and counties should take more of the enforcement and regulation role. Criticized legislators for leaving the issue unregulated and said anything open to abuse should go until protections are in place.
- Gearhart: His first reaction: rip them out. Said he doesn’t want to live in a George Orwell novel and called them the biggest Fourth Amendment violation you can have. Said protecting constitutional rights is a state role and that, at minimum, the legislature should require a warrant to use them or access their data.
00:57:03 Speed Round
Twelve yes/no questions, six from each moderator. Answers are listed Kominakis / Gearhart.
- Overturn the 2022 near-total abortion ban: Yes / Yes
- Moratorium on data centers: No / Yes
- Commit to podcast appearances, live streams, or town halls: Yes / Yes
- Constitutional amendment for an independent redistricting commission: Yes / Yes (Kominakis said it needs to be done at the time of redistricting)
- Constitutional amendment allowing statewide ballot measures by petition: Yes / Yes
- Longer legislative sessions: Undecided (said no, then “yes, maybe,” calling it complicated and a question of cost) / Yes
- Work across party lines even if accused of disloyalty: Yes / Yes
- Repeal right-to-work: Yes / Yes
- Repeal permitless carry: No / No
- Term limits for state representatives: Yes, five terms (10 years) / Yes, five terms (”negotiable”); has signed a two-term pledge himself
- Eliminate townships: No / No
- Raise the state minimum wage: Yes, would “love to see” $10 to $15, though he would pursue what can pass across the aisle / Yes, adjusted for inflation; no figure, deferred to Kominakis
01:03:15 Closing Statements
- Gearhart: Said third-party candidates know the odds but voters are starved for something outside the two-party system. Cited Soliday as part of why he left the Republican Party. Encouraged voters to visit his website and to vote early if they haven’t. Said he doesn’t come from big money. Thanked Kominakis for agreeing to appear. Urged voters not to vote straight ticket, and if they don’t choose him, to vote for Kominakis and not Soliday.
- Kominakis: Echoed Gearhart’s last sentiment. Said Soliday threatened the city of Portage over the summer, including a vow to make sure Portage got no revenue increase, and called constituents a “noise box.” Said he is running because he cares about his neighbors, the Marines he served with in combat, and the union members on the shop floor. Told voters to look at the person, not the D, R, or L, and said he has been knocking doors every weekend, working toward 400 every two weeks. Asked voters to send “the steelworker, the union rep, and the Marine Corps veteran” to the statehouse and to reject Soliday’s corporate handout agenda.
01:08:01 Moderator Closing Remarks
Rogers and Bergeron thank the candidates, note that debates like this let voters hear candidates side by side, and remind viewers that Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. They encourage voting early or on Election Day and continuing to ask questions of elected officials. Rogers signs off with “Love each other, Indiana.”
