IU grad may run for 9th district

Floyds Knobs, Ind., resident and IU graduate Sam Locke announced Wednesday that he might run for the 9th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012.

“We are exploring the race,” Locke said. “We are going to take the next couple of months to try and get a sense of the lay of the land.”

Locke, a Democrat, has formed the Stand with Sam Exploratory Committee, as required by the Federal Election Commission. He said he will use the summer to speak with supporters and evaluate his personal life to ensure he will be able to run in 2012.

Locke graduated from IU in 2004 with degrees in secondary education and political science. In 2010 he ran unsuccessfully for Indiana State Auditor.

“We sort of got swept up in the Republican landslide that took over the nation in 2010,” he said.

But Locke said he sees his political experience as less important than his personal and professional experience.

“My background is in the Air Force and nonprofit marketing,” he said.

Locke is the manager of relationship and development operations for the Presbyterian Church and served as a personnel and manpower officer in the U.S. Air Force.

If he decides to run, Locke said he thinks he can bring a new maturity to politics, despite being a younger candidate.

In fact, if elected, Locke would be the youngest member of the House of Representatives.

“I think I can offer a brand of politics that’s different from what we’ve seen in recent elections,” he said. “We want to focus on the things that are actually important to the people of southern Indiana.”

Among those, he said the economy, education and national defense are most important.

Republican Rep. Todd Young currently has the 9th District seat. Although the state legislature is still finalizing the new congressional districts, Bloomington is currently in the 9th District and might remain there.

Locke said students will play an important role in the election, particularly in Bloomington, which he said he considers to be one of his homes in the state.

“Students are going to play a critical role in the 2012 election cycle regardless of if I run or not,” he said.