(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Indiana-1: Rep. Frank Mrvan is Rather Low-Key. Does That Fact Alone Make Him More Vulnerable? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-02 Before writing my article about him in 2022, I knew nothing about Rep. Frank Mrvan. I don’t think I am taking a leap in conjecture by thinking most of my readers likely are in the same boat. There are few to no appearances on national or local networks. There are no fiery speeches in the halls of Congress that have gone viral. Hell, there aren’t even any interesting recent articles about him in local papers! Rep. Frank Mrvan isn’t someone who wants to be noticed, preferring a more muted style in Congress and choosing to get the nitty gritty work done. That is a strategy plenty of Congressional incumbents have followed and still had long and successful careers. An argument could even be made that blustering publicity seekers are more ineffective than quiet legislators like Mrvan! The question is whether or not that style puts him at risk of losing the November election. If people don’t know he could be in trouble in his re-election campaign, will people rally around him? Like reading election-themed articles? I have started a massive series of them each Sunday morning! Make sure to follow #SaveTheMajority and the group Save the Majority so you don’t miss important races down the ballot! Rep. Frank Mrvan is one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the nation. He only barely won his re-election in 2022. That’s why I’ve included him in a group of 23 incumbents or open seat races we are defending. #SaveTheMajority Fund. DONATE TO THE SAVE THE MAJORITY 2024 FUND TO PROTECT OUR INCUMBENTS! Frank Mrvan for Indiana-1 Official House Website | Facebook | Twitter Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter | DONATE | Volunteer What’s the Big Idea? THIS DISTRICT LEANS DEMOCRATIC, with a D+3 PVI. 2022 election results for IN-01. This district covers the northwestern corner of the state of Indiana, and more precisely the suburbs of the Chicago megalopolis that spill over into the state. Gary is the anchor of Lake County, where most of the people in the district reside. This region was once home to many steel mills and other manufacturing centers, but those were mostly decimated by outsourcing long ago. Republicans have not held this seat in over 90 years, with the district staying in the same region of Indiana the entire time. That means that this district is a classic yellow-dog Democratic district found in the Rust Belt region where the labor movement has had strong ties to the Democratic Party. What is different now is that this area has been trending away from the Democratic Party in recent elections. Gore and Kerry got around 55% of the vote in this district in the 2000s, Obama received over 60% of the vote in both of his election campaigns, and even Clinton outperformed Biden by scoring roughly 54%. Biden only won 53.4% to 45.0% in 2020, further shrinking the margin for error. Mrvan won his second term by a 52.8% to 47.2% result after winning his first term 56% to 40% in 2020. Here’s where this race will be won in the 1st district. Gary and the inner core: These cities are predominantly African American, which means that Mrvan will need a significant turnout from these cities to ensure that he is re-elected. There is likely still a residual union vote that he will need to rely upon to win as well. These cities are predominantly African American, which means that Mrvan will need a significant turnout from these cities to ensure that he is re-elected. There is likely still a residual union vote that he will need to rely upon to win as well. The outer suburbs and exurbs of Lake County : Mrvan needs to staunch the bleeding in these areas, as they trended towards Trump in his elections. This is the swing area for the district, and a bad showing here will doom him. Hopefully, the legacy of union membership will come through for him. Here’s where we need to keep the margins down, or we lose. Porter County and that sliver of La Porte County : these two counties are traditionally swing counties in presidential elections, but these counties backed Trump twice in the last two elections. It is important to keep the margins here as close as possible to make sure that Lake County can outweigh these two smaller counties. Who is REP. Frank Mrvan? Rep. Frank Mrvan holding a rally with union support. Unions are key to his political strength. Frank Mrvan grew up in northwestern Indiana. He went to Ball State University and got a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Mrvan was a pharmaceutical sales representative and a mortgage broker after college. He was the North Township trustee for 15 years, only leaving that post when elected to Congress. Wondering how someone with a rather thin resume got to Congress? His father served nearly continuously in the Indiana State Senate from 1978 to 2022. This list mainly comes from the issues pages on his campaign website and his official website. Labor Leader. Mrvan is one of the strongest on labor issues in Congress. He is a staunch and outspoken advocate for the PRO Act, which would give more workers the right to unionize. Mrvan also sits on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which oversees labor issues including fair wages, worker safety, and protecting pensions. Strong as Steel. Mrvan is a Vice Chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, and his vow is to protect a historically critical industry in northwestern Indiana. He supports strong tariffs on steel imports and Buy American provisions for government projects. He would work to close loopholes in trade agreements that hurt steel manufacturing in America. Education Advocate. Another issue where Mrvan shines is education. He would support more funding for public schools and a raise for teachers. He stands against the proliferation of charter schools which siphon critical funds away and encourage segregation. As a trustee, he helped design and launch a school program to help students protect themselves from child predators. Abortion Rights Ally. Mrvan represents a state with a very strict abortion ban, so he knows what is at stake if the GOP gains power. He stands with women on abortion rights, a right to contraception, a right to birth control, and access to IVF. He co-sponsored and voted for the Women’s Health Protection Act while in Congress. Infrastructure Maven. Mrvan has excelled at bringing home the bacon for the 1st district of Indiana. He got funding for ten critical projects in recent appropriations bills, including improvements to the Gary/Chicago International Airport. The largest project is a $1 billion expansion and extension of the South Shore Passenger Rail Line which will improve the commute to and from Chicago. Health Care Helper. Mrvan has been getting various medical facilities grants to improve health services in the district — with a focus on mental health and dentistry in particular. Some of the highlights include a training grant for a dental program, a new mental health crisis center, and advanced cardiac imaging at a local hospital. Who is Randy Niemeyer? Randy Niemeyer is the head of a local county GOP. There isn’t much information on him. Randy Niemeyer is a small business owner who owns a fourth-generation milk transfer company in northwestern Indiana. He’s logged over 3 million miles behind the wheel of a truck for his company. He ran for his town’s council in 2010 and serves on the Lake County Council as well. He also is the chair of the Lake County Republican Party. All of this section comes from the DCCC opposition file or the Indiana Democratic Party opposition file on Niemeyer. There really isn’t a ton of information on him. He filled out a Ballotpedia survey and mostly attacks Mrvan on his website. Forced Birth Maniac. Niemeyer has refused to publicly opine on the issue of abortion, though he claims to support IVF. As chair of the Lake County GOP, he supported a statewide platform that would severely curtail abortion rights. There is no doubt that when push comes to shove, Niemeyer would vote the party line on women’s health issues such as abortion. Anti-Labor. Niemeyer runs a business with workers who don’t have a union. Niemeyer claims that he treats his workers well, but former employees disagree on that front. He has been called “greedy”, and that he “worked them like crazy”. Niemeyer further seems to have cut corners on vehicle safety, likely in the name of more profit. More Business Follies. Niemeyer received a pandemic loan for nearly half a million dollars that he had forgiven by the government. Let’s see if he rails against student loan forgiveness later on. Furthermore, he used taxpayer dollars to improperly fund a local project. He has even hired out-of-state companies for local contracts instead of local businesses. Bucked the Blue. Niemeyer dragged out negotiations for Lake County employees when it came time to renew their contracts. This includes the police department , which was looking for fair wages and benefits. When a member of the Cedar Lake Council, Niemeyer voted against hiring an additional police officer — the only one on the council to do so. He claims to be for an expanded police force now, but his prior actions don’t line up. 1/6 Apologist. Niemeyer says that Biden won the 2020 election, and that he would also vote for the winner of the 2024 election if elected to Congress. However, when asked if Jan. 6, 2021, was a display of “legitimate political discourse.” he answered “that is so far beyond my pay rate” There was “a good number of people” who went to the Capitol to exercise their “freedom to assemble,” Niemeyer said. But, there was a “handful of bad apples” there, too, he said. “The outcome was a lot worse because of that,” Niemeyer said. “Without being there, it’s hard for me to know what is real and not real on the news.” How Can You Help? This district is in the expensive Chicago media market, meaning both contenders will have to raise funds sufficient enough to contest the district. That’s been a problem for the incumbent in previous races. We shall have to rely on a good ground game and word of mouth to make sure that Rep. Frank Mrvan is re-elected to Indiana’s 1st district. Mrvan raised $509k during Q1 of 2024, which is actually one of his higher totals when it comes to fundraising. His totals usually border on pathetic, especially for an incumbent. Randy Niemeyer raised $191k at the same time, which isn’t a promising total for the GOP. Mrvan has $1.15M saved up, while Niemeyer is at a disadvantage, only having $393k to spend. Mrvan still need donations to help fend off GOP attacks. Donate to protect him today! There are portions of the district that may not participate at the rate needed to re-elect Mrvan. Indiana isn’t usually a state that is seriously contested in Presidential or statewide elections, compounding the problem. To overcome these issues, Mrvan needs volunteers to make sure our voters pull the lever for Democratic candidates. Mrvan doesn’t draw attention to himself on social media, either on his official accounts or his campaign accounts. He doesn’t frequent the talk show circuit either, meaning his follower counts are rather low. This is more evidence that he is rather restrained. On his official Twitter account, Mrvan has 5.7k followers, which is okay but not outstanding for a two-term representative. He fares better on his official Facebook account, amassing a total of 6.7k followers. The content on both social media platforms is exactly the same. I am more comfortable with Twitter, so I will link to a tweet showing Mrvan touring a manufacturing facility. x Thank you for the informative tour! I am grateful for your unwavering commitment to job safety and your important work in support of our state’s manufacturing capabilities and our national security. https://t.co/qBWQVhr9rC — Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (@RepMrvan) April 24, 2024 There aren’t too many followers on his campaign Twitter account either, only reaching 1.8k people following him. That story is different on Facebook, where he has 12k following his campaign. Once again, the content is shared between both social media platforms. This time, I will link to a post on Facebook showing his organizing efforts to turn out the vote in his district. x Help spread the word today by following Rep. Frank Mrvan and boosting his campaign in the critical realm of social media. Hopefully this article has showcased the qualities of Rep. Frank Mrvan. His quiet demeanor attracts little media attention, and he sits on committees that provide little in the way of notable news coverage. I believe I’ve made the case for why protecting him is important, even if he isn’t ever going to be a household name in the Democratic Party. And protect him we must, for he is ranked by Daily Kos Elections as the 42nd most likely Democratic seat to flip. Not likely, but not impossible either. It is difficult to assess how much of a threat Randy Niemeyer is to unseating Mrvan. The lack of information on the challenger means that he could be a compelling candidate or a complete bust or any level in between. He has the faith of Speaker Mike Johnson, who has endorsed Niemeyer’s campaign and ensures some support from the deep-pocketed Congressional Leadership Fund SuperPAC. Those facts alone indicate that this is a race worth watching until the very end. The question is whether Mrvan’s low-key campaigning style leaves him vulnerable to being defeated, or whether it is actually a secret strength of his. Frank Mrvan for Indiana-1 Official House Website | Facebook | Twitter Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter | DONATE | Volunteer [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/2/2238470/-Indiana-1-Rep-Frank-Mrvan-is-Rather-Low-Key-Does-That-Fact-Alone-Make-Him-More-Vulnerable?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/