The First
Erin Houchin won IN-09 in 2022 and was re-elected in 2024 with 64.5%. She is a former Indiana state senator and the first woman to represent this district. She replaced Trey Hollingsworth, who chose not to seek re-election.
The district covers the southeastern corner of Indiana, from the Louisville suburbs (Jeffersonville, New Albany) through the rural hill country. At R+14, it is reliably Republican, though the Louisville-adjacent areas in Clark and Floyd counties have trended slightly more moderate than the district's rural core.
The District
IN-09 has seen multi-party fields -- a Libertarian and independent candidates have appeared on recent ballots -- but none has affected the outcome. The 2026 race is expected to follow the same pattern.
The district is also home to Ed Clere, the New Albany state representative who left the Republican Party to run as a Democrat in 2026 -- the most prominent party-switch in Indiana this cycle. Clere's defection is a state legislative story, not a congressional one, but it reflects the same crosscurrents of intra-party tension visible across Indiana.