What is your professional experience?

Tara Nelson is a seasoned business transformation and IT leader with over twenty years of experience leading complex, large-scale initiatives in the finance, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and public sectors. She specializes in global system implementations and AI-driven solutions for mission-critical programs that drive measurable outcomes. Her leadership includes spearheading Indiana’s Tax Amnesty 2015 program, a high-stakes statewide initiative that generated $200 million in revenue. She was also responsible for securing federal funding for Indiana Department of Child Services in her leadership role at the State of Indiana. She has experience working and building relationships across departments within state and federal government.

Tara holds an Executive MBA from Purdue University, with international study in Malaysia and Singapore, and brings a disciplined, results-oriented approach supported by PMP, Agile, Lean, and Six Sigma Green Belt credentials. She is known for steady, accountable leadership that strengthens operations, improves performance, and delivers practical solutions at scale. In recognition of her public leadership, she was honored at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall following her 2012 U.S. Congressional run.

What is your public office experience?

have run before but not held office

If applicable, please list offices you have run for or held.

IN - Congressional District 4 in 2010 and 2012 against Todd Rokita.

What are the specific skills that you bring to the position for which you are running?

I have extensive corporate leadership, government leadership, and technology expertise to bring to the position. I've also had to work hard to achieve success in my career and understand struggles many families are facing in today's economy.

What are your top 3 priorities if you are elected?

My top priorities are impeaching and convicting Trump and his cabinet; immigration reform, and healthcare reform.

How do your values motivate your run for office?

I can't stand to watch America become a policed state where citizens are being shot in the street, and our 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 8th amendment rights are continually being violated. I'm disgusted at the current treatment of immigrants and believe the system is the problem, not the people. There are people in America being tortured in camps and deported wrongfully that need saved immediately. It breaks my heart knowing this is happening every day. Additionally, if anyone can create a new bill for healthcare reform, I believe I can do it with my transformational leadership experience. I support universal Medicare. American families urgently need affordable care and we deserve this if we are truly a first world country.

Key Issues

Please share with us your position on a number of issues that are key for Muncie Resists and describe what actions you would take with regard to them. We recognize that some elected positions may not have a direct role in addressing some of these issues, but if you had an opportunity to have an impact, what would you want that to be?

What have you done and/or what do you commit to doing to support the rights of

a. LGBTQ+ individuals?

I celebrate pride month and I'm an allie to the LGBTQ community. I support gay marriage and LGBTQ+ rights.

b. people with disabilities?

I support protections for people with disabilities.

c. people experiencing poverty?

I support help and a social safety net for families or individuals going through a rough time.

d. immigrants?

I support help and a social safety net for immigrants as well. The process to become a citizen is entirely too long, they should be treated as citizens.

e. people who are racial or ethnic minorities/minoritized individuals?

I support protections and equal opportunities for ethnic minorities/minoritized individuals.

What have you done and/or what do you commit to doing to support voter access? (This might include your position on vote centers, polling hours, voter IDs, signature matching, the SAVE act, etc.)

I would vote against the SAVE act, and allow more scenarios for mail in voting for easier access to voting for everyone.

In recent months, federal agencies have overstepped the power of local and state governments. In what contexts would you support resistance by local officials?

Federal agencies should not be using force in our states and are overstepping the constitution. I support state and local authorities pushing back by any means to ensure constitutional rights are restored.

In recent months, federal agencies have overstepped the constitutional rights of the people. How would you protect and defend our constitutional rights?

I'm a guaranteed vote to impeach Trump. I will author a bill, bring it to the floor, and vote to impeach Trump and his cabinet until it happens.

What have you done and/or what do you commit to doing to support healthcare access for all?

I commit to working with congress to author a bill that provides more affordable healthcare including universal Medicare for all. Americans are overpaying for insurance, prescriptions, and care. We need to eliminate medical insurance, and bring the cost of drugs and care down.

What have you done and/or what do you commit to doing to address the affordability of

housing costs?

Promote and vote for legislation that doesn't allow corporations to own more than a certain number of rental properties in America. Blackrock is going to need to sell homes back to American families instead of making them rent.

food costs?

Keep the costs of gas down, by staying out of wars, since gas prices directly impact food costs. Additionally, corporate profits can be reviewed to understand where inflation increases are happening along the food chain and potentially put caps on food price increases.

healthcare costs?

I commit to working with congress to author a bill that provides more affordable healthcare including universal Medicare for all. Americans are overpaying for insurance, prescriptions, and care. We need to eliminate medical insurance, and bring the cost of drugs and care down.

What have you done and/or what do you commit to doing to support discussion about science, history, and gender as necessary parts of educating children in our schools?

Science, history, and biology are necessary in schools. I support child level appropriate education materials.

What have you done and/or what do you commit to doing to support public education?

I support public education and higher teacher salaries. I also support college being part of the public education system with greatly reduced tuition prices so college is affordable to everyone.

What do you think should be Indiana’s priority in terms of the electrical grid and energy generation sources? What have you done and/or what do you commit to do regarding a clean energy economy?

I support alternative energy sources such as solar and wind, and support other alternative energy research so we are not reliant on coal and oil.

What have you done and/or what do you commit to doing to make your specific area of government more transparent to your constituents?

I will share updates on my legislative website on bills I'm authoring; bills I voted for, how I voted and why; and bills that are coming up and how I'm planning to vote based on current information.

Do you have any questions? Is there anything else you would like to share?

What sets me apart from other candidates is the breadth of my leadership experience in both the corporate and government arenas; my campaign experience to defeat Victoria Spartz this fall; and once in office, to immediately deliver the kind of effective leadership our community deserves.