For The Tribune
A state senator who lives in Greenwood said he is planning a run for Congress.
Republican Brent Waltz, who represents areas of White River Township and southern Marion County, plans to run for the 9th Congressional District seat next year.
He joins Salem Republican Erin Houchin, also a state senator, who announced her candidacy Wednesday for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Todd Young. Young, a Republican, does not plan to run for re-election next year because he plans to seek office as a U.S. senator. U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, a Republican, is not seeking re-election.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Houchin said Thursday she decided to run because she didn’t think the country could afford to wait for conservative leadership.
“We have been on the wrong path for the past years,” she said. “We have to fight back against that liberal agenda.”
Houchin has served one year in the General Assembly after defeating longtime Democratic Sen. Richard Young in the 2014 election. She is a former regional director to Coats and previously was a state child welfare case manager.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller also formed an exploratory committee to consider a run. Waltz said he has announced his plans to run but has not yet formed a committee, though he plans to.
Waltz said he will not seek a fourth term in the state Senate, instead focusing on his bid for Congress.
Waltz grew up in Johnson County, served on the county council and has represented parts of the county in the state Senate since 2004.
Voters will cast ballots in races for Congress, president, governor and other state and county offices next year.
The 9th Congressional District represents much of southern Indiana, from Greenwood to the Ohio River. But Johnson County has the largest population of any of the counties included in that district, Waltz said.
Waltz said he believes he is a strong candidate because he would continue to talk to constituents and local residents to know how to best represent them at the federal level.
“Hardly a day goes by where I’m not talking to constituents,” he said. “It should be just as easy to call a congressman as it is to complain about snow removal.”
He said he decided to run for office after getting experience working with the federal government as a state senator and seeing what needs to be changed. His top priorities are to strengthen the country’s immigration policies and to control federal spending.
Waltz said he is not anti-immigration but is against illegal immigration, and he believes the country’s borders need to be better controlled for multiple reasons, including national security.
During his time at the Statehouse, he has been most proud of bringing education about financial literacy into schools, making sure infants’ blood oxygen levels are monitored in hospitals to look for heart defects and being a co-author of legislation that put caps on how much people pay in property taxes, he said.
He also was involved in legislation that prohibited Interstate 69 from running through Perry Township in Marion County.
“I will continue to represent local interests and listen to people,” Waltz said. “That is the single most important thing one can do.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”The Waltz file” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Brent Waltz
Age: 41
Residence: Greenwood
Education: Graduated from Wabash College
Work: Founded an investment banking firm, The Baron Group, Inc., which specializes in venture capital and acquisitions of manufacturing and transportation companies.
Party: Republican
Office: Currently serves as an Indiana state senator, representing parts of Johnson and Marion counties
Past political experience: Johnson County Council
[sc:pullout-text-end]