After an introduction by Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry, Mary Allen took the microphone to officially announce her candidacy for US House of Representatives, running as a democrat.
“So I want to start focusing on our shared values, and let's turn them into action, because, as they say, 'We are The ones we've been waiting for.' Let's do this.”
Allen’s goal is to take on incumbent Mark Messmer, a President Trump-endorsed republican, who also announced his reelection campaign.
Allen said fundraising is next.
“I know fundraising is going to be a hurdle,” she said. “So we'll be making lots of calls, holding fundraisers, house parties, events, just getting around and meeting folks in all the counties as much as possible.”
Messmer has nearly $380,000 in campaign funds currently. Allen has been told that up to “seven figures” could be needed to beat Messmer.
She is also not sure if she’ll have a primary battle next spring, but she’ll officially file to be on the ballot in January.
She plans to visit all 21 counties in the district. Allen said she didn’t take the decision to run lightly.
“Several people brought it up to me, and after a lot of prayer and consideration, I felt that I could bring that same level of representation that I do here in City Council for the City of Evansville to DC. I feel that people deserve that voice.”
After her initial address, she mingled with supporters afterward, standing for photos. A line formed beside the park shelter with individuals making donations and sharing contact information.
One individual is progressive voter Don Morrell who drove an hour to be here.
“We had such a difficulty finding people to run in the Democratic side, in the liberal side, in the progressive side, that just seeing someone come out and say, ‘Yes, I want to run’ is very exciting,” he said.
Messmer is in the first year of his two-year term.
"I know this race is not going to be easy," Allen said. "People have alluded to that once or twice, even even even mentioning the word 'miracle.'"
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