Todd Rokita

Todd Rokita
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Steve Buyer
Secretary of State of Indiana
In office December 1, 2002 – December 1, 2010
Governor	Frank O'Bannon Joe Kernan Mitch Daniels
Preceded by	Sue Gilroy
Succeeded by	Charlie White
Personal details
Born	Theodore Edward Rokita (1970-02-09) February 9, 1970 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Kathy Rokita
Children	2
Alma mater	Wabash College (BA) Indiana University, Indianapolis (JD)
Website	House website

Theodore Edward "Todd" Rokita (born February 9, 1970) is an American politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana's 4th congressional district since 2011. Rokita, a member of the Republican Party, previously served two terms as Secretary of State of Indiana from 2002 to 2010. When Rokita was elected to office in 2002 at the age of 32, he became at the time the youngest secretary of state in the United States.

He was a candidate to replace Mike Pence in the 2016 Indiana gubernatorial election after Pence withdrew from the race to be Donald Trump's running mate in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. However, Indiana Republicans went on to select Eric Holcomb, Indiana's current Lieutenant Governor and Pence's second in command during his administration.^[1]

Early life, education and career

Rokita grew up in Munster, located in Lake County in Northwest Indiana. Rokita attended Munster High School.^[2] He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he was an Eli Lilly Fellow. He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.^[3] He has a law degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.^[4]

Rokita was a practicing attorney. In 1997 he joined the secretary of state's office as general counsel. He later became deputy secretary of state.^[5]

Indiana Secretary of State

Rokita was elected by his peers nationally to serve on the nine-member federal executive board of the Election Assistance Commission.^[5] The commission is charged by law to address election reform issues on a nationwide basis. Rokita has testified about Indiana's voting reform efforts before the United States Congress.

As secretary of state, Rokita visited each of Indiana's ninety-two counties at least once per year. Rokita was named as one of the "40 under 40" by the Indianapolis Business Journal. Rokita was active in the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and after serving as the elected treasurer, he became the President for the 2007–2008 term.^[6]

Rokita was a named defendant in the Hoosier State's voter identification case went before the U.S. Supreme Court on January 9, 2008; the combined cases of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (07-21) and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita (07-25) involved the Indiana voting requirement laws that require voters display state-issued photo IDs before voting. In April 2008, the US Supreme Court upheld that law. Rokita also served as Indiana's chief securities fraud investigator.

In September 2009, Rokita outlined a plan to reform how Indiana's legislative districts are drawn to reduce gerrymandering. He proposed making it a felony for lawmakers to use political data or incumbents' addresses when drawing electoral maps. Indiana's congressional districts and districts for the Indiana Senate and Indiana House of Representatives will next be redrawn after the 2010 Census. Rokita says boundaries should follow existing county and township lines, and that each of the 50 senate districts should be divided into two house districts, claiming this will lead to more competitive legislative elections.^[7]

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Rokita previously served on the Committee on House Administration.^[8][9]

Controversies

On Aug. 4, 2014, on an Indianapolis radio program, while discussing the 2014 American immigration crisis, Rokita expressed concerns about the ability of border patrol agents to properly process and screen individuals entering the country illegally. He stated that “from a public-health standpoint” that we “need to know the condition of these kids” while citing the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa as a news event that shows how rapidly diseases can spread. In response to reports stating that Rokita believed that illegal immigrants could be carrying Ebola, he clarified that “the sudden spread of Ebola in Africa is merely one example of how we must take deliberate care to prevent an outbreak of any type of disease inside our borders.”^[10] Rokita also cited news reports indicating that nationals from 75 different countries had been apprehended between 2010 and 2014 illegally crossing the Mexico–United States border.^[11]

In October 2013 during the American government shutdown, Rokita was interviewed by CNN journalist Carol Costello. Her pointed questions about Rokita's defense of the shutdown that furloughed hundreds of thousands of government employees without compensation while he continued to receive his paycheck, were eventually countered with his statement that she was "beautiful but you have to be honest" and that journalists were part of the problem.^[12] The Congressman's office issued a statement that he intended no offense by his comments.

In April 2007, Rokita was speaking at a Republican event, and encouraged Republicans to reach out to African-Americans. He mentioned 90 percent of African Americans vote Democratic, after which he asked, "How can that be? Ninety to ten. Who's the master and who's the slave in that relationship? How can that be healthy?"^[13][14] Four days after making those remarks, he apologized.^[15] Rokita also met privately with eleven members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus to apologize for the comment. Representative Vernon Smith, D-Gary, told reporters, “He apologized to our satisfaction. We do believe he was sincere in his apology," Smith said. "I think there are greater issues – education, health, economics for the black community – that are more important than us spending all this time on a slip of the lip. I do believe that we all make mistakes (and) that if we expect to be forgiven, we need to forgive." During the course of the same private meeting Rokita was told his office should reflect the diversity of the state, at the time of his remarks 89% of the employees in Rokita's office were white.^[16]

Political campaigns

2002

On June 15, 2002, Rokita won the Republican nomination for Indiana Secretary of State in the third round of voting at the state convention. He won the nomination over Mike Delph, then an aide to U.S. Representative Dan Burton, Marion County Coroner John McGodd, and then-Vanderburgh County Commissioner Richard Mourdock.^[17]

Rokita went on to win the general election with 53.4% of the vote.^[18]

2006

He received the Republican nomination again in 2006 and won the general election with 51.1% of the vote in a year when Democrats took 5 of Indiana’s 9 Congressional Seats.^[19]

2010

On February 1, 2010, three days after Congressman Steve Buyer of Indiana's 4th congressional district said that he would retire at the end of his term, Rokita posted an announcement on Facebook making clear his intentions to run for the open seat.^[20]

Buyer's announcement touched off a free-for-all among area Republicans to succeed him. Ultimately, thirteen candidates entered the Republican primary, including Rokita. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+14, the 4th is one of the most Republican districts in the Eastern Time Zone and tied for the second-most Republican in the state (behind the 5th District). It was taken for granted that whoever won the primary would be heavily favored to be the district's next congressman.

Rokita won the primary with 42 percent of the vote, and went on to win the general election with 68.6% of the vote.

2012

Rokita won the general election in 2012 with 62% of the vote.^[21]

2014

Rokita won the Republican nomination in 2014 with 71% of the vote.^[22] He won the general election with 67% of the vote over John Dale, a teacher at Western Boone High School.^[23]

2016

Rokita won the Republican nomination in 2016 with 60% of the vote. He faces John Dale again in the general election.

Tenure

Agriculture

Rokita is against federal government regulation over farming. A representative of a heavy-farming district in Indiana, Rokita has voted in favor of deregulating farmer restrictions, earning him an "A" rating from the American Farm Bureau Federation.^[24] He co-sponsored the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act – passing the House in March 2011 – in order to prevent the "significant burden on small businesses for little obvious environmental benefit." Rokita also co-sponsored the Preserving America's Family Farms Act – which passed the House in July 2012 – citing Indiana's dependence on youth work on family farms.^[25]

Education

Rokita has been a supporter of charter schools and reducing the role of the Department of Education in setting education policy.^[26] As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, he had an active role in crafting the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorized the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act.^[27][28]

Gun Control

Rokita is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, saying "I’m proud of my 'A' rating from the NRA. If we are going to keep up our traditions and pass them on to our children, we need leaders in Congress who understand, and will fight every day, to protect our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms."^[25][29] Rokita voted in favor of a bill "Requiring State Reciprocity for Carrying Concealed Firearms" in November 2011.^[30]

Health Care

Rokita opposes any Health Care regulation that increases the national debt, earning a "B" rating by the National Taxpayers Union 2011 Positions on Tax and Spending.^[31] He opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and was the key vote to repeal the health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.^[32] His healthcare voting record has given him an extremely low approval ratings from care-related interest groups such as the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and the American Nurses Association.^[33]

Taxes

In 2010 Rokita signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.^[34]

Legislation

On April 2, 2014, Rokita introduced the Strengthening Education through Research Act (H.R. 4366; 113th Congress).^[35] The bill would amend and reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and would authorize the appropriation of $615 million for fiscal year 2015 and $3.8 billion over the 2015–2019 period to support federal educational research, statistical analysis, and other activities.^[36]

Personal life

Rokita is a member of the Director's Circle of the Indiana Council for Economic Education, the state bar association, the Knights of Columbus, and the National Rifle Association. Rokita has also served as Chair of NASS's New Millennium Young Voters Summit of 2004, chair of the standing Voter Participation Committee and vice chair of the Securities Regulation Committee.^[37]

Rokita formerly lived in Clermont, an "included town" in Indianapolis under the Unigov system.^[38] However, the 2010 round of redistricting cut out the 4th's share of Indianapolis and Marion County, leaving Rokita's home just 500 yards from the new 4th's eastern border. Members of Congress are only required to live in the state they represent, though it is a strong convention that they live within their district's borders. Rokita ran for reelection in 2012 from his home in Clermont,^[39] but later bought a home near Brownsburg, a western suburb of Indianapolis that is within the 4th.^[37]

Rokita's oldest son, Teddy, suffers from Angelman syndrome. Rokita and his wife, Kathy, have been active in promoting awareness on the syndrome.^[40] They participate in and organize charity walks related to Angelman. He has cited his son's ailment in policy speeches.^[41]

A commercial-rated pilot, Rokita volunteers his time by flying people in need of non-emergency medical care to hospitals and clinics throughout the Midwest for treatment with organizations that include Veterans Airlift Command and Angel Flight. ^[42][43][44] He is a member of the Indiana chapter of the International Flying Farmers.^[45]

References

External links

• Congressman Todd Rokita official U.S. House site
• Todd Rokita for Congress
• Todd Rokita 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 Banks (elect)
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 Hollingsworth (elect)
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