Three candidates are running to represent Indiana’s 9th Congressional District, which includes 18 counties in the southeastern part of the state.
Republican incumbent Erin Houchin is defending her seat against Libertarian Russell Brooksbank and Democrat Timothy Peck. LPM News asked each candidate to submit information about their background and priorities. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Russell (Russ) Brooksbank - Libertarian
Brooksbank is a truck driver from Clarksville. He is a Teamster and has been chief union steward for over 12 years. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve. He is the founder and chair of the Pro Life Libertarian Caucus.
Priorities:
Brooksbank said his top priority is to shrink the size and scope of the federal government. He wants to see citizen legislators instead of career politicians and pledges to limit himself to three terms if elected.
Erin Houchin - Republican, incumbent
Houchin, the incumbent, is a lifelong Southern Indiana resident. She is a former small business owner and state senator and said she advocates for conservative values in Washington. Houchin lives in Salem with her husband and three children.
Priorities:
Houchin said she is committed to reigning in inflation, securing the border and promoting conservative values. If elected to a new term, she said she will advocate for policies that lower costs for families, stop the flow of illegal immigration and protect Southern Indiana's family values at the federal level.
Peck is an emergency physician, business owner, farm owner, husband, and father. He said he believes one of the country’s big problems is that politicians can’t seem to disagree and still make progress. He said he would “represent the community and show this do-nothing Congress what it means to be useful.”
Priorities:
Peck said he is running to represent all Hoosiers in Indiana’s 9th Congressional district, regardless of party. He said his experience as an emergency doctor has informed his belief that the government “does not belong in the exam room when counseling women on their reproductive choices.”
This story has been updated.
