Messmer is still missing.
To the surprise of no one, Congressman Mark “Missing” Messmer was a no-show for our Town Hall with or without Mark Messmer on Saturday, June 20, at Central Library in Evansville.
We expected that, so we were ready with “Who is Mark Messmer?”—a presentation in which we shared information about Messmer’s record: Both his long and ignoble service in the Indiana General Assembly, and his short and ignoble service in the 119th Congress.
About Mark Messmer and his voting record
Messmer thinks all you need to know about him is that he is “a Hoosier businessman and Christian” and that “he'll stand up to the woke mob in DC and that he is a pro-Trump conservative.”
But we think 8th District residents deserve to know more than that. We think you deserve to know what Mark Messmer has done - and for whom - in Indianapolis and in Washington.
Energy and climate
We found that in his 16 years in the Indiana General Assembly - six in the Indiana House and 10 in the Indiana Senate - he supported an endless list of bills that enriched the monopoly electric companies at your expense. You’ll find them in our presentation.
He consistently opposed legislation that would make Indiana’s air and water cleaner and protect our communities from the impacts of climate change.
Health and public safety
He put our safety at risk, supporting bills that politicized healthcare and made gun sales harder to trace.
He opposed Indiana’s near-total abortion ban because “it didn’t go far enough” by making exceptions for rape, incest, and lethal fetal anomalies - and because it did not include criminal penalties for having an abortion. His position was so extreme that he lost his leadership position in the Indiana Senate.
Since he joined Congress in 2025, he has introduced 11 bills and four resolutions. None of them has gone anywhere. For the most part, they address virtually non-existent issues. One example is the “The Forced Abortion Prevention and Accountability Act.”
He voted for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” which included the largest cuts to food assistance, health care, education programs, and student loan services in U.S. history while giving tax breaks to the wealthy.
Disenfranchising his constitutents
He voted for the SAVE Act—an attack on our right to vote.
His brief congressional record reflects a significant emphasis on issues related to Israel and combating antisemitism. At the same time, we have not seen a comparable public focus on condemning other forms of racism, bigotry, and discrimination, even as those issues continue to affect communities across our country.
This emphasis is particularly notable given the extraordinary level of support he received from pro-Israel political spending groups. During his primary campaign against John Hostettler, who had faced criticism for statements widely condemned as antisemitic, outside groups aligned with AIPAC spent approximately $2.8 million supporting his election, making him by far the largest beneficiary of pro-Israel political spending among Indiana’s congressional delegation.
Indivisible Evansville unequivocally condemns antisemitism, as well as all forms of racism, bigotry, and discrimination. At the same time, the unprecedented level of outside spending in this race raises legitimate questions about the influence of major donors and interest groups on our elected officials. No member of Indiana’s congressional delegation has received comparable levels of pro-Israel political spending; the next closest is Senator Jim Banks at $355,651.
And of course, he is legendarily inaccessible to his constituents and media in the 8th district, refusing to appear in public and answer questions.
We want answers
After the presentation, we let folks have their say at the mic, and on large posterboards we placed around the room that we plan to deliver to Messmer’s Evansville office.
Here are a few questions and comments that we heard:
Your opinions and voting record in no way represent the wishes of a significant number of your constituents. These constituents were here today to let you know their preferences but you weren’t here!
I work in downtown Evansville. I have watched our homeless population grow, including young people and women. What will you do to help income inequality that forces good, hardworking people from their homes and now on our streets?
It is as if no one reads the emails/letters that are sent. The automated responses are insultingly clueless. We deserve real answers.
If you support Hoosier businesses, why are you constantly supporting fossil fuel powered energy when solar energy is more cost effective for Hoosiers?
With inflation, the poor are caught between a rock and a hard place trying to feed and clothe their families. The federal government cut SNAP and then Indiana cut monies for food. I volunteer at the Tri-State Food Bank and a local food pantry and have seen the number of people seeking assistance. A good Christian feeds the hungry.
As a Christian and a father, what do you have to say about the children that were killed when the school in Iran was bombed? And do you think Pete Hegseth should be held accountable for those 120 deaths?
Why do you avoid the public? Town Halls? Newspaper interviews? Public speeches? It’s part of your job!
Matthew 25: Have you read it? Shouldn’t you be tending to “the least of these”?
This administration more than any other in the history of politics in the U.S. has witnessed a substantial divide between the “haves” and “have nots.” The Trump family, Trump’s friends, and the tech bros have made millions and millions of dollars, in many cases through illegal or controversial pathways. This is shameful. What have you done to support the lives of everyday Hoosiers? The Big Beautiful Bill? Huh!
Do you support data centers? What about AI? Do you support an invasion of Cuba? Do you care about the life of the mother?
Why do you refuse to meet with your constituents? Why do you listen to your party bosses and never talk to us? You are remarkably incurious about our wants and needs. All citizens deserve a representative in Congress. You have failed us miserably!
We have significant concerns that deserve to be addressed by our so-called “representative.”
We’re not letting up on Messmer. We will continue to call out his refusal to meet with constituents or answer questions, and we will continue to organize to demand accountability.
Stay tuned.
