Letter: Dubois County Democratic Party endorses Marsili for 8th District congressional seat

The Dubois County Democratic Party voted unanimously over the Memorial Day weekend to endorse Thomasina Marsili of Spencer, for the Eighth District Congressional nomination, over two opponents.

Marsili is the first female candidate for U.S. Congress to ever be endorsed by the Dubois County Democratic Party. “The endorsement is politically significant because our county is the fourth-largest voting bloc of 19 counties in the Eighth Congressional District, after Vanderburgh, Knox, and Vigo counties,” according to DuCoDem Chair Mike Kendall.

If Marsili wins the Primary Election Tuesday, she will be the first Democrat female nominated for the party’s Eighth District Congressional seat in history. And if elected to Congress in November, she will also be the first woman elected to Congress from the Eighth District in history.

Kendall said the DuCoDem Party endorsed Marsili for several reasons, including “more than half a dozen visits to meetings and events since August of 2019 and none by her opponents.”

In addition he added “she represents the District’s diversity, and exemplifies the values of empathy for the common person demonstrated by President’s like FDR and JFK.

And finally, said Kendall, Marsili speaks truthfully, candidly, and without code words to all voters regardless of their political viewpoint.”

But according to Kendall, “The tipping point for me was Thomasina’s humane response to the human threat of COVID-19. She put back on her EMT hat and singlehandedly acquired and distributed PPE (personal protective equipment) to health-care workers, public employees, and private citizens driving throughout the 19 counties in 8th District.”

“In other words,” said Kendall, “Marsili reached out her hand to give medical help rather than put her hand out for money and votes. I knew then “Hope in 8” is Thomasina in action, not just a slogan.”

The DuCoDem Party is governed by a 15-person Steering Committee including caucuses representing education, labor, small business, agriculture, Latinos, African-Americans, young Democrats, and Stonewall Democrats. The county party is also governed by a central committee representing all 40 Democratic precincts and 12 townships of Dubois County.

Marsili, 44, resides in Spencer in Owen County. She was born and raised as a Roman Catholic and lived in Spencer County until age 16. Thomasina has a B.S. in Psychology from Marion University, Indianapolis. Marsili has worked as a Business Manager and an EMT. She is currently an Educator associated with IVY Tech. Thomasina is a member of the Board of Directors of Indiana Stonewall Democrats. In 2018 she was a candidate for State Representative in Indiana House District 46, her first candidacy for public office.

Marsili’s two opponents in the Democratic Primary Election Tuesday are Ron Drake (Washington DC/Sullivan County), 82, and Mike Webster (Vanderburgh County), 59. Drake was a state legislator in the 1960’s and Webster has never held elected office.

The winner of the Democratic Primary Election June 2nd will face five-term, unopposed, incumbent Larry Buschon (R-Evansville) in the November General Election.