Central Indiana DSA revokes endorsement of Councilor Jesse Brown
The Central Indiana chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America has voted to revoke its endorsement of Indianapolis City-County Councilor Jesse Brown and to censure him, the chapter announced in a statement released for publication.
The chapter’s general body took the vote at a July 27 meeting. According to the statement, the action followed repeated violations of the chapter’s code of conduct, its harassment and grievance process, and what the chapter described as doxxing directed at chapter members.
The statement also says Brown notified the chapter that he had stopped paying dues as of July 12 and should no longer be considered a member of the organization.
The chapter did not describe the specific conduct at issue. It said an endorsement amounts to a continuing relationship with an elected official and that the organization stakes its reputation and organizational capacity on the conduct of those it endorses. It said the conduct in question was a fundamental departure from its standards and that the vote came after months of attempting to repair the relationship. The chapter directed media inquiries to contact@centralindsa.org and noted that under its bylaws only the co-chairs or officially delegated members speak for the organization.
It was the chapter’s second attempt at the question. Brown wrote in a July 1 message to constituents that a motion to censure and unendorse him had been added to the agenda of a chapter meeting the prior weekend, and that the body adjourned without taking a vote. In that message, Brown said he believed the complaints against him were unfair and made in bad faith, and that most Indianapolis DSA members did not support the motion. He also said he would honor what he read as a request that he stop engaging on chapter social media and in internal chapter affairs.
Brown, a Democrat representing District 13 on the near-east and northeast sides, was endorsed by the chapter in 2023, when he defeated incumbent Zach Adamson in the Democratic primary and went on to win the general election with 78 percent of the vote. He has organized with the chapter for roughly seven years and is a member of Bread and Roses, a caucus within the national organization.
The vote is the second time in eighteen months that an organization Brown belonged to has cut ties with him. In February 2025, the City-County Council’s Democratic caucus voted to expel him following his public criticism of three Democratic colleagues who had backed a resolution on sharing Indianapolis Public Schools revenue with charter schools. Brown later released the vote breakdown himself. He has continued to serve on the council, which has 19 Democrats and six Republicans among its 25 members.
Brown has said he does not accept contributions from what he calls the rich and powerful and takes direction from constituents rather than party organizations. District 13 seats are next on the ballot in 2027.
