Trey Hollingsworth, the incumbent representative for Indiana’s 9th District, spent his first term in Congress doing the work that his constituents told him needed to be done, addressing taxes, reducing government oversight into business and limiting outside influence on politicians.
He wants to be able to continue on the work he started with a second term. Challenging him in his bid for re-election is James Dean Alspach, a Morgantown resident running for office for the first time who wants to create jobs for the area in unique ways, such as making Indiana more competitive in the aerospace industry and providing opportunities for students by creating transitional housing.
The 9th District covers a swath of southern Indiana from Johnson County to the Ohio River. Hollingsworth, a Jeffersonville resident, won the seat in 2016 for his first term.
His two years in Congress solidified the need to be a voice for Indiana residents in Washington, D.C., he said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“It’s about making sure we serve and help Hoosiers back at home. Every single day is about getting results, every single day is about making sure we advance the interests of Americans, advancing the interests of Hoosiers,” he said. “To me, making that impact is what’s most important, and getting things done.”
In 2016, Hollingsworth campaigned on a platform of conservative values, such as limiting government’s role in business. He founded HCP, a company that rehabilitated abandoned warehouses and manufacturing sites, and that experience helped him understand the challenges businesses face with restrictions from the federal government, he said.
Though he has worked with others in Congress to address those issues in his first term, work remains to be done, he said.
“All of those things I believed and campaigned on, all of those promises kept, we have to do even more of them,” he said. “We have to change a Washington that hasn’t listened to us. We have to fix a Washington that serves itself and make sure we have representatives who are focused on representing the people themselves.”
Hollingsworth pointed to the tax bill passed in late 2017 as an example of legislation that he supported that would impact working Americans. Other bills that he supported addressed over-regulation of small businesses, giving owners the ability to grow and create more jobs. National security and budgeting more money for self defense were other areas that he supported.
“Real results are possible. I worked across the aisle, with my Republican colleagues and Democrat colleagues, to get real results. And I think you can see those results across the country,” he said.
Moving forward, more needs to be done to limit the number of terms that members of Congress can serve, and to reform lobby regulations, Hollingsworth said.
Continuing to improve the economy by creating good-paying jobs is another priority, as is protecting the country’s borders, he said.
“What I’m always looking for is, how do we fix this? I’m a businessman at heart, and a businessman wakes up everyday thinking how to better serve his customers, because his livelihood depends on it,” he said. “I think everyday how I can better the lives of my constituents, better the lives of the communities across the 9th District.”
For Alspach, running for Congress is a chance to better represent southern Indiana in Washington. Winning the seat would also serve as a step to a larger ambition — to run for president.
“Quite frankly, a lot of people have asked me to run,” he said. “The incumbent, Trey Hollingsworth, has disenfranchised voters. There are a lot of people who are very dissatisfied. Their expression, if they don’t just thank me for running and giving them an option, they flat out say they want somebody who’s from here.”
Alspach has deep roots in southern Indiana, as his mother’s side of the family has resided in the Seymour area for generations. He lives in Morgantown, and feels that he understands the issues facing the population.
The threat of manufacturing jobs fleeing the area is a big concern from people he’s spoken to, he said.
“I’ve got a common identity with the average voter in the district, and I don’t necessarily like the things that I see going on,” he said. “We need to restructure our industries in the whole country, especially in the 9th District, to create good jobs that have pensions and other benefits attached to them.”
To do that, Alspach would like to see more emphasis on educating and developing workers to be competitive in manufacturing jobs.
Other important issues include finding relief for individuals and families impacted by the opioid crisis. He has experience in courses that he took at Rutgers University in addiction medicine, and thinks that his experience would be useful in helping the legislature address the problem.
Alpsach has an interest in science, space and technology, and sees potential for southern Indiana to be a player in the aerospace industry.
“Aircraft is America’s biggest export. We need to get competitive in that market,” he said.
Providing nutritional programs for students in schools and school safety are other important issues for Alspach. His ideas are different than traditional Republican candidates, and he feels that will set him apart, he said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Alspach File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
James Dean Alspach
Resides: Morgantown
Family: Single
Occupation: Owner of small excavating and home improvement company; substitute teacher for Indian Creek schools
Educational background: Associate degree from Lincoln Trail College; bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois; enrolled at Purdue University
Political experience: None
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Hollingsworth File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Trey Hollingsworth
Residence: Jeffersonville
Family: Wife, Kelly; one son
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; master’s in business from Georgetown University
Work: Founded HCP, which renovates industrial business sites
Political experience: U.S. House of Representatives in Indiana 9th District since 2016
[sc:pullout-text-end]
