David McCarthy: Why Joe Hogsett — Scandals and All — Is a Far Better Mayor Than Andrea Hunley or Vop Osili

Indianapolis, get ready for the 2027 mayoral circus to kick into high gear. Yesterday, State Sen. Andrea Hunley formally threw her hat into the ring for the Democratic nomination, joining City-County Councilor Vop Osili in what’s shaping up to be a crowded primary field. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for a reality check, thanks to a timely throwback video making the rounds on X from

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In the 2022 clip, Hunley — then a freshly elected state senator and former high school principal — ticks off every standard-issue Democrat priority like she’s reading from a party script: abortion access, climate change, “gun reform,” and loud support for “Black trans women.” It’s the full progressive wishlist, delivered with the kind of hand-waving enthusiasm that screams activist over executive. The post nails it: imagine Lori Lightfoot and Brandon Johnson rolled into one. That’s the vibe. And it’s exactly why Indianapolis should be very, very concerned.Hunley isn’t some blank slate.

She’s been Assistant Minority Leader in the Indiana Senate since 2024, representing District 46. If she wins, she’d be the city’s first Black female mayor — a historic milestone her supporters are already hyping. But history doesn’t pay the bills, fix crime, or keep taxes in check. Her record and rhetoric point straight toward the same failed urban experiments that have turned Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco into cautionary tales.And let’s not pretend Vop Osili is any kind of improvement. The longtime councilor and former council president announced his own bid back in January. He’s an architect by trade who talks a big game about “safe streets, affordable housing, and opportunity.” Sounds nice on a campaign website. But Osili has been part of the City-County Council machine for over a decade. He’s been in the room where the decisions get made — the same decisions that have left too many Indianapolis neighborhoods struggling with the same old problems.

Now here’s the part that might make some heads explode: with all his baggage, current Mayor Joe Hogsett is still a dramatically better candidate than either Hunley or Osili.Yes, you read that right. Hogsett’s administration has been rocked by serious scandals. Multiple investigations exposed a toxic workplace culture at City Hall, including repeated sexual harassment allegations against his former chief of staff Thomas Cook.

Reports detailed how Hogsett kept Cook on payroll for months after serious complaints surfaced — including allegations of nonconsensual acts — despite earlier warnings. There were conflict-of-interest questions involving millions in tax incentives and development deals. Late-night texts, ignored red flags, and calls for resignation from city councilors followed. It’s ugly. No one serious defends it.But here’s the cold, hard truth Indianapolis voters need to swallow: Hogsett, for all his flaws, actually has a track record of running the city. He’s managed budgets, dealt with state lawmakers, kept the lights on, and — love him or hate him — delivered some measurable results on infrastructure and economic development.

He’s not an untested ideologue fresh off a 2022 video reciting the progressive catechism. He’s not another career council lifer promising the same recycled ideas that haven’t fixed the core issues.Hunley and Osili represent the next iteration of the same Democratic machine that’s governed Indianapolis for decades — only dialed up with more identity-focused rhetoric and less emphasis on results. Crime trends, quality-of-life complaints, and business flight don’t improve because a candidate checks more demographic boxes.

They improve when leaders prioritize public safety, fiscal sanity, and basic competence over national talking points.The Democratic primary is still more than a year away. Hogsett hasn’t even said if he’s running for a fourth term. But if the choice comes down to the incumbent — warts and all — versus Hunley’s 2022 greatest hits or Osili’s insider continuity, the smart money should be on the devil we know.Indianapolis deserves better than virtue-signaling experiments. It deserves leadership that actually delivers. Right now, that still looks a lot more like Joe Hogsett than the alternatives lining up to replace him.

David McCarthy is a longtime Indianapolis observer and commentator on local politics.