Indiana's 9th Congressional District voters have four choices in the Nov. 3 general election.

Republican incumbent Erin Houchin is seeking another term against Democrat Brad Meyer, Libertarian Tonya Hudson and independent write-in candidate Floyd Taylor.

The district covers much of southern Indiana, stretching from Bloomington south to the Ohio River.

WFIU/WTIU News reporter Clayton Baumgarth spoke with each candidate about affordability, health care, immigration, energy, agriculture and other issues facing the district.

See the interview with Erin Houchin here.

See the interview with Brad Meyer here.

See the interview with Floyd Taylor here.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Clayton Baumgarth: Why are you running for Congress, and what do you think the 9th District needs from its representative that it isn't getting right now?

Tonya Hudson: I'm running for Congress for a couple reasons. Number one, District 9 hasn't had good representation in years. Our current representative and the representative before her never met with the public, never did town halls or public forums. Pretty much, they just do what they're told by their Republican leadership.

What's good for District 9 isn't what's happening in Washington, D.C., with our representatives. I would go to Washington, D.C., truly on behalf of the people.

I'm not looking for change. I actually think we need major reform in Washington, D.C., because the two-party system is broken.

Baumgarth: What's the biggest affordability problem facing people in southern Indiana, and what specifically can Congress do about it?

Hudson: The biggest issue we have for people is high gas prices, high fuel, groceries. Just trying to make ends meet week to week is difficult for people.

We need to end the Iran war. If I'm elected to Congress, I would vote to end that immediately because the president does not have authorization to go to war with Iran anyway. It's an illegal war, an unconstitutional one. That would help bring costs down.

Fortunately, with affordable housing, Congress — which I don't always agree with — passed the Affordable Housing Act, ROAD Act. I think it was in June of this year. It takes a while for those things to get into effect, but I think people will start seeing improvement with housing affordability.

Baumgarth: What should the federal government's role be in health care, particularly in rural communities where hospitals, EMS and other services are struggling?

Hudson: I think that's a state's issue. I really do, because what's good for Indiana and Montana is not going to be the same formula for Florida or Southern California.

I think the states need to take a more prominent role in health care in their states.

I do think Medicare for All is off the table. Universal health care — the Republicans definitely aren't going to go for it. And the leader of the Democratic Party, Representative Hakeem Jeffries, if the Democrats get the majority after the November election, he's probably going to be the next Speaker of the House. He's already said that's dead in the water.

Baumgarth: What should Congress do about immigration and border security, and where do you think the current system is failing?

Hudson: We have a very long border to the south of us, and they seem to be doing a good job as of late. There's always going to be spots where it's porous.

I think the improvement needs to be in streamlining the process. It needs to be upgraded with how they screen people coming in. You've got people with work visas. It's bottlenecked.

I think we need to have more ports of entry, and the ports of entry need to be streamlined with each other to make it easier for people to enter and exit legally.

Baumgarth: What should U.S. energy policy look like? How do you balance electricity affordability and reliability with growing demand and environmental concerns?

Hudson: We do have the EPA that keeps track of who's doing what and where there's contamination. That's helpful.

As far as the costs, this is also where the state of Indiana needs to get involved with utilities coming into the state. They need to watch the regulations there and the fees that consumers pay. I think that needs to be improved at the state level.

Again, I'm for states' rights. When I go to Congress, I'm going to focus on what is the role of Congress at the federal level, which is self-defense, national defense for our country. We do have some social programs that are national and some other odds and ends.

Baumgarth: Tariffs have become a major issue for Indiana manufacturers and farmers. When do you believe tariffs are appropriate, and what would you change about current trade policy?

Hudson: Again, as a constitutionalist, that would be up to Congress. It even says in Article I, Congress controls the purse and the fees, the taxes, the tariffs.

I think the president willy-nilly doing tariffs when he's having a bad day on different countries is illegal. But our current Congress, which is with the same party, is silent. They're mum. They pretty much just let him do what he wants.

If I were a member of Congress, I would speak out on behalf of the people in District 9. I would be calling out certain instances that need to be discussed, and we need to vote. Congress needs to vote.

Baumgarth: The 9th District is largely rural. What should Congress do to support farmers and rural communities?

Hudson: We have farm bills that are helping farmers. I would still encourage those.

I'm also for the free market. I don't think farmers should be told what they should crop, when and how.

I think the federal government, big government, needs to get out of the way and let farmers farm. Let them do what they need to do with their crops and let free-market principles dictate what the people need and what the farmers want to do.

Baumgarth: What is your position on abortion, and what role, if any, should Congress play in setting abortion policy nationally?

Hudson: That's already been settled, as you know, at the Supreme Court. I don't foresee that issue coming up anytime in the near future.

If elected to Congress, it doesn't seem like it's going to be on the table.

Baumgarth: What federal gun laws would you support or oppose?

Hudson: None. I'm pro-Second Amendment, and I don't think the federal government should say anything about it at all.

Baumgarth: What should America's role be in ongoing conflicts overseas, and when should the United States provide military or financial support to other countries?

Hudson: Very minimal. I don't think we should be going to war with other countries.

For example, when we attacked Iran, they didn't have a nuclear weapon. They weren't building a nuclear weapon. Did they aspire to maybe someday have a nuclear weapon? If so, make your case to Congress. Otherwise, we should not be going to war.

We should not be providing military assets because then we're trying to pick winners and losers. Unless our sovereignty is at risk, if the United States' well-being is at risk, then we should not get involved.

Baumgarth: Congress has repeatedly struggled with deficits, shutdown threats and passing budgets on time. What would you be willing to compromise on to make Congress function better?

Hudson: We do need to have a balanced budget. Our debt — we are $40 trillion in debt — is unsustainable. That's going to affect the value of the U.S. dollar. It's bad for our country, and I'm concerned about that.

Congress hasn't balanced a budget in a long, long time. They just keep doing reconciliation budgets and kicking the can down the road, and our debt keeps getting higher and higher.

There's overspending, that's for sure, wasteful spending. I'm sure people have heard that over and over again for years: "We've got to stop wasteful spending." Well, let's get specific and do that.

Baumgarth: What sets you apart from the two major political parties?

Hudson: The Founding Fathers did not want a two-party monopoly. They even said so.

The two-party monopoly, the Republicans and Democrats that keep taking turns, are two sides of the same coin. Erin Houchin and Brad Meyer are two sides of the same coin.

The mess that's created in Washington is because of the two-party system. That's why I'm running as a Libertarian.

When voters go to the polls, they'll see they have a third option — the one and only constitutionalist on the ballot.

Baumgarth: If elected, what's one specific piece of legislation or policy you'd try to accomplish during your first year?

Hudson: I have written a bill. It's called the Hudson Resolution to abolish the IRS. It's very detailed, and I would try to promote that because we don't need the IRS.

We can pay taxes through other means. A consumer sales tax would be more fair to everybody, and you wouldn't have to fill out forms every year to the IRS. You wouldn't have to have a CPA do your accounting for you.

In Indiana, we pay a sales tax. When you go buy shoes or a TV, there's a sales tax. We'll add a little bit more to that for federal government tax. Done with the IRS.

Baumgarth: What experience or qualifications do you have that make you prepared to represent the district in Congress?

Hudson: I've been a real estate broker for over 21 years, so I'm with the people when I'm doing my business, whether it's buyers or sellers from all different walks of life.

Whether you're buying or selling a $70,000 home or a $350,000 home, I get to know the people, their families, and I hear all the stories.

As a grassroots worker, I know what it is that the people want and need.

Baumgarth: Why should someone who normally votes for one of the two major parties consider voting for you?

Hudson: Because they should know by now that voting for the big two parties isn't working.

We've got $40 trillion in debt. We are in wars that are unconstitutional. It doesn't matter which side has the majority or the person in the White House. It's the same old thing over and over again.

That's why they should vote for me as a Libertarian, because I will not be toeing the line for any party.

Baumgarth: You've run as a Libertarian before. How has that experience prepared you for this race?

Hudson: I've run for Congress before, and in 2024, I ran for lieutenant governor alongside Donald Rainwater for governor.

When we were traveling all over the state, we got really good feedback. My experience running for lieutenant governor in the state of Indiana and also running for Congress before has prepared me for this race.

I think if people do their research and go to my website, it's very detailed. I do a weekly commentary called the "Roll It Back" page, talking about current issues.

I think if people go there and see what my platform is, they will find out that the issues I care about are the same issues they care about.

Baumgarth: What do you think has prevented Libertarian candidates from having more electoral success?

Hudson: In the past, it's been the media shutting us out. That's improved greatly. Right now, I'm doing an interview with you.

The play for Libertarians has gotten much better, and Libertarians just need to do a better job of marketing and getting the word out.

The more people hear us and learn about libertarianism, which coincides with the Constitution, they're like, "Oh, hey, I like what that person has to say. I like what that Libertarian has to say."

It's just getting out there and being more present in public.