Hollingsworth reelected as U.S. Representative
Rep. Trey Hollingsworth secured his third term to represent Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District.
Hollingsworth, a Republican, won 64 percent of the votes in Brown County, beating his opponents, Libertarian Tonya Millis and Democrat Andy Ruff.
Indiana’s Ninth District in the U.S. House of Representatives encompasses Brown and Johnson counties, Bloomington and several southern Indiana counties surrounding Louisville. Congress members draft and vote on federal policies and bring the perspectives of the states they represent when considering legislation in Washington, D.C. Congress members split their time between Washington and their home states.
Hollingsworth, who lives in Jeffersonville, was first elected to the U.S. House in 2016. A Tennessee native, he first moved to Indiana in 2015. He owns Hollingsworth Capital Partners, a Tennessee-based industrial real estate company.
Hollingsworth said in a statement on election day that he is honored to serve a third term.
“Since you first elected me, we have worked together to make sure our voices are heard in Washington, to support policies that put American families first, and to expand opportunities for Hoosiers to succeed,” Hollingsworth said. “Now is not the time to back down from the fight for our values, and I look forward to working together for another two years.”
Some of Hollingsworth’s platforms include supporting business growth and access to affordable housing, and he is an advocate for term limits in Congress, to which he promised to serve no more than four terms in his current seat.
Holcomb, Crouch to serve another term at Statehouse
Republican Eric Holcomb won reelection as Indiana governor, fending off challengers who criticized his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Brown County, he and Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch won 55 percent of the vote.
Holcomb went into his campaign for a second term with a huge fundraising advantage and didn’t face any well-known challengers. Holcomb sidestepped any criticism of President Donald Trump even as Holcomb promoted face mask use and issued a statewide mask mandate in July.
Holcomb overcame Democrat Woody Myers, a former state health commissioner who called for tougher anti-virus actions as Indiana’s COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations climbed steeply since nearly all state restrictions were lifted in September.
Myers and running mate Linda Lawson — a former state representative and police officer in northern Indiana who now lives in Brown County — received 26 percent of the vote here.
Some conservatives called Holcomb’s actions excessive and were, instead, backing Libertarian Donald Rainwater. Rainwater and running mate William E. Henry received 18 percent of the Brown County vote — high for a third-party candidate.
Holcomb was lieutenant governor under then-Gov. Mike Pence and replaced Pence as the Republican governor candidate in 2016 after Pence became Trump’s vice presidential running mate.
State Sen. Koch to continue to serve Brown County
Eric Koch (R-Bedford), a Lawrence County attorney, will serve a second four-year term as state senator for District 44.
In Brown County Koch, 55, had more than 67 percent of the vote versus Democrat Cynthia “Cinde” Wirth of Columbus.
Koch been a state lawmaker for 18 years, previously holding the office of District 65 state representative from 2002 to 2016.
District 44 contains parts of Jackson County, Bartholomew County and Monroe County and essentially all of Lawrence and Brown counties.
Incumbent edges out local challenger for state rep
Incumbent state representative for Dist. 65, Chris May, will serve another term after defeating his Democratic challenger by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
May (R-Bedford), who has held office for one term, was challenged by Democrat Paula Staley of Nashville. Staley is a retired nurse and former employee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The district includes all of Brown County and parts of Jackson, Johnson, Lawrence and Monroe counties.
Staley told the Brown County Democrat that she stepped up to run this year because current state leaders and the Republican supermajority at the statehouse have failed families in the district. Her top priorities included reforms to the public school funding formula, affordable health care for all Hoosiers, and protecting the environment.
May said his top priorities would be ending deficits, reducing the national debt and reforming the state’s tax code to better promote growth and investment in Indiana. He also planned to work toward preparing “our students and workforce for the demands of 21st-century careers.”
The Daily Journal (Johnson County) and the Associated Press contributed to these reports.
