Ninth Congressional district candidates enter final stretch

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Heading into the last leg of the campaign trail, local Congressional candidates are making last-ditch efforts to get their messages across to Hoosiers, but they’re not spending as much as usual or as much as their counterparts.

Republican Rep. Trey Hollingsworth is seeking a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Indiana’s Ninth District. He is challenged by Democrat Andy Ruff and Libertarian Tonya Millis.

Hollingsworth’s campaign spent more than $300,000 between January 2019 and June 2020, significantly less than the $1.5 million the southern Indiana congressman spent in 2018. He spent $3.6 million in 2016, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.

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It also is lower than what most current members in the House spend on campaigns, which is about $1.5 million, according to The Campaign Finance Institute.

Hollingsworth’s campaign also is outpacing his competitors in terms of fundraising. As of June, Hollingsworth’s campaign had raised more than $800,000, while Ruff had raised just under $50,000 and Millis $7,200, according to FEC records.

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.

Grassroots efforts a priority

Hollingsworth’s campaign is spending less money this time because Hoosiers already know him well, and he does not see Ruff as competition, he said.

“Unlike my previous opponents, Mr. Ruff is truly out of step with the values that matter most to Hoosiers,” Hollingsworth said. “Mr. Ruff has run on a platform that is devoid of any real policy positions and only focused on his personal enmity toward me.”

Hollingsworth, who lives in Jeffersonville, was first elected into the U.S. House in 2016. He owns Hollingsworth Capital Partners, a Tennessee-based industrial real estate company. Some of his 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.

A Bloomington native, Ruff has lived in Indiana his entire life. He works as a teacher and has served five terms on the Bloomington City Council. His campaign platforms include public education reform, getting “big business out of politics” and he supports universal health care.

Also a lifelong Hoosier, Millis lives in Lawrence County. She works as a Realtor. Before that, she worked in insurance and at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis. Her platforms include rolling back various rules and government regulations, particularly those on small businesses, and stopping Congress from amounting more debt by passing a balanced budget.

Ruff’s campaign has consistently said Hollingsworth is “disconnected” from Hoosiers and went as far as publishing a song and music video about it dubbed, “The Ballad of Tennessee Trey.” Hollingsworth is originally from Tennessee. His family moved to southern Indiana in 2015.

Ruff says he expects the election to be closer than what Hollingsworth may think.

“I think Mr. Hollingsworth is in for a surprise this election once the votes start rolling in,” Ruff said.

Although Hollingsworth’s campaign is spending notably less than he has in the past, it is still spending about 10 times more than Ruff’s campaign. Ruff spent $25,000 as of June 30.

In comparison, Liz Watson, Hollingsworth’s Democrat opponent in 2018, spent $2.5 million on her campaign, according to FEC data. And Hollingsworth’s opponent in 2016, Shelli Yoder, spent $1.5 million.

“We knew from the beginning this was going to be David versus Goliath in terms of funding,” Ruff said. “But money doesn’t win elections. People do.”

Ruff is leading a grassroots campaign, traveling across the district to several areas, including Bedford, Henryville and Jackson County, he said. He is getting his message across to Hoosiers by interacting with them at different events, festivals and local farmers markets, he said.

Ruff is spending responsibly, he said. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he has prioritized digital campaigning, running social media ads and revamping his website, he said. Ruff spent $4,000 on Facebook advertising between April and June, according to FEC records.

“Being able to do a lot with a little … that’s what ordinary Hoosiers do,” Ruff said. “Doing it fiscally responsibly is an indicator of the kind of representative I’d be when elected.”

Most of Hollingsworth’s campaign money is going toward social media ads, TV spots, mailers to constituents and travel throughout the district.

In his first campaign, Hollingsworth poured thousands of dollars into digital media production, digital advertising and political strategy consulting, according to FEC records.

This time, he is directing his campaign funds to making sure the Hoosiers he represents know him and what he stands for, he said.

He spent the last few weeks knocking on doors, he said, and spent time last week in Johnson County. He visited Otterbein Franklin SeniorLife Community and attended the Johnson County GOP cookout Sunday.

“I’ve been everywhere, oh my gosh, I’ve been all over the district in all the counties … there’s not a corner in this district that I haven’t knocked,” Hollingsworth said. “It is important to me that I can go to someone’s doorstep and say, ‘What do you want to see done?’”

Donations: The ins and outs

Most of Ruff’s donations are from individuals, while Hollingsworth’s come from political action committees connected to several national corporations, including Toyota, McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Rolls Royce, according to FEC records.

“When you’re not relying on corporate billionaires and lobbyists and Wall Street, of course it’s challenging, but we’re doing it and we’re spending our money wisely,” Ruff said.

Hollingsworth chooses to accept corporate donations because he has always supported businesses, and those businesses employ thousands of Hoosiers, he said.

“They want to see the ability to hire more Hoosiers,” Hollingsworth said. “Good policy creates better business growth right at home in Indiana.”

His campaign also makes charitable donations, including to the Louisville Metro Police Department Athletic Club, which funds annual police and youth shooting range competitions in Clarksville, which is part of his district, he said. The events bring area law enforcement — some from across the river — and local youth together for friendly competition, he said.

“I’m such a believer that if we can invest more in the next generation of Americans, then we will have a better country, and I have been a strong supporter of law enforcement since Day 1,” Hollingsworth said.

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Here is a look at how much money each candidate for Indiana’s Ninth Congressional District has raised and spent on their campaigns as of June 30, 2020:

Trey Hollingsworth (R)

Contributions: $890,000

Expenses: $311,000

Tonya Millis (L)

Contributions: $7,200

Expenses: $6,900

Andy Ruff (D)

Contributions: $49,800

Expenses: $25,400

Source: Federal Election Commission

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Rep. Trey Hollingsworth’s campaign finance reports can be viewed at: fec.gov/data/candidate/H6IN09176/

Tonya Millis’s campaign finance reports can be viewed at: fec.gov/data/candidate/H0IN09153/

Andy Ruff’s campaign finance reports can be viewed at: fec.gov/data/candidate/H0IN09179/

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