Yoder, Hollingsworth to face off in fall for District 9

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A Monroe County woman won 70 percent of the votes cast to earn the Democratic Party’s nomination for Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District.

Shelli Yoder of Bloomington will face Republican nominee Trey Hollingsworth of Jeffersonville in the Nov. 8 general election to see who will replace Republican Todd Young.

Young, who is finishing out his second two-year term representing the district, won the GOP nomination for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats. He will face Seymour native Baron Hill of Indianapolis in the general election.

Yoder said since she began campaigning in August, she has traveled to each of the 13 counties in the district, which stretches from the south side of Indianapolis to the Ohio River at New Albany.

She said she talked with voters about the issues that matter the most to them.

“Far too frequently, I’ve met with families who are working hard but struggling to make ends meet while living paycheck-to-paycheck, and too many people who are living in fear that their job will be the next one sent overseas,” she said.

“College graduates are desperately trying to find a job that will allow them to pay off crushing student loans,” she said. “Small businesses and entrepreneurs need the red tape cut and the tax burdens eased. And in too many cities and towns across central and southern Indiana, the problem of crumbling roads and bridges is not only an issue of safety, but also an impediment to economic growth.”

Yoder said these are the concerns Hoosier families and communities are worried about, and there only can be improvements if Congress is changed.

Hollingsworth, a businessman, said he ran a grassroots-orientated campaign that knocked on more than 12,000 doors across the district. At those doors, Hollingsworth signed a personal term limits pledge for each voter.

“Tonight’s results are a victory for conservative values and principles,” Hollingsworth said. “Hoosiers came together during this campaign with a common desire to fix a broken political system, and that began by changing who we send to Washington. It is a message that the political insiders in Washington and Indianapolis heard this evening in one resounding voice.”

Yoder, who was the Democratic Party’s nominee for the Ninth District in 2012 but lost to Young, finished with 44,199 votes, according to The Associated Press. Her nearest competition was Bob Kern, a paralegal from Indianapolis, who finished with 7,287 votes or 12 percent of the votes.

Hollingsworth grabbed 34 percent or 40,682 of the votes cast in the GOP primary. Salem’s Erin Houchin, a state senator, finished second with 30,298 votes or 25 percent and state Attorney General Greg Zoeller of New Albany finished with 22 percent or 26,512. Brent Waltz, who lives in the Center Grove area, received 15,750 votes.

Waltz congratulated Hollingsworth in his concession speech.

“I’ve always said if I have to lose, I’d rather lose looking in the mirror and saying, ‘We did everything we could in our power to win,’” Waltz said.

Yoder and Hollingsworth also could face a challenge from a Libertarian or independent candidate if one is slated before the general election.

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Democratic and Republican primary results for Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District and local Indiana House and Senate races:

Name;District;Jackson County

Democrats

Bob Kern;7,287;408

James R. McClure Jr.;6,565;331

Bill Thomas;4,980;245

Shelli Yoder;44,199;1,635

Republicans

Robert Hall;8,020;678

Trey Hollingsworth;40,682;2,643

Erin Houchin;30,298;2,241

Brent Waltz;15,750;868

Greg Zoeller;26,512;1,776

Indiana Statehouse

Senate District 44

Republican

Joshua Anderson;8,379;1,611

Eric Koch;16,604;5,008

House District 65

Franklin Andrew;1,488;72

Darren Byrd;903;26

Jacob Franklin;924;36

Mark Mathis;1,655;51

Chris D. May;5,487;38

Jim Pfaff;2,355;114

House District 69

Nancy Franke;4,044;2,764

Jim Lucas;7,704;4,228

House District 73

Steve Davisson;7,908;866

Michael A. Harkness;3,030;228

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