Earlier this week, Congressmen Greg Pence (R-IN 6th District) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN 8th District) both announced they are not running for re-election this year.
Meanwhile, Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN 3rd District) is running for U.S. Senate and is leaving his House seat to seek the seat that Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) is leaving behind to run for Governor of Indiana. Banks cannot run for both offices in the same election year per Indiana law.
In addition, Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-IN 5th District) announced in February 2023 that she isn’t running for re-election either. However, Spartz said in December that she may reconsider.
“Immediately, there is a lot of work for Indiana Farm Bureau, our members, and those in our rural communities to get out there and start having the conversations today to see who’s going to run and who’s going to fill those seats,” says Andy Tauer, Executive Director of Public Policy with Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB).
Tauer spoke with Hoosier Ag Today on Tuesday afternoon not long after Pence had announced that he wasn’t seeking reelection. Bucshon had made a similar announcement on Monday.
With the likelihood of at least four new people may be representing Indiana in the U.S. House next year, Tauer says it’s important that those who want to serve in Washington all have the best interests in mind for Indiana’s farmers, ag businesses, and rural communities.
“At this time, we’re going to roll up our sleeves in pretty short order to figure out who’s going to go put their name in and try to go out and represent Indiana in those districts,” says Tauer. “I’m confident that we’ll be able to work as an ag unit—not only just Indiana Farm Bureau, but across the barnyard—to find those right people who can represent Indiana’s rural communities and Indiana’s agriculture interests in Washington.”
Tauer points to Representatives Rudy Yakim (R-IN 2nd District) and Erin Houchin (R-IN 9th District) as two recent newcomers to the U.S. House who welcomed policy discussions with Indiana Farm Bureau members and quickly developed a positive working relationship with the organization and its leaders.
“Congresswoman Houchin and Congressman Yakim, as they’ve stepped in this first Congress in Washington, D.C., they’ve been great to work with. Their teams have been very responsive, and we’ll continue to build those relationships. I think that’s one of the great things about Indiana Farm Bureau and our members and what makes us so unique is our ability to adapt and change because, as we all know, this political landscape is ever-changing,” says Tauer.
With a total of 38 House members so far who have announced that they are not running for re-election, it is possible that the balance of power may swing back to Democrats in 2025 given the razor-thin majority that the GOP currently holds in the House.
Indiana’s primary election day is May 7, 2024.
