Erin Houchin has emerged as the victor in a crowded Republican field in Indiana’s deep-red 9th Congressional District and will most likely replace retiring Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN) in the November election.

Houchin left the state Senate to run for the vacant seat and was the second-highest fundraiser after Mike Sodrel, with about $440,000 on file last month. She was endorsed by Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY), chairwoman of the House Republican conference, and came in second in a primary bid against Hollingsworth in 2016.

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Sodrel was the top fundraiser in the field of nine candidates, raising over $771,500, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings from last month. This is his sixth run for Congress, and he previously represented the district from 2005-07 in his only previous victory.

Also of note was Stu Barnes-Israel, a combat veteran of the Afghanistan War who billed himself as a political outsider. It was his first run for public office and earned high-profile endorsements from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK). He was the third-highest fundraiser, with $402,000 raised by last month.

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Houchin will face off against Democrat Matthew Fyfe in November. Indiana does not have runoff elections, and the plurality vote-getter receives the party nomination.

The 9th Congressional District takes up the southeast corner of the state and was redrawn this year, making it even safer for the GOP in a year in which the party is expecting to make major gains in both chambers of Congress. Candidates focused on issues including border security, inflation, and domestic energy production. Former President Donald Trump won the district with over 60% of the vote in the 2020 presidential election.