Nine Indiana Republicans file to run for Congress in the 9th district – The Center Square

(The Center Square) Nine Republicans have filed to run for Indianas 9thcongressional seat thats being vacated by Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, who announced in January he is not running for re-election.

The nine include Mike Sodrel, who represented the district in Congress for one term, from 2005 to 2007. Sodrel is the frontrunner for the nomination, says Jamey Noel, the 9thdistrict GOP chairman and also Clark County sheriff .

He ran when it wasnt cool to be a Republican in the 9thdistrict, Noel says. Mike really laid the groundwork. A lot of people have a ton of respect for Mike.

Sodrel ran in 2010 in an attempt to re-capture the seat, but lost the nomination to Todd Young, who went on to defeat Democrat Baron Hill in the general election.

Also running is state Sen. Erin Houchin, of Salem. Houchin ran for the nomination in 2016, finishing second to Hollingsworth in a five-person primary. She recently announced shes stepping down from her Senate seat to campaign for the nomination.

Also running is a State Rep. J. Michael Davisson, from Salem, who was appointed in October to fill the Statehouse seat left empty after the death of his father, former state Rep. Steve Davisson.

The newly redrawn 9thdistrict now takes in Bloomington and Monroe County one of only four counties in the state to vote for Joe Biden in 2020 but is otherwise a mostly rural district that runs along the Ohio River in the southeastern corner of the state, and to the Ohio border in the east, taking in New Albany and other towns that are part of the Louisville and Cincinnati metropolitan areas.

The primary election is May 3.

Other Republicans in the race include commercial real estate broker Jim Baker, from the New Albany area; Afghanistan war veteran Stu Barnes-Israel; Seymour-based defense professional Dan Heiwig; Indiana University-Southeast economics professor D. Eric Schansberg; Bill J. Thomas; and Brian Tibbs.

There are three running for the Democratic nomination IU employee Isak Nti Asare; Marine Corps veteran D. Liam Dorris; and high school math teacher Matthew Fyfe, who serves on the board of the local teachers union. All three are from Bloomington.

The 9th congressional district seat will be the only open seat in Indiana this year. But its not the only one that has drawn the interest of Republicans.

The 1st district, which takes in the northwest corner of the state and includes Hammond and Gary, has attracted seven Republican candidates to challenge incumbent Democrat Rep. Frank J. Mrvan in November.

The district is one of only two in the state that have been reliably Democrat over the years. The other is the 7thcongressional district, which covers most of Indianapolis.

The Republicans competing for the 1stdistrict nomination are Jennifer Ruth-Green, Mark Leyva, Martin Lucas, Blair Milo, Nicholas Pappas, Ben Ruiz and Aaron Storer.

Dan Dernulc, the GOP county chairman in Lake County, just outside Chicago, referred to a recent news report that the national Republican Party may invest in the race this year.

Ive been chairman for nine years, involved in politics for 25, he says. I have never seen interest from the national party. If theyre going to be putting money and time into it, thats a great opportunity for us.

The new district lines are only slightly different than the current lines, with two townships in LaPorte County dropped and three added. Dernulc says he doesnt think the district is any more Republican.

I think its about the same, he said. The stars might be lining up because of the mood of the countryIts a long shot. Its a real long shot. Im just saying there could be an opportunity.

In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Todd Young could have a challenger this year. Danny Niederberger, an asset manager, also ran for the 5thcongressional district in 2020.

Niederberger announced online that he succeeded in getting the required 500 signatures in each of the congressional districts to qualify for the ballot. But those signatures now must be verified.

Three people are vying for the Democratic nomination to challenge Young, including Hammond mayor Thomas M. McDermott, Jr. The other two candidates are Haneefah Khaaliq and Valerie McCray.

Other statewide offices up this year include secretary of state, though nominees are chosen by state delegates state conventions held over the summer, not in primary elections. Two Republicans are challenging Holli Sullivan for the Republican nomination for secretary of state Diego Morales, a former staffer for Gov. Mike Pence; and Kyle Conrad, a former county clerk in Newton County who went on to work for Governmental Business Systems, a company that sells election equipment to Indiana counties.

Destiny Scott Wells, a Democrat, will run against the Republican nominee in November, along with the Libertarian candidate, Jeff Maurer.

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Nine Indiana Republicans file to run for Congress in the 9th district - The Center Square