At the beginning of this month, Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) lost her life in a car accident along with one of her staffers, a local GOP party chair, and the driver of the other vehicle.
In the days after her death, the Indiana Republican Party didn’t have a clear path for choosing her successor on November’s ballot, partially because state law calls for the district party chair to name a successor, and he was one of the victims of the crash.
Ultimately, the party decided to hold the special election to finish out Walorski’s term in November alongside the election for the next Congress. And the Indiana GOP has chosen who will appear on the ballot for both contests.
The Indiana GOP chose 38-year-old business executive Rudy Yakym to replace Walorski on both ballots at a caucus on Saturday. Though the party had initially decided to hold separate votes for the special election and the general election, representatives decided to choose Yakym for both.
WRTV reports that “Yakym received the most votes Saturday from Republican precinct committee members for their party’s nomination in northern Indiana’s solidly GOP 2nd Congressional District. He won the general election ballot vacancy through the balloting process and the special election ballot vacancy via acclamation,” according to Indiana Republican Party spokesman Luke Thomas.
“Let me start by saying we’re incredibly grateful for the delegates who supported us. This is a responsibility that we take seriously and we’re grateful to have the opportunity,” Yakym said after the vote.
Related: Indiana Republicans Have a Complicated Task in Finding a Successor for Walorski
Yakym had worked for Walorski’s campaign and was a friend of the late congresswoman and her husband, Dean Swihart, who endorsed Yakym:
I am confident that Jackie would want to weigh in on her successor to ensure that our voices continue to be represented in Congress. After deep reflection and deliberation, today I am supporting Rudy Yakym to represent the 2nd District of Indiana in Congress. Rudy has spent years working in public service alongside my beloved wife and will fight for our district to protect our faith, families and communities. Rudy is a political outsider who has what it takes to stand up to the Pelosi-Biden agenda. He will fight to do the right thing, just as Jackie did every day of her career. I encourage the precinct committeemen to support Rudy in this week’s caucus.
“To have him stand up, endorse us, then make the introduction today, it’s really meaningful for me, personally. It’s a responsibility,” said Yakym of Swihart’s endorsement.
Yakym, who is a husband, father of three, and a church deacon, wasted little time in getting his campaign website up and running. The website is framing his campaign as an extension of Walorski’s legacy.
“Rudy is a friend of the Walorski family and served as Congresswoman Jackie Walorski’s Finance Director in 2012. He has since served as an advisor to each of her campaigns. Rudy knows that our region, state and country are better thanks to the commitment of Jackie. Having spent years working at her side advancing conservative causes and fighting for the 2nd District, Rudy is ready to continue the work she began.”
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