Three candidates are running for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District, which represents Bloomington and much of southeast Indiana. The district has voted for Republicans since 2010, but the Democrats and Libertarians believe they have a shot this year.
The district’s Republican incumbent, Houchin has been in Congress since 2023. She won by a margin of 30% in the 2022 midterms.
Houchin’s press secretary did not respond to a request for an interview.
She’s from Salem, Indiana, and studied psychology at IU, later earning a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University. Before running for the House, she represented Indiana Senate District 47 from 2014 to 2022.
During her time in office, she’s staked out with the right wing of the party on many votes — including voting for a moratorium on aid to Ukraine. She voted against a federal funding bill, which if not passed, would have caused a government shutdown. She also voted for eliminating assistance for refugees and immigrants.
Houchin serves on three committees, including the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Rules.
Her political positions lean right, opposing abortion unless the life of the mother is threatened. In 2019, she voted for a bill in the Indiana Senate that allowed schools to teach courses on creation science.
In a July interview with the News and Tribune, Houchin said her top priorities if elected will be border security and combating inflation.
As Hurricane Helene’s remnants hit Indiana, Tim Peck hurried to cover his goat’s pen with his own campaign sign at his farm in New Washington. He’s been all over the district campaigning, trying to reach constituents in a district the Democrats haven't won in more than a decade.
Tim Peck's campaign signs cover his goat pen Sept. 27, 2024, on his farm in New Washington, Indiana. Peck said he was trying to shelter the goats from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
Peck is running, in his own words, as a “Blue Dog Democrat,” leaning more moderate on some issues. Originally an independent, he switched to the Democratic party around the same time he decided to run for office — when Erin Houchin voted against a resolution last November that ultimately prevented a government shutdown.
In an interview with the Indiana Daily Student, Peck said this sort of partisan politicking is what he would combat if elected.
Peck worked with Congress before in the private sector, testifying to change Medicare law to work with telemedicine. He worked as an emergency physician until 2015 when he transitioned to telemedicine.
He wants to reduce government spending, which he said is causing unnecessary burdens on the middle and lower class in taxes. He wants to increase taxes on the wealthy, lowering them otherwise.
He’s pro-choice, and views abortion as a women’s health issue more than anything else, reckoning back to his time in healthcare.
“As a doctor, when treating someone in the exam room, when I make a decision, I'm making a decision in conjunction with the person,” he said. “And sometimes their faith becomes in health, and you have a deep conversation that is so nuanced that no law can ever get involved.”
He supports strong border protections and wants to work with both parties to come up with a solution that will increase funding for border patrol, immigration judges and other officials.
Brooksbank is running as a Libertarian for the district, his first national campaign. He’s originally from Cincinnati and moved to Indiana in 1996. He now lives in Clarkesville and works as a concrete truck driver.
Brooksbank did not respond to requests for an interview. He told the News and Tribune in July he would vote down legislation often, “since he believes people would be better off if the government did almost nothing.”
In 2022, Libertarian Tonya Millis got just under 3% of the vote.
