HamCo Connect Hosts Karen Tallian

christinadowney
Jul 29
3 min read

Recently elected state Democratic party chair engaged with Hamilton County residents during June Q&A

Hamilton County Party Chairwoman Karen Tallian is interviewed during a Q&A at Westfield Washington Library. — Karen Tallian answers audience questions during June 25 Q&A at HamCo Connect in Westfield, IN.

Indiana State Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Tallian had three main messages for HamCo Connect attendees on June 25, 2025 at the Westfield Washington Library:

Energy is high around the state for Democrats to bring more balance to state government.
Winning elections is the highest priority of the party.
Everyone must be involved through volunteering and donation of funds if we hope to win.

The event, hosted by the Hamilton County Democratic Party, was kicked off by County Party Chair Josh Lowry and was designed to engage HamCo voters directly with the state chair. As the invited moderator for this event, I was pleased to have the opportunity to review the many questions submitted by local voters to pose to Chairwoman Tallian. As I was planning the Q&A session, I hoped we would cover the greatest possible ground of voters' interests - and I think we succeeded.

Now that we're looking forward to the next HamCo Connect event in August, I thought I would offer some reflections on the conversation and how these events are a great way to serve you, our voters.

County Chair Josh Lowry welcomes the HamCo Connect audience to the June 25 Q&A.

Tallian states winning elections is her highest priority

After spending a few minutes introducing herself, I noted to Chairwoman Tallian that every one of the questions we received for the Q&A were about electoral strategy and tactics. That is, the audience was focused on how the Chairwoman planned to win Democrats more seats at every level of government in the state.

However, I also felt it was important to know what policies the party planned to fight for as we pursue more electoral progress - so, I opened by inviting the Chairwoman to share the policy priorities of the party. Her response was direct and concise: "The only policy that matters right now is winning elections."

I admit - as a college professor, there was a split second where I was thrown off a bit, in that her response didn't address the literal letter of my question.

But I very quickly understood the Chairwoman's crucial point: Our policy priorities have been well-defined for years. What matters at this moment is that we stay laser-focused on winning elections, so that we can enact those policies for the greater good.

To lead us to victory, the Chairwoman described a range of intense efforts. She talked about traveling throughout the state and holding events with voters - both those who regularly vote Democratic, and those who have trended away from us in recent decades. She talked about spending hours on the phone advising candidates, strategizing communications to draw new voters in, and raising money ("Lots and lots of money," she noted) to leverage for blue victories. She talked about reconnecting with working class and union voters, inspiring younger and LGBTQ+ voters, and capitalizing on Republican voter disappointment in the current administration to welcome independents.

By the end of our 45-minute conversation, the Chairwoman had clearly engaged the audience in many positive ways, culminating in an audience member spontaneously requesting information on how to donate to the party. That was exactly the excitement that the Chairwoman referred to in her opening, and it was a great moment of the public rising to the call to help.

The power of conversation

My late father used to share this wisdom: "What starts as a thought, and becomes your words, will translate to your actions." This has me thinking about the work of the Hamilton County Democratic Party and the affiliated city committees in Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, and Westfield (not to mention the budding one in Sheridan). The great people in these groups have been really stepping up over the last few years to channel our community's thoughts about the state of our politics into powerful words and progressive action.

The HamCo Connect events are an excellent example of how this happens in real time. Interested and informed people from around our county make the time to come hear important voices, and they walk away more committed to help us move forward together. It is through sharing our thoughts and words that we take actions that make a difference.

Your next chance for impact at a HamCo Connect

The next HamCo Connect event is coming up on Tuesday, August 26 at 6:30 pm at Noblesville East Middle School. The topic of the evening will be volunteering - opportunities, benefits, and a chance to ask questions about how to get involved.