Tonya Millis, Libertarian candidate for Indiana's 9th Congressional District. Millis ran for the same seat in 2020. (Devan Ridgway, WFIU/WTIU News)
As part of WTIU/WFIU News’ 2022 election coverage, reporter Holden Abshier invited the three candidates running for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District to discuss their policy positions.
The three candidates are Tonya Millis, Libertarian of Mitchell; Matt Fyfe, Bloomington Democrat; and former state senator Erin Houchin, Republican from Salem.
Indiana’s 9th District consists of 17 and one-third counties: Brown, Clark, Dearborn, Decatur, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jennings, Jefferson, Lawrence, Monroe, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland, and Washington counties, with part of southern Bartholomew County.
The conversation with Erin Houchin can be found here.
The conversation with Matt Fyfe can be found here.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Holden Abshier: How did you get involved in politics?
Tonya Millis: I've always followed it my whole life and always was interested in what was going on at the federal level. For many, many years, and decades, I was a C-SPAN junkie and always watching what was going on the floor of the House. It was very interesting to me. I follow up local politics as well, but I never ran for politics till two years ago. I ran for the same seat I'm running for now, and the incumbent that I ran against is not running again, so it’s an open seat now.
HA: Why did you decide to run for the 9th District again?
TM: I got tired of yelling at the TV. The two-party system is broken, and I was a lifelong Republican, and now I'm a Libertarian, which means I'm a Constitutionalist. And our founding fathers absolutely did not want a two-party system that we call the duopoly. Even John Adams had wrote that was one of those things that he dreaded.
HA: Did redistricting factor into your decision to run again?
TM: No, I was already planning on running again when they did the redistricting. And most of the counties that are in my district were the same counties from last time, but some variation - some were taken off and some added.
HA: What makes you the right candidate for the 9th District?
TM: As a real estate broker, and prior to, I've always worked in the private sector, which is what our Founding Fathers intended. [They intended] somebody in the community, whether it be the blacksmith or the farmer, or the baker or the real estate broker, to go and represent the people in their community - not lifelong politicians. Hamilton and Madison even went back and forth in their writings, what we call the Federalist Papers. They debated whether the House of Representatives term should just be one year or two years, and by the time the Constitution was ratified it was a two-year term. So, I've made a pledge that if I am elected, I will serve no more than two terms, which is four years. Because if I can't get anything done in four years, I have no business going there anyway, and neither should anybody else.
HA: What do you think, right now, is the biggest issue facing voters in the 9th District?
TM: Right now, the biggest issue is inflation - gas prices, price of food. Our national debt just went up to $31 trillion. That means you, your neighbor, your neighbor's kids, each and every one of us owe $93,000 of that debt. That's your debt. That contributes to inflation and the value of the dollar is dropping. So, that's the biggest issue right now, is just being able to pay the bills and put gas in your car.
HA: How willing are you to reach across the aisle - I mean you’re in a weird middle spot of the aisle - but how willing are you to work with Republicans and Democrats?
TM: As a Constitutionalist, I would work with anybody who wants to do what's right for the country under the Constitution. My “Roll It Back” campaign - and that's what it's called, “Roll It Back” - is to roll back the pesky rules and regulations that have been hurting the American people and taking away their freedoms and liberties, which has been going on for decades. So as new bills come up, and the issues come up, I would work with people of all parties or independents to do what we can to better our country.
HA: If you are elected, what is a single issue that might be on the top of your agenda?
TM: One of the one of the things on my platform, rather than rolling back the pesky rules and regulations, is the elimination of the Internal Revenue Service. It came about 1913, and now in modern society with modern technology, it would be so easy to transition to a consumption tax. If you didn't have to fill out the annual paperwork - quarterly paperwork for some businesses - no more complicated forms, no more loopholes and exemptions and all that. If all that was gone and the IRS was abolished, that would save the taxpayers a whole lot of money right there. Plus, my consumption tax plan is similar to the FAIR tax, but with some modifications. And how that would work is, for example, in the state of Indiana, we have a 7 percent sales tax...Well, we would add an additional percentage, and the states would send that money to the U.S. Treasury. Then the U.S. Treasury would pay for our national defense, U.S. roads, and the things we're required to pay for. Then you would know in real time what you're paying in federal tax, plus you would get so much more money on your paycheck every week because it’s not being taken out. A lot of people say the rich need to pay their fair share. Well, let me give you an example. If I was going to buy a purse at either Walmart or Kohl's for $40, or if I could afford it, go to the Coach leather store and pay $400 for a purse - well, I'm going to pay more in taxes on the $400 purse than I am the $40 purse. The rich and the wealthy who spend more and buy the high-end cars and shop a lot more, they're going to be paying more in taxes. So that's what's fair.
HA: I want to turn now to some issue-specific topics, the first being abortion. This summer Roe v. Wade was overturned. Do you think abortion is a national issue that Congress should address?
TM: I'm a Constitutionalist, and I do favor the way it was written as far as states’ rights, because our founding fathers wanted certain things to go to the heart of the people and being decided by the people. And the closest to the people are the state representatives at the state level. And I know it does seem confusing when you have one state doing one thing and another state doing another, but eventually some of the states they come together. Like for example, with marijuana, now we've got 37 or 38 states that support marijuana use or cannabis products. Indiana is in the minority on that. But I am pro-life. I also don't think that Big Brother in Washington, D.C., should be getting in little sister’s business or little brother’s business for that matter.
HA: More specific to Indiana, do you have any thoughts or do you support Indiana’s near-total abortion ban?
TM: The way the law was written, it needs to be revised. It was rushed through and there's a lot of problems with it. Even though they say abortion is approved for the life of the mother or if the baby's not viable, it's going to be very hard to find an OBGYN doctor that is willing to risk losing their license because there's so many gray areas. So, that makes it difficult for women. If their life is at risk, they still may have to go across state lines to save their own life. So, the law is flawed in many ways.
HA: Do you have any thoughts or concerns about upcoming Supreme Court cases? I know they're looking at states’ powers and federal elections, they are looking at voting rights, affirmative action, religious freedom.
TM: Well, I would have to see how it's presented to the court and actually what is being challenged. Right now, there isn't anything specific that I'm concerned about. What’s on my radar right now is our debt and so many laws and rules that are taking away our freedoms and liberties. So many young people today in their 20s and 30s don't even know what it's like to live in a free country. So, we need to roll that back.
HA: Let’s talk a little bit about elections and election security. Do you think that we in Indiana, or the United States as a whole, need to do more to secure our elections?
TM: Well, there's always room for improvement, as time goes on and technology changes. Sometimes flaws and errors pop up and then we correct them. So, it's never going to be perfect, but it's the most perfect system I think in the world.
HA: Do you believe Joe Biden is the rightfully elected president?
TM: Yes.
HA: Turning now to the Second Amendment and gun control. Here are some stats coming from the Gun Violence Archive: 519 mass shootings this year, 1,200 accidental shootings, more than 1,000 children or teenagers killed this year from guns. More than half of the gun deaths this year have been suicide. Does America have a problem with gun violence?
TM: I think our country has a problem with mental health and also drug abuse. I'm a Second Amendment rights person. I think the Second Amendment was there to protect the First Amendment, and the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed, period. But I do think there's a problem when so many young men don't think they have a way out of the troubles that they're in, and they go on mass shootings. And you know, the tragic stories that we hear, especially in children's schools. We need to do a better job with helping these people before they get so troubled that they turn to violence.
HA: Do you support Indiana’s permit-less carry bill that now allows people to carry handguns in public?
TM: Yes.
HA: Turning to inflation - I know you said this is the biggest issue facing voters in the district. What should the United States be doing to address inflation?
TM: One of the things is they need to spend within their means. The money that's coming in, our revenue, does not even come close to what our federal government has in expenditures. The United States is broke, we barely pay the interest on our loans. So that's why our debt keeps going up and up and up. We keep borrowing money, and our assets that we use to secure those loans are dwindling. We've got a serious problem, and if it doesn't get fixed, our country is going to go bankrupt.
HA: Right along the financial lines - student loans. This is something that’s been in the news the last couple months making headlines everywhere. Do you agree with the Biden Administration’s decision to forgive either $10,000 or $20,000 in student loans for qualified individuals?
TM: No, I don't agree with that particular policy, but I do think there is a problem with how student loans are administered and given to students with such a higher interest rate. The interest rates need to be lowered, and student loans need to be easier, and the repayment process needs to be better implemented so that students aren’t so straddled in such a difficult payment process when they get out of college, and they're getting a job, and they have this big old debt. So, there definitely needs to be improvement there.
HA: The final issue, specifically, that I want to talk about is Daylight Saving Time. I only mention this because the Senate has approved the Sunshine Protection Act; the House has yet to act on it. I know that in 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy found that the nation saved half a percentage point on its daily electricity by extending Daylight Saving for just four weeks. Would you support the Sunshine Protection Act?
TM: I do not like Daylight Savings Time. I live in Indiana and the “spring forward, fall back,” changing the clocks twice a year, is a big headache for everybody. I know everybody complains about it. And I know back in the day part of it had to do with farming and, you know, with modern technology and the way our society is, we don't need that anymore. Just leave the clocks the same all year round we can adjust to when the sun goes out the when the sun goes down.
HA: You’re not worried about farmers? I know there are a lot of farmers, especially in the 9th District?
TM: No, because where I live, when it starts getting dark at 5:30, them tractors are out there with their headlights on just like the cars are. They're going up and down the fields with their headlights, so it doesn’t seem to faze them a bit.
HA: Final question - once again, why should the District 9 voters choose you?
TM: Have you ever heard the phrase or the question “what's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and over again expecting a different result?” Well, it used to be that people would think that voting third party was a wasted vote. Well now, they're realizing voting the same old politicians, the same old duopoly, that's the wasted vote. I have a lot to offer, I'm high energy. I would recommend people go to my website Tanyaforcongress.com, read my platform, read all the issues I care about, do your research, and then “be bold and vote gold.”
