The Indiana Republican Party selected its nominee Saturday to compete for the seat of Jackie Walorski after the Republican lawmaker was killed in a car crash earlier this month.
Following a daylong caucus, over 500 precinct committee members chose Rudy Yakym as the Republican nominee for a special election to complete the remainder of Walorski's term that ends on Jan. 3, 2023. Yakym will also compete in a general election for a full congressional term. Both races will be held on Nov. 8.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MOURN AT REP. JACKIE WALORSKI'S FUNERAL
Yakym emerged from a field of 12 candidates to secure a majority of the vote to determine him the nominee for both elections. The caucus at Grissom Middle School in Mishawaka began with each contender speaking for up to three minutes, along with a two-minute introduction from a person of each candidate's choosing.
The Republican nominee will face Democratic candidate Paul Steury in the general election, and Democrats will hold their own caucus on Tuesday to determine their choice for the special election.
Yakym was Walorski's campaign finance director Rudy Yakym, and was also endorsed by her widower Dean Swihart. One of the defeated candidates was former state Attorney General Curtis Hill. Hill lost his 2020 campaign for attorney general of Indiana after he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018 and lost his law license for 30 days because of these accusations in 2020. Hill denied the claims.
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Walorski's sudden death shocked northern Indiana and Capitol Hill. At her funeral last week, attended by dozens of House members, she was remembered as a passionate lawmaker who valued her faith above all else. Walorski, 58, died along with two staffers, District Director Zachery Potts, 27, and Communications Director Emma Thomson, 28, when their car hit another head-on while traveling in the district.
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Tags: Indiana Primary, Republican Party, House Republicans, special election, Indiana, Campaign
Original Author: Virginia Aabram
Original Location: Indiana GOP chooses nominee for late Rep. Jackie Walorski's seat