This May, Republican voters in the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District will choose between an established incumbent aiming to continue the work he’s started, and a challenger who feels he best represents the modern GOP.
Greg Pence has held the 6th District seat since he was first elected in 2018. Through his service on important Congressional subcommittees focused on energy and consumer protections, Pence wants to carry on the progress he’s helped make at this crucial point in the country’s history.
His opponent, James Dean Alspach, says his perspective and values more closely align with the modern Republican party.
Indiana’s 6th Congressional District was recently redrawn following the 2020 Census, and will include the entirety of Johnson County this election. Previously, Johnson County was part of the 9th District, currently represented by Trey Hollingsworth.
In addition to Johnson County, the 6th District includes much of eastern Central Indiana, including Columbus, Rushville, New Castle and parts of Indianapolis.
The winner of the Republican primary between Pence and Alspach will go on to face the Democratic candidate — either Cynthia Wirth or George Thomas Holland — in November.
‘Duty to the interests’
Alspach is making his first run for the 6th District, after running for the House of Representatives in the 9th District Republican primary in 2018.
A self-employed contractor from Morgantown, he felt compelled by his faith to run for office. He has been fascinated by politics from a young age, and made serving in Congress a goal from the time he was a child, he said.
His views align closely with those of former President Donald Trump, and Alspach would work to carry on a number of the programs and initiatives Trump supported.
The hope is to appeal to people who back the same agenda, he said.
“I’m just trying to play on the sentiments of voters who have recently come into the voting marketplace, solely because of Trump,” he said.
Alspach’s main focus is preserving the integrity of elections. He pointed to issues that have arisen in the legitimacy of ballots and discrepancies in recent elections, and would work to ensure the veracity of the system, he said.
“We need to have some serious discussions about our voting system,” he said. “The potential does exist for wrongdoing, and this has been a recurring problem.”
Alspach would also tackle the economic issues facing the 6th District. The areas included in the district has seen impressive economic development with the potential for more, and he’d like to see those grow, he said.
He pointed to the southeastern portion of the 6th District, near Cincinnati, which needs to harness the economic potential present in that area.
With a background in agriculture, Alspach also would work to support the farming community in the district.
Overall, his time in office would be dedicated to those under-represented people in the district, he said.
“In any democracy, you have a duty to the interests of the minority as well as to the majority. I think that my background makes me uniquely capable to address issues of importance to women, to working people, to the handicapped and to minorities,” he said.
‘Let’s go get them’
Pence, a Columbus resident, is seeking his third term representing the district.
Though he served on the committees for transportation and infrastructure, as well as the committee on foreign affairs during his first term, he pointed to his work on the House energy and consumer protection committee as motivating him to seek reelection.
In particular, his time on the Subcommittee on Energy has illustrated the work that needs to be done to improve the country’s energy infrastructure. Pence, who has worked with a number of petroleum companies focused on distribution, says his input has been and can continue to be of particular value. In particular, he wants to be sure the move toward electric vehicles is done properly.
“One of the things I want to continue to bring to the table in the energy sector is how you distribute energy, period,” he said. “There are a whole bunch of things as we move to an all-of-the-above solution for the climate change issues and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. We’ve got to do it very prudently and practically.”
Pence also emphasized the continued importance of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and the work done by those industries in the United States to become less environmentally harmful.
“We have the cleanest fossil fuel in the entire world. In a lot of international agreements, a lot of countries aren’t required to do anything,” he said.
Through his work in consumer protections, Pence wants to focus on the technology sector and the big business of people’s data. The electronics, applications, social media and other technology that people use on a daily basis collects troves of data from users, and that data is sold without people’s knowledge.
“There are some issues that we need to address. A lot of people talk about how they shut down free speech on there. My focus is, why aren’t I getting paid for all of that information that you’re gathering off me and selling,” he said.
If elected, Pence would work to keep bringing employment opportunities to the 6th District, including Johnson County. He pointed to the economic growth the county has experienced in the past decade. He wants to continue facilitating that expansion.
“What faces the Indiana 6th District is opportunities, so let’s go get them,” he said.
