Who I AM

My name is Blaine Sefton.

I am a worker, a democratic socialist, and here to bring the power to the people.

Through many jobs and many paths I have seen what we have all felt, companies, corporations, and the rich men and women that run them control our lives. From the grocery store to the gas station we have all felt the squeeze on our wallets and hearts. The worker has to weigh the decision of either feeding their kids or fill the tank of the car that gets them to the job that pays them too little. Meanwhile the 1% flaunt their wealth and laugh in our faces when we tell them that enough is enough. Together we will prove to them who holds the real power.

As a union worker of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, I understand the value of working with my fellow laborers and wielding the power of solidarity against those that wish to overwork and underpay us. The right to better wages and benefits does not end with a union. It is the duty of representatives to hold the corporations that set the prices and set our wages that they must pay their fair share. It is the responsibility of the state to empower it's workers to take their skills and ensure they take control of their careers.

At my time working as a case manager for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration I heard the pleas of my fellow Hoosiers for the help they desperately needed, and was told by the government I worked for that they would not approve the funds to assist our sick and starving neighbors and community members. It should be the mission of any good government to ensure that the working families under it's care are fed and their access to medicine is not only cheap, but consistent.

At the Social Security Office of Disability Adjudication I saw countless individuals plead their case that they would not be asking for disability if they didn't have to. Family after family brought to tears as they were told their case would be under review, knowing that the government did not care if those with broken bodies could no longer work, and that they would have to either struggle or die. There wasn't a day that went by that didn't bring me to tears as my community members were describing the pain they experience, and being told to deal with it.

I have been homeless, so when the state tells us that being unfortunate enough to not have a place to sleep at night is a criminal activity, I take that personally. I am, and always will be, people first. We can no longer allow those in power to harm and jail the marginalized and impoverished. Most Hoosiers are one bad week away from not being able to afford rent, pay the bills, or take care of their family. Instead of supporting our neighbors, the statehouse is actively harming those who need our help by sending the police after them, jailing them, fining them, and then kicking them back out into the cold just to start the process all over again.

Enough is enough. I will be taking on the establishment politicians and am asking you to join me on this journey. This might be our last chance to take back control and wield the power for the people.