Trey Hollingsworth won a second term in the 9th Congressional district, according to the New York Times, beating his Democratic challenger Liz Watson.
Watson, an attorney from Bloomington, was widely seen as fighting an uphill battle despite her strong support in Bloomington. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee labeled District 9 as “a race to closely watch.”
Hollingsworth is a 43-year-old multi-millionaire businessman from Tennessee. He graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and has a master's in public policy from Georgetown University.
He owns Hollingsworth Capital Partners, a Tennessee-based company which purchases and renovates industrial properties.
Hollingsworth beat Democratic candidate Shelli Yoder by 13.7 percentage points in 2016. His move to Indiana months before the 2016 election has led his critics to coin the nickname “Tennessee Trey.”
He repeatedly declined to debate Watson, lasting the entire campaign without appearing beside his opponent.
Hollingsworth is a self-proclaimed “outsider” who has promised to serve no more than eight years in office, according to his campaign website.
With a net worth more than $50 million, Hollingsworth ranks 12th on Role Call’s list of the wealthiest members of Congress. He raised $1,384,558 for the 2018 campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Watson raised almost twice as much, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
His 2018 campaign secured endorsements from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana Right to Life and the National Rifle Association.
While Hollingsworth self-funded nearly all of the $3,556,124 he raised for his 2016 campaign, he contributed just $747 this time.
He has sided with Republicans in 84 percent of roll-call votes in recent sessions of Congress, according to the polling website FiveThirtyEight.
He believes in Christian family values and shrinking government, according to his campaign website. He touts the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a symbol of his support for economic growth.
