Luke Messer

Luke Messer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Mike Pence
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives from the 57th district
In office January 2003 – January 2007
Preceded by	Roland Stine
Succeeded by	Sean Eberhart
Personal details
Born	(1969-02-27) February 27, 1969 Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Jennifer
Residence	Shelbyville, Indiana
Alma mater	Wabash College Vanderbilt University
Religion	Presbyterianism
Website	House website

Allen Lucas "Luke" Messer (born February 27, 1969) is an American politician, who is a member of the United States House of Representatives of Indiana's 6th congressional district and has serve since 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Born in Evansville, Indiana, Messer is a graduate from Wabash College and Vanderbilt University Law School. After a failed run for the U.S. House in 2000, Messer served as the executive director of the Indiana Republican Party from 2001 to 2005. He was appointed to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives in 2003, after State Representative W. Roland Stine was killed in a car accident. Messer represented Indiana's 57th District from 2003 to 2007. In 2012, Messer defeated Democratic challenger Brad Bookout and was elected to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Early life, education, and law career

Messer graduated from Greensburg Community High School in 1987.^[1]

Messer attended Wabash College where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and majored in speech, he graduated in 1991.^[2] He also attended Vanderbilt University Law School, from which he received a law degree, in 1994.^[3][4] Shortly after Messer graduated from Vanderbilt, he served as an Associate Counsel at Koch Industries from 1995 to 1996.^[5]

Early political career

Messer started his political career serving as the Press Secretary for Tennessee Representative Ed Bryant in 1997. He served as the Legal Counsel on the House Subcommittee for Government Reform for Indiana Representative's David McIntosh and Dan Burton from 1998 to 1999, and the Legal Counsel to U.S. Representative Jim Duncan later in 1999.^[6] In 1998, he served as the campaign manager for Virginia Murphy Blankenbaker's failed congressional campaign.^[7] In 1999, Messer returned to Indiana and was a practicing attorney at the Barnes & Thornburg Law Firm in Indianapolis.^[8]

In 2000, Messer ran for the United States House of Representatives in Indiana's 2nd congressional district, where incumbent David M. McIntosh was retiring to run for governor. Though Messer received the endorsement of The Indianapolis Star,^[9] he lost the election to Mike Pence.

Indiana House of Representatives

On May 23, 2003, Messer was sworn in by the Chief Justice of Indiana Supreme Court Randall Shepard to fill the remainder of the late W. Roland Stine's term.^[1] From 2003-2006, Messer represented District 57 in the Indiana House of Representatives, which contained portions of Shelby County and Bartholomew County.^[10] During the 2005-2006 legislative session, Messer served as the Assistant Majority Floor Leader.^[11] His legislation aimed at curbing high school drop-out rates received national attention after Shelbyville High School became a symbol of a national dropout crisis.^[12] He did not run for reelection as State Representative in 2006, and was succeeded by Sean Eberhart.^[13] Messer joined the law firm Ice Miller LLP as a partner in their Public Affairs group.^[14]

Messer served as the co-chair of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign in Indiana.^[15] In 2010, Messer ran for the House of Representatives in Indiana's 5th congressional district. He challenged Dan Burton, the incumbent representative, in the Republican primary. Burton narrowly defeated Messer in the election.^[16] Messer then became President & CEO of School Choice Indiana, a lobbying group that supported Indiana's private school voucher law.^[17]

United States House of Representatives

Elections

With the announcement of then Representative Mike Pence's intentions to run for Governor of Indiana, in May 2011, Messer declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination to represent the 6th District. His home in Shelbyville had been shifted from the 5th District to the 6th District in redistricting.^[18] On May 8, 2012 Messer defeated the grassroots effort by Columbus real estate investor Travis Hankins, winning with 71% of the vote.^[19] He faced Democrat Brad Bookout, a Delaware County councilman, in the general election.^[20][21] Messer, described as a "Libertarian-Leaning Conservative" by OnTheIssues.Org,^[22] aligned his views with the views of Mike Pence, saying that "If you like Congressman Mike Pence, we’re going to have very similar philosophy in the way we approach the job," he was also described by Bookout as "a clone" of Pence.^[23] On November 6, 2012, Messer defeated Bookout with roughly 59% of the vote.^[24] After the election, Messer was selected by his peers as Freshman Class President for the 113th Congress.^[25]

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
• Committee on Financial Services

Tenure

In 2013 Messer signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.^[26]

Personal life

Messer is married to his wife Jennifer, have two daughters and one son, and they currently reside in Shelbyville, Indiana. Messer is the author of a children’s book called Hoosier Heart.^[27]

Electoral history

2006

2012

References

External links

• Congressman Luke Messer
• Messer for Congress
• Luke Messer at DMOZ
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana 1st district Prince Call Boon Blake Boon Proffit Owen Embree Albertson Lockhart Miller Lockhart Niblack Law Niblack Fuller Heilman Kleiner Hovey Posey Parrett Taylor Hemenway Foster Boehne, Sr. Lieb Denton Luhring W. Wilson Rowbottom Boehne, Jr. Schulte Madden Benjamin Hall Visclosky 2nd district Jennings Carr Ewing J. W. Davis Ewing J. W. Davis Thompson Henley Dunham English Cravens Kerr Wolfe Williams Humphreys Cobb O'Neall Bretz Hardy Miers Chaney Cullop Bland Greenwood Durgan Halleck Landgrebe Fithian Sharp McIntosh Pence Chocola Donnelly Walorski 3rd district Test O. Smith Test Carty Carr Graham Carr J. L. White T. Smith Robinson Dunham Dunn Hughes Dunn Harrington R. Hill Hunter Holman Kerr Carr Bicknell Stockslager Howard Brown Tracewell Zenor Cox Dunbar Gardner Dunbar Crowe Pettengill Grant Crook Crumpacker Nimtz Brademas Hiler Roemer Souder Stutzman 4th district Lane Dunn T. Smith Cravens C. Smith Julian Parker Lane Cumback Foley Holman Farquhar Holman Julian Je. Wilson New Sexton New Holman Watson Holman Griffith Dixon Benham Canfield Farley Gillie Kruse Adair Roush Quayle Coats Long Souder Buyer Rokita 5th district McCarty Rariden Kennedy Brown Wick Brown Hendricks Parker Holloway Kilgore Julian Coburn Holman Browne Matson Cooper Overstreet Faris Holliday Moss Sanders N. Johnson Gillen Griswold Harness Walsh Beamer Roush Roudebush Hillis Jontz Buyer Burton Brooks 6th district Kinnard Herod Wick Wallace J. W. Davis Dunn Gorman Hendricks Barbour Gregg Porter Dumont Coburn Voorhees Hunter Robinson Myers Browne H. Johnson Watson Barnard Gray Comstock Elliott Larrabee Jenckes N. Johnson Harden Wampler Roudebush Bray Evans Burton Pence Messer 7th district Hannegan A. White Howard Lane Wright McGaughey Thompson McGaughey J. G. Davis Scott J. G. Davis Voorhees Washburn Orth Manson Cason Landers Hanna Matyr Peelle English Bynum Henry Overstreet Korbly Moores Updike Ludlow Greenwood Landis Noland Bray Myers Pease Kerns J. Carson A. Carson 8th district Pettit McDonald Mace Ja. Wilson A. White Orth Tyner Hunter Hostetler Peirce Lamb Johnston Brookshire Faris Henry Cromer Adair Vestal Boehne, Jr. La Follette Mitchell Denton Merrill Denton Zion Hayes Cornwell Deckard McCloskey Hostettler Ellsworth Bucshon 9th district Sample Cathcart Fitch Eddy Shanks Cason M. White Orth Doxey Ward Cheadle Waugh Hanly Landis Morrison Purnell Crowe E. Wilson Hogan E. Wilson Hamilton B. Hill Sodrel B. Hill Young 10th district Kennedy Rockhill Harlan Brenton Chamberlain Case Mitchell Edgerton Defrees Williams Sayler Haymond Calkins Motte T. Wood Owen Patton Hammond Hatch Crumpacker Peterson W. Wood Gray Springer Harvey Harmon Harvey Roudebush Dennis Sharp Jacobs, Jr. J. Carson 11th district Harlan Pettit Shanks McDowell Stilwell Shanks Packard Evans Cowgill Steele Martin Steele Landis Rauch Kraus Cook Hall Griswold Larrabee Ludlow Jacobs, Sr. Brownson Barr Bruce Jacobs, Jr. Hudnut Jacobs, Jr. 12th district Hamilton Colerick Lowry J. B. White McClellan McNagny Leighty Robinson Gilbert Gilhams Cline Fairfield Hogg Ludlow 13th district Baker Calkins Shively Ford Shively Conn Royse Brick Barnhart Hickey Pettengill At-large Hendricks Jennings Packard / Orth / Williams Territory Parke Thomas Jennings