Erin Houchin Republican Candidate for 9th Congressional District No Show for Debates
AREA - OCTOBER 18, 2022 -: The chair reserved for 9th District Republican candidate Houchin sat empty during the, October 1st for the 2022 General Election Political Forum hosted by WTRE Radio.
Republican candidate for 9th Congressional District Erin Houchin did not show up for debates with her other political opponents on October 1, 2022, in Greenwood
Both Matt Fyfe(D) and Tonya Millis(L) answered questions live on the air for the public.
"I'm glad to see Matt here. There is an empty chair between us because the Republican opponent refuses to do debates and forums with us and that is very unfortunate." Tonya Millis stated on air.
Erin Houchin talks with James Lee Hutchinson during a recent campaign stop in Bedford, Indiana
This is not the first time Erin Houchin's seat has been vacant. The Scottsburg Town Hall was hosted on June 14th.
Houchin did not attend. The Monroe County League of Women Voters held a forum on September 28th. Matt and Tonya attended both. Houchin did not attend.
Matt Fyfe( talks with voters during a campaign stop in Bedford recently
"I also actually agree with my opponent Tonya, who is here today. One of our opponents is not here today and that's a shame. Our representatives need to be accountable. They need to have public and open forums and it needs to happen regularly." stated Matt Fyfe at the public forum.
Again, on October 11th Both Millis and Fyfe( attended the WSLM live radio show which was broadcast live from was a no-show candidate. This debate took place in Houchin's hometown of Salem, Indiana.
Matt Fyfe, (Democrat and Tonya Millis both attend the WSLM live Broadcast on October 11, Republican candidate Erin Houchin did not attend any debates in this election cycle.
Where is Erin Houchin? This is the question that many voters are asking.
Most candidate debates which were a long fixture of the election season in American is now a rarity.
The loss of debating and hearing what each side has to say is a loss of valuable democratic institution that would encourage engagement on policy, and dialogue on ideas challenged by other political opponents.
Debates are at the mercy of those who really want to take part and let their positions be known to those who chose to cast a ballot.
A good substantive debate could help shape a election for the positive.
However, campaigns decide debates do not benefit candidates. The goal of any campaign is to win November. Debates themselves can be a liability than a benefit to the candidates.
Partisan politics may have voters thinking that debates do not matter in the first place. The debates themselves may not prove to shift an election one way or the other.
Incumbent candidates very seldom want to debate after they have won a seat.
Tonya Millis was the 2020 candidate against Trey Hollingsworth Republican candidate and Andy Ruff, Democrat candidate and Hollingsworth also refused to come onto the debate stage.
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