Emilee McCartney Announces Campaign for 9th District Congress Seat: An Exclusive Q&A

As the 2026 race for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District begins to take shape, new names are entering the conversation. One of the first to officially announce a campaign is Salem native Emilee McCartney, who agreed to an exclusive Q&A with Washington County Times publisher Jacob Dufour.

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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JACOB: Hi Emilee, thanks so much for agreeing to this interview for our readers. So, you just announced that you’re running for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District in 2026. What led to this decision? 

EMILEE: Good morning, Jacob! Thank you for inviting me to this interview! I've always been very passionate about politics, but like many other Americans, I never thought it would be my place to be in the room where decisions are made. I always assumed that someone, somewhere, would show up and run for the right reasons and be a genuine voice for the people. As the years went by, that hope began to fade. For the past year, I've been working hard as a content creator, teaching people about what is happening on a federal level and how to read legislation. It then hit me, "Why not?" Why can't I be that person who advocates for the people? Why can't I be that voice that I've desperately hoped would emerge one day? That's when the conversation started with my family and those closest to me, and with their support, I decided to go for it! I don't want to be just a person on the internet advocating for things to happen with no power, I want to be in the room where it happens to speak for everyone, especially my fellow Hoosiers. 

JACOB: What are the primary things you plan to advocate for?

EMILEE: There are numerous policies that I'm very passionate about, but if I had to boil it down to just a few, I would say the economy, immigration, and Medicare for all. 

The tariffs that this current administration has put into place are going to be at the detriment of the people. Since the pandemic, Americans have been struggling to afford the cost of living and everything that comes with that. Blanket tariffs are going to make the price of gas, groceries, and medicine go up. Tariffs in themselves are not inherently bad when used correctly to protect key productions and keep that manufacturing at home, but blanket tariffs are never a good idea when tariffs in themselves are inherently inflationary. I advocate for federal legalization of cannabis because I recognize the economic impact it can create for our country. Not only are states like Colorado thriving from the tax revenue from cannabis, but Indiana can benefit from growing hemp. Not only could we manufacture textiles right here at home, but we could create thousands of jobs by doing so.  

Immigration has been a hot-button issue for as long as I can remember, and although we are thousands of miles from the southern border, I recognize that this is an issue that many Americans worry about, even Hoosiers. I don't envy the people who feel the need to flee their country for the safety and wellness of their families, but I do empathize with them. I can't imagine living in a place where I fear for the life and safety of my children. Historically, immigrants have helped this country thrive. They pay almost $100 billion in state, local, and federal taxes, ultimately keeping this country going. As the melting pot of the world, we have to have the hard conversation of creating an attainable pathway to citizenship so people can have a genuine way to do it 'the right way'. For this, I look at Ronald Reagan's immigration policy. Granting amnesty to those who are contributing members of society, strengthening our borders, and creating an attainable pathway to citizenship would help the issues we currently face immensely. Hiring more border judges to get through the backlog of asylum claims we currently have clogging up our system is not only common sense but the smartest move for our current situation. 

And lastly, Medicare for all. America has the highest GDP in the world, yet we don't offer even basic healthcare for our citizens. 30 million Americans currently live without healthcare, and 75 million are underinsured. When the pandemic struck, millions lost their jobs and along with it their employer-sponsored insurance. I believe with a smart approach and a roll-out program, we can give access to healthcare to every American while saving money by providing preventative healthcare. There is no reason that Americans should be burdened by thousands of dollars of medical debt when we can simply take care of our constituents as a whole, creating healthier families and workers for our future.

JACOB: It seems like you’re coming at these issues from a somewhat unique angle that borrows from both major political parties, yet remains moderate. Which leads us to the big question — will you be running as a Republican, as a Democrat, or as a third-party candidate?

EMILEE: That's an excellent question! I will be running as a Democrat for the 2026 campaign. I like to view my opinions as fairly moderate because of my upbringing. My mother was raised in California and is a proud Democrat, and my father was raised in Louisiana as a proud Republican. Most of my views fall in the center, but I do have views that tend to lean more left than right, which is why I changed my stance as a staunch Independent to Democrat. 

JACOB: In the past 85 years, Indiana has been predominantly a red state, with the exception of the 1964 and 2008 elections. The 9th Congressional District specifically is also historically more Republican than Democrat, with the last Democratic representative being Baron Hill, who lost re-election to Todd Young in 2010.

Since then, the Republican Party seems to be gaining ground in District 9, with 54.1% (R) to 40.5% (D) in 2016, 56.5% to 43.5% in 2018, 60.9% to 34.8% in 2020, 63.6% to 33.6% in 2022, and 64.5% to 32.8% last year, when Erin Houchin defeated Timothy Peck (source here).

 In light of these odds, as a Democrat, how do you feel about the campaign ahead of you?

EMILEE: Honestly, I'm very confident in my ability to talk to people around me and, at the very least, plant seeds for them to take home and think about. As I said before, I've worked very hard as a content creator for a little over a year now. The people I engage with on a day-to-day basis are Republicans. I chose to speak with these people specifically because of our differing opinions. I teach people how to identify media bias, check all of the media they consume, and how to read legislation because I believe it is purposely written in a way that the average American can't read it. The conversations I go into are based on honesty and fact.

I think as long as the people come to speak to me with an open mind and are willing to have an honest back-and-forth discussion, we can each teach each other something and walk away from the conversation as better people. We have to stop viewing each other as Democrats or Republicans and start viewing each other as Americans who all have the same end goal. I'm hoping to run a campaign based on turning friendships into votes. I care about the American people individually and our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

JACOB: Going back to the previous subject, you mentioned the primary policies that you plan to campaign on. What about the more “hot button” topics, such as gun control, religion, abortion, etc?

EMILEE: I appreciate you asking these questions because these are very hot-button issues that people need to be speaking on more often. I do have my policies written out on my website, which I can provide for you if you'd like, but I have no problem discussing them with you now as well. 

Gun Control is very obviously an issue in America. By saying that, I don't mean that guns themselves are an issue, but how easy it is for people to obtain guns or how they take care of the guns in their control, very obviously is. I believe in the 2nd amendment and am a proud gun owner myself of various weapons. I'm also a mother of two and have to live with the fear that one day my children may not return home because of gun violence in this country. I think again, this is a policy that we can approach with both empathy and common sense. The answer is never going to be gun control in a way that the federal or state governments control people's rights to keep arms, but it should fall on the responsibility of the people who abide by the law and choose to keep these weapons. I believe in universal background checks and common-sense gun reform in the form of safe storage laws. If we start holding parents equally accountable for the destruction that happens when children have access to guns, I think we can curb the violence we see in schools and even the accidents we see at home.

I would also like to implement common-sense reform in schools themselves. We have the infrastructure in the form of our current fire alarm system to implement a new alarm system that would set off a different alarm sound, notify police, and steer children to safety in the form of an active shooter alarm. This would be not only easy to implement in our current school system but also keep our children from having to go to a school that feels more like a prison than an educational institution. 

I believe every person in America has the right to privacy, and that includes women. Whatever decisions women make concerning their healthcare should always stay between themselves and their doctors unless they decide to share this information. With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, we saw these rights go back to the states, and in numerous states, including Indiana, that meant trigger laws going into place, preventing women from certain healthcare, such as abortion, in our state. I am very much pro-choice, but I also recognize that the people around me have differing opinions. If we as a whole genuinely want states' rights, then we as the constituents should have the option to vote on those rights at the very least. Since 2022, Hoosiers have never been given the option to vote on whether or not they want women to have access to healthcare in this state. Regardless of our personal feelings on the matter, I will fight for every state to be able to vote on issues such as this one and make those decisions for themselves. 

As far as religion goes, I've always stood by the constitution that everyone has a right to freedom of religion and therefore has the freedom to practice whatever religion they believe is best for their values. I am agnostic, but I was raised in a Christian household, and I would never be comfortable hindering anyone's rights to their belief systems. 

JACOB: Thanks for these clarifications! I have one more question, which is concerning transparency. It seems that now more than ever in our community, there is a growing desire for transparency, openness, and accessibility between the public and our elected officials. Do you agree? If so, how do you plan to keep two-way communication open to your constituents?

EMILEE: I agree wholeheartedly that transparency is a huge issue within our government! As it stands right now, I have a Google Voice number and my email listed on my website for anyone to personally reach out to me and receive a direct response from me promptly. I plan to run my campaign on 100% honesty, and that means not shying away from hard questions about my policies or even questions about myself. I pride myself on the issues I've faced throughout my life and how much I've grown and learned from them. If elected, I plan to continue on this path with the same honesty and openness that I am running on. 

If elected, this will become a little harder because my focus will be on writing, reading, and voting on legislation that is good for all Americans. My response time might take longer than it does on my campaign, but I make the promise to always reach out to my constituents and hear their problems personally instead of sending an automated email and forgetting about them. I will always make myself as available as I can to hear from anyone who is so moved by the things happening around them that they did what they could by writing an email or picking up the phone. I also don't plan to spend all of my time in DC. I have a family at home, and I plan to be a part of raising my children and watching them grow, so if you see me around, don't be afraid to introduce yourself! All I ask for is a little grace in this endeavor since once elected, I will have a job to do, and that is to fight for the change you want to see within our government. 

JACOB: Thanks so much for taking the time for this interview! Are there any final thoughts you'd like to leave our readers with?

EMILEE: I appreciate you taking the time to interview me, it genuinely means a lot. As far as final thoughts go, I just want to leave with this:

If you currently find yourself in a situation where the government has made you uncomfortable in any capacity, reach out to me. If there is a topic or discussion where the 'facts' being presented to you don't seem to make much sense, reach out to me. I am a regular American, just like you, who has lost faith in our government and wants to see genuine change. I want to be a voice for the teacher, the mother, the blue-collar worker, the waitress, and the healthcare provider. I want every one of you to feel seen and heard by the people who are supposed to represent you in this country, and that will always be a priority to me! 

Thank you for your time, Jacob, and I hope you have a wonderful day. 

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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. For more information about Emilee McCartney, visit www.emileeforcongress.com.