A trail forged for the people
When Jim Baird (A’67) decided to run for Congress in 2017, filling his father’s seat in the Indiana General Assembly wasn’t on Beau Baird’s (HHS’04, MBA’18) radar.
But having worked in the background of his father’s campaigns, the younger Baird became intrigued by the possibility of being able to effect change on behalf of Indiana’s 44th district — a place Baird has called home his entire life.
“At no time did I think, ‘this is something I’d like to do myself,’” says Baird. At the time, not only was Baird pursuing a full-time career, he was also working on master’s degrees from both Harvard and Purdue.
“Nonetheless, if I learned one thing from my father, it would be the passion to serve our neighbors, community, and state,” reflects Baird. “Hence, I made the decision to run for state representative to preserve the significant progress Indiana has made in the last decade and work to make sure the people of district 44 have a strong voice in Indianapolis.”
Running for his father’s office wasn’t so much a desire to build a family legacy as it was to carry forward the values his father instilled in him.
“Certainly, I admire the accomplishments of my father and I have tremendous respect for the things that he’s done,” shares Baird. “He has always taught me to think for myself and to use my own experiences and knowledge to make appropriate decisions under different circumstances.”
Baird even questions the premise of having run for “his father’s seat.” Instead, Baird insists, “I never looked at the decision from the perspective of replacing my father. The office of state representative is the people’s seat — it belongs to no one except the people.”
And ultimately, having close contact with constituents is the greatest asset that Baird claims in office.
“Working on numerous campaigns helped me understand the election process. However, nothing can replace the knowledge gained from talking to constituents face-to-face. It truly drives home the understanding that different communities have different needs. It also made me realize that as you talk to more and more people those issues of greatest concern tend to come to the surface.”