Indiana's 9th District seat for the U.S. House of Representatives is opening as Rep. Todd Young makes a run for the seat Sen. Dan Coats is vacating.
Here's a breakdown of who's running, what's at stake and how the race could play out.
Who's in the race?
Currently, four candidates have declared their candidacy, and all are Republican.
But political analyst Ed Feigenbaum says isn't unusual to see more GOP candidates. He says the 9th District seat, which represents a district spanning from southern Marion County all the way to the state line, trends Republican, and a strong Democratic candidate may not appear until after the primary.
"In the past, they've understood they can perform better without a primary," he says. "I think Democrats are hoping Republicans will spend most of their money in the primary and that there will be some bruised egos. Perhaps a candidate emerges from the Republican side that's not necessarily the choice of a majority of Republicans, and they might lean toward a more moderate Democrat."
Feigenbaum says Houchin, Waltz and Zoeller all have significant political and electoral experience.
Zoeller, who was first elected to the Indiana Attorney General's office in 2008, has previous experience in Washington, D.C. working for Dan Quayle for a decade in both his U.S. Senate office and the Office of the Vice President of the United States. He won re-election as attorney general in 2012.
Houchin, who was elected to the Indiana State Senate last year, defeated incumbent Richard Young, D-Milltown, in the race for the District 47 State Senate seat. And Waltz, who was the first to enter the race, has more than a decade in the Indiana Senate under his belt. Each, Feigenbaum says, has previously defeated "big" incumbents.
He says Hall could appeal to far-right Tea Party voters in the district. The Herald-Times reports he's received the endorsement of the group Hoosiers for a Conservative 9th.
Funding could largely shape the race, too - especially if donations from larger national organizations are involved.
"That can certainly change the dynamics of the race by allowing a particular candidate to be defined by someone from the outside," Feigenbaum says.
What's at stake?
"Congressional seats don't often become open in the state of Indiana," Feigenbaum says. "Obviously when a seat opens up, there's a lot of interest in it."
A scarcity of open seats makes for a contentious race, Feigenbaum says, and to some candidates, the race might appear like an opportunity to take a step forward in their political careers.
But Feigenbaum says it's unlikely that's the case for a candidate such as Zoeller, who is 60 years old. Instead, he says, serving as a representative may act as more of a career capstone.
"I don't think he's looking to go on and run for Senate or for governor or for President 10 or 15 years down the road. I think this is an end-game for him," he says.
But for candidates such as Houchin or Waltz, the seat could serve as a springboard to higher office. Feigenbaum says Rep. Todd Young's bid for Senate could be in that same vein.
"If you look at Congressman Young right now, he's served basically two terms, and he's looking to move to the U.S. Senate," he says. "There's an opportunity for a winning candidate to move on and up to governor or U.S. Senate. There are a lot of different career paths you can choose once you make it to Congress"
