Indiana State Rep. Carey Hamilton Nominated for EMILYs List’s Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, announced that Indiana state Rep. Carey Hamilton is a nominee for the 2026 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award. Named in honor of the courageous Gabrielle Giffords, the Rising Star Award celebrates an extraordinary woman serving in state or local office. 

“EMILYs List is proud to name Carey Hamilton a 2026 Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award nominee. A proven bipartisan leader, Rep. Hamilton puts politics aside to deliver real results for Hoosiers. When Indiana Republicans attempted to gerrymander the state’s maps, she spoke out forcefully against the disenfranchisement of both urban and rural communities and fought for fair representation. Rep. Hamilton’s dedication to improving the quality of life for Hoosiers is exactly why she deserves this prestigious recognition, and we are proud to see her continue her bold leadership on behalf of her state,” said EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler.

State Rep. Carey Hamilton is a member of the Indiana state House of Representatives, representing District 87. The daughter of a single mother and former latchkey kid, Rep. Hamilton has spent her career since being elected to the Indiana state House in 2016 fighting for the families of the North Side of Indianapolis like her own. She has stood against the dismantling of Indiana’s child care assistance program and the mass closure of child care centers that pushed working parents — especially mothers — out of the workforce. She has fought to expand access to pre-K for all, believing that every kid deserves a strong start regardless of background. She has championed clean air and water, building on a successful career fighting pollution and conserving resources before she ever set foot in the state House. Rep. Hamilton also recently authored laws to reform the criminal justice system, introducing a bill to create opportunities for formerly incarcerated Hoosiers reentering the workforce, and another to use advanced DNA testing to bring closure to families of cold case victims. As House Democratic Caucus chair, Hamilton is now focused on the biggest fight of her tenure — breaking the Republican supermajority that has blocked progress for Indiana’s working families, rolled back reproductive rights with the nation’s first post-Dobbs abortion ban, and left too many Hoosiers behind. As a leader in Indiana, Rep. Hamilton is doing the work to elect more Democrats, because she knows that the policies that help families thrive are only possible when they have more seats at the table.

The Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award winner will be chosen with community input. Online voting will open on March 23, and can be found here. State Rep. Carey Hamilton is nominated alongside: Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, Georgia state Rep.Tanya Miller, Minnesota state Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, and New Mexico state Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta.

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