Four contenders for the Democratic Party’s 9th District nominee faced off Saturday at Bloomington City Hall.
Jim Graham and Tim Peck of Clark County, Keil Roark of Floyd County and Brad Meyer of Bloomington agreed on ending the war with Iran, raising the federal minimum wage and other Democratic Party staples. But they disagreed on how to win the general election against a party which has controlled the Southern Indiana house seat for 15 years.
Tim Peck
Peck, an emergency medical doctor, lost to Republican Erin Houchin by more than 30 percentage points in 2024. But he said continuing to run proves to voters that he’ll show up.
“I've worked for three years at this point to build a campaign,” he said. “We’ve knocked at this point tens of thousands of doors.”
Of the candidates, Peck spent the most time talking about what he sees as government infringement on civil rights.
“That includes reproductive rights, that includes First Amendment rights, especially here in Bloomington at IU in terms of our academic freedoms,” he said. “That includes even our right to exist as we've seen American citizens be killed on our streets.”
Peck emphasized declining health and education rural areas as a defining issue in the race.
“The situation that is hollowing out these communities is quite dire, and we need to figure out how to get into the very infrastructure of these communities so they have something to be there for.”
While all candidates emphasized the need for more green energy, Peck was the only one to specifically mention climate change.
Brad Meyer
While his three colleagues discussed the importance of courting Republican voters, Meyer branded himself as an unapologetic progressive.
“Those that are advocating for moderation are thinking too small. The best you can get from that is managed decline,” he said. “Our job is not to try to get them to move to the middle of the road. It's our job to stop them and change direction.”
Meyer supports implementing a $20 minimum wage and Medicare for all. He also discussed the need for compassionate immigration reform.
“We need to create an immigration system that works for us economically and respects the dignity of people coming in to work and makes them part of our culture and our society, instead of forcing them into the shadows,” Meyer said.
The NSWC Crane naval engineer said restoring funding for the Small Business Administration is one of the most important moves for economic growth because it allows the federal government to help rural communities build businesses.
Keil Roark
A navy veteran and former union autoworker, Roark said to win disillusioned Republican voters, Democrats need to keep messaging simple and focus on cost of living.
“It has to be that right Democrat, that centrist Democrat, who can actually win those voters,” he said. “If we start talking about defunding ICE, they won't vote for you.”
He advocated a combination of carrot and stick measures on taxes, closing loopholes for millionaires while bringing manufacturing back to the United States with incentives.
“As the market economy changes, we need to adjust accordingly,” Roark said. “We've all seen businesses shut down in our communities, and how devastating it is to lose 1,000 or 2,000 jobs.”
Roark talked extensively about national security and how AI competitiveness can keep America ahead of its rivals, such as Russia and China.
“We can't just say no to it, but the same time we have to have to have good regulations in place,” he said.
Jim Graham
Graham said that to win over Republicans, 9th District Democrats need to rethink their priorities.
“Why are we continuing to talk about things that won't pass the Congress won't got signed into law and most of the people in the district don't want anyway?” he said. “I think it would be a much better approach to talk to people in the district, find out what their concerns are, and then draft a mission that will address those concerns.”
At the same time, he said a winning Democratic candidate needs to take on Houchin aggressively in the general election.
