Election 2026: District 9 Congressional Candidate Jim Graham (D)

Continuing our “Election: 2026” series, this addition to our candidate interviews features District 9 Congressional Candidate James H. (Jim) Graham (D). Leading up to the primaries, we will continue to release candidate interviews in order to keep you informed as you make your way to the ballot box.

Publisher's Note: The Washington County Times does not endorse political candidates. Our mission is to provide balanced and informative coverage of local politics so our readers can make their own informed decisions at the ballot box. We aim to give all candidates a fair opportunity to share their views and connect with the community. This Q&A is part of that commitment to open, unbiased political reporting.

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James H. (Jim) Graham (D)

Candidates Campaign Website: www.jimgrahamforcongress.com

1. What inspired you to run for Congress?

Congress is broken! It’s not doing its job and our nation, in general, and citizens of the Ninth District, in particular, are suffering. Critical actions such as securing the future of Social Security and Medicare, addressing our growing national debt, improving access to healthcare and fixing our immigration policies get kicked down the road year after year. Now we are in another Middle East war, which was not authorized by Congress as required by the Constitution. Career politicians, like Representative Erin Houchin, have let us down big time! It’s time for new leadership for the Ninth District in Congress.

2. What personal or professional experience has best prepared you to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives?

I have worked as an engineer for General Motors, an educator in three different universities, and as a co-founder and the CEO of a cybersecurity startup company. Each of these positions required leadership and problem solving and working with people with differing priorities and points of view. In every case, I have been able to find “win-win” solutions to challenging problems. I’m confident that I could do that as your representative in Congress. As I said in response to the previous question, it’s certainly needed!

3. What are the top policy priorities you would focus on in your first year if elected to Congress, and why?

There are so many things that have been broken in the last year and a half under Representative Houchin’s watch that much of the first year will be containing the damage and trying to right the ship! Clearly, we should revisit the cuts to Medicaid and ACA subsidies which Representative Houchin voted for in 2025. These cuts will greatly impact the fiscal condition of many rural hospitals in our District. We must restore the staff cuts that were made to Veterans’ Hospitals under DOGE in 2025. We must create a proactive approach to identifying businesses that might locate in our District. And we must finally begin to seriously address the issues of our ballooning national debt and providing a secure funding base for Social Security and Medicare. These issues have been continually kicked down the road by the career politicians currently in the Congress.

4. Washington County is facing interconnected challenges with substance abuse, family instability, and economic decline. What actions would you plan to take to support recovery programs, strengthen families and youth engagement, and promote workforce development to help our community achieve long-term stability and growth?

Making sure that federal programs for mental health and substance abuse recovery are fully funded is essential. However, as this question implies, many of these interconnected problems stem from the limited economic opportunities in many of the counties in the Ninth District. People are working hard and just barely making ends meet. This leaves little time to help family members with mental health or substance abuse issues. Improving this economic situation is a key part of my platform.

5. How would you approach federal spending and the national debt? Do you support spending cuts, tax increases, or a mix, and in what areas?

Interest payments on our $39 TRILLION national debt is now the second largest yearly budget item. Servicing this debt raises interest rates and causes a drag on our economy. Yet, Representative Houchin voted for a spending bill last year that will INCREASE our debt by an estimated $5 trillion dollars over the next ten years while giving huge tax cuts to billionaires. Cancelling these tax gifts to the billionaire class and cutting wasteful spending on unneeded foreign wars would be good first steps in reducing our annual deficits.

6. What steps would you take to improve access to affordable health care in Indiana, including for Medicare and Medicaid recipients?

Affordable healthcare is a major concern for most Hoosiers in the Ninth District. We must replace the cuts to Medicaid and ACA subsidies which Representative Houchin voted for last year. These cuts will likely lead to the closing of several rural hospitals in our District leaving fewer, and more expensive, healthcare choices. It is long past time to stop kicking the can down the road and to seriously study the issue of providing a secure funding base for Medicare, a program which serves over 150,000 citizens of the Ninth District.

7. Indiana’s voters are concerned about economic development and job growth. What federal policies would you support to attract and retain good jobs in our state?

In talking with people in the District, I have found this to be the number one concern among voters. I think the Representative’s office should act as a clearinghouse to connect companies looking to locate in the Midwest with county economic development offices. Our representative should lobby for a federal facility for the district. The funding for the Small Business Administration should be restored. To get the most from our universities, colleges and technical schools we should offer them incentives to support credential based education. We should also create a program of forgivable loans for students who study, and subsequently, work in areas of national need, including healthcare, skilled trades, advanced manufacturing technology and artificial intelligence.

8. Climate change and energy policy continue to be debated nationally. What is your stance on federal climate action and energy independence?

Climate change threatens the future of our world! We want to leave a sustainable planet for our great, great grandchildren and beyond. Funding and staff cuts to the EPA must be restored and the agency should be isolated from political interference. We should return to a policy of encouraging the development of renewable energy and gradually wean ourselves away from fossil fuels.

9. How do you plan to stay connected with the communities you represent, especially those with differing views from your own?

Communication with my constituents would be a top priority for me. Members of Congress enjoy the Franking privilege which allows them to send mail to their constituents without cost. It’s easy enough to put together a list of current issues, mail them out and collect responses on-line, but I’ve yet to receive such a mailing from the incumbent representative. It is also important to meet with your constituents in person through town hall meetings, something Representative Houchin has failed to find time to do during her three and a half years in office. I would commit to at least six town hall meetings per year, held in different counties across the District.

10. Do you have any additional thoughts you’d like to leave with our readers?

I grew up in Monroe County and then my education and subsequent career took me to other parts of Indiana, to upstate New York and finally to Louisville, Kentucky, where I taught engineering at the JB Speed School for over 20 years. In 2003 my wife and I moved across the Ohio River to Clark County and we became Hoosiers again. Like so many others, we enjoy life in small town Southern Indiana. I’m running for office because I want to ensure this quality of life is here for our grandchildren and beyond. Our District and our country face many challenges, but I am firmly convinced that working together we can achieve the “win-win” outcomes that benefit us all.