Rokita bids for 4th district House seat

Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita has announced he will run for the House of Representatives in the soon-to-be vacant 4th Congressional District.

“For us, it became clear that the best way we can work on reducing the national debt and generating good jobs, strengthening our national and homeland security, and nurturing an environment based on conservative family values, is to ask the people of the 4th Congressional District for the opportunity to serve them in Congress,” the Indiana republican said in a Facebook statement.

Rokita will see competition in the May 4 Republican primary from State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Wheatfield who also announced he will run for the seat.

The current district representative, republican Steve Buyer, said Friday he will not run for re-election because his wife has been diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease.
Buyer won the congressional seat in 1992 and has been in that position since.

Purdue professor David Sanders is currently the only Democrat who plans to run for the seat.

Sanders lost previous 4th District elections to Buyer in 2004 and 2006.

The 4th district runs from Bedford through the west side of Monroe County and ends just north of Lafayette.