Luke Messer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Republican Policy Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Leader | John Boehner Paul Ryan |
| Preceded by | James Lankford |
| Succeeded by | Gary Palmer |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's6th district | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Pence |
| Succeeded by | Greg Pence |
| Member of theIndiana House of Representatives from the 57th district | |
| In office May 21, 2003 – November 21, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Roland Stine |
| Succeeded by | Sean Eberhart |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Allen Lucas Messer (1969-02-27)February 27, 1969 (age 56) Evansville,Indiana, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jennifer Messer |
| Education | Wabash College (BA) Vanderbilt University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Allen Lucas Messer (born February 27, 1969) is an American politician and lobbyist who representedIndiana's 6th congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of theRepublican Party.
Born inEvansville, Indiana, Messer is a graduate ofWabash College andVanderbilt University Law School. After an unsuccessful run for the U.S. House in 2000, Messer served as the first executive director of theIndiana Republican Party from 2001 to 2005. Messer was appointed to serve in theIndiana House of Representatives in 2003, after State RepresentativeW. Roland Stine was killed in a car accident. He represented Indiana's 57th District from 2003 to 2006, when he opted not to run for reelection and instead joined Ice Miller LLP's lobbying division. From 2006 to 2012, Messer was a registered lobbyist. He ran for the U.S. House again in 2010, but was unsuccessful in his primary challenge to RepublicanDan Burton. WhenMike Pence decided in 2012 to run forGovernor of Indiana, Messer was elected to replace him, defeatingDemocratic nominee Brad Bookout.
On July 26, 2017, Messer announced that he would run for the U.S. Senate in2018.[1] He was unsuccessful in the May 8 primary election, losing toMike Braun.
Messer graduated fromGreensburg Community High School in 1987.[2][3] Messer attendedWabash College where he was a member of thePhi Delta Theta fraternity and majored in speech. He graduated in 1991.[4] He received aJuris Doctor fromVanderbilt University Law School in 1994.[5][6] Shortly after graduating from Vanderbilt, he served as an Associate Counsel atKoch Industries from 1995 to 1996.[7]
Messer started his political career in 1997 as the press secretary for Tennessee RepresentativeEd Bryant. He was the legal counsel on theHouse Subcommittee for Government Reform for Indiana RepresentativesDavid McIntosh andDan Burton from 1998 to 1999, and the legal counsel to U.S. RepresentativeJim Duncan later in 1999.[8] In 1998, he was the campaign manager forVirginia Murphy Blankenbaker's unsuccessful congressional campaign.[9] In 1999, Messer returned to Indiana and practiced law at theBarnes & Thornburg law firm inIndianapolis.[10]
In 2000, Messer ran for theUnited States House of Representatives inIndiana's 2nd congressional district, whereincumbentDavid M. McIntosh was retiring to run forgovernor of Indiana in the2000 election. Messer received the endorsement ofThe Indianapolis Star.[11] He received 21 percent of the vote in theRepublican Party'sprimary election, finishing behind conservative talk show hostMike Pence, who won with 44 percent of the vote, andJeff Linder, who received 24 percent of the vote.[12] In 2001, Messer was chosen as the executive director of theIndiana Republican Party.[13]
On May 23, 2003, Messer was selected to succeedW. Roland Stine, who died in a traffic collision, in theIndiana House of Representatives for the 57th district.[14] From 2003 to 2006, Messer represented District 57 in theIndiana House of Representatives, which contained parts ofShelby County andBartholomew County.[15] During the 2005-06 legislative session, Messer was Assistant Majority Floor Leader.[16] His legislation aimed at curbing high school dropout rates received national attention after Shelbyville High School became a symbol of a national dropout crisis.[17] He did not run for reelection as State Representative in 2006, and was succeeded bySean Eberhart.[18]
Messer was a registered lobbyist from 2006 to 2012.[19][20]
In 2006, Messer joined Ice Miller LLP's lobbying division as a partner of their public affairs group.[21][22][23] His decision to join Ice Miller came a month after voting in favor of Indiana leasing the Indiana Toll Road to Cintra-Macquarie, an international consortium, for "75 years at a cost of $3.85 billion." Ice Miller, Indiana's largest law firm, represented Cintra-Macquarie in the deal.[24] Messer said he "did not know they represented anyone in connection with the Toll Road."[23]
Messer served as the Indiana co-chair ofJohn McCain's2008 presidential campaign.[25] In 2010, Messer ran for the House of Representatives inIndiana's 5th congressional district. He challengedDan Burton, the incumbent representative, in theRepublican primary. Burton narrowly defeated Messer.[26] Messer then became president and CEO of School Choice Indiana, a lobbying group that supported Indiana's privateschool voucher law.[27]
Since being elected to Congress in 2012, Ice Miller LLP has been Messer's top source of campaign contributions, having given him $82,238.[28]
In May 2011,Mike Pence announced his intention to run forGovernor of Indiana. Messer subsequently declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the district, which had been renumbered as the 6th District after the 2000 census. His home in Shelbyville had been drawn back into the district after the 2010 census after being drawn into the neighboring 5th after the 2000 census.[29] On May 8, 2012, Messer defeated a crowded field of Republican candidates seeking the party's nomination, includingColumbus real estate investor Travis Hankins, winning with 71% of the vote.[30] He facedDemocrat Brad Bookout, aDelaware County councilman, in the general election.[31][32] On November 6, 2012, Messer defeated Bookout with roughly 59% of the vote.[33] After the election, Messer moved to theWashington metropolitan area.[34]
In November 2014, Messer was elected by his colleagues to Republican House Leadership as theHouse Republican Policy Committee Chairman, succeedingJames Lankford, who had been elected to theUnited States Senate. Messer defeatedTom Reed andRob Woodall.[37]
In 2017, Messer founded the Congressional School Choice caucus to promote the expansion of school voucher programs.[38]
In May 2018, Messer led a group of 18 House Republicans unofficially nominatingPresident Trump for theNobel Peace Prize "for his efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and end the 68-year-old war between North and South Korea".[39]
Messer, like Pence, is an ardent conservative. During his initial run for Congress, Messer toldNPR memberWFIU, "If you like Congressman Mike Pence, we’re going to have very similar philosophy in the way we approach the job."[40]
Messeropposes abortion rights. He opposes the federal government funding organizations that offer abortions, unless the abortions are the result of rape or incest or the woman's life is threatened.[41]
On January 4, 2013, Messer voted for the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which prohibits distribution of federalfamily planning funds to organizations that offer abortions unless the abortion is the result of pregnancy from incest or rape or the woman's life is at risk.[41]
Messer opposessame-sex marriage.[42]
On May 9, 2013, Messer voted for the Full Faith and Credit Act, which prioritized spending if thedebt limit is reached.[43] Messer voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and has stated his support for reforming the tax code to simplify it and reduce tax rates.[44]
Messer supports abalanced budget amendment. He opposes federal stimulus spending and supports limiting federal spending growth to per-capita inflation rate.[43]
In August 2013, Messer worked to pass bipartisan legislation to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling in 2013 and to link student loan interest rates to market rates.[45]
In July 2017, Messer authored legislation to "upend the way American students pay for college."[46] His legislation lays the framework for income share agreements, which have several advantages over traditional student loans.[46] Messer has introduced legislation to require annual debt letters to be sent to student loan borrowers, which is based on an Indiana University program that reduced borrowing at the institution by 10 percent.[47] Messer worked with Sen.Patty Murray to restore Pell Grant eligibility to students who were attending ITT Tech when the institution closed, by convincing the Education Department to restore these benefits using an existing statute.[48]
Messer supports the expansion of school voucher programs.[38]
Messer is in favor of repealing theAffordable Care Act ("Obamacare") and replacing it with "something better".[49]
In May 2017, Messer voted for the House billAmerican Health Care Act of 2017, to partially repeal thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[49]
In July 2017, Messer authored legislation that would prevent undocumented immigrants from claiming the child tax credit.[50][51] President Donald Trump included the same proposal in his 2018 budget request to Congress.[52]
Messer commented on the work of a 2013 bipartisan House working group on immigration reform, saying that a pathway to citizenship and a deal on metrics to measure border security would be the biggest challenges to final passage of immigration reform.[53][54] Messer told Indiana's Biz Voice Magazine, "Those who came here unlawfully will have to pay penalties and back fees."[55][56][53]
Messer supported PresidentDonald Trump's 2017executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, describing it as a measure to "protect Americans from terrorist threats" and saying that "President Trump is right to prioritize American safety."[57]
Messer supported a GI Bill reform package passed by the House on June 25, 2017[58] and signed into law by President Trump,[59] which included a provision he authored that would retroactively restore education benefits to veterans attending schools that close mid-semester, like ITT Technical Institute.[60][61]
In February 2013, Messer voted in favor of reauthorizing theViolence Against Women Act.[42]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Pence | 21,582 | 44.48 | |
| Republican | Jeffery M. Linder | 11,615 | 23.94 | |
| Republican | Luke Messer | 10,075 | 20.76 | |
| Republican | Brad D. Steele | 2,819 | 5.81 | |
| Republican | David M. (Mike) Campbell | 1,913 | 3.94 | |
| Republican | Cliff Federle | 513 | 1.06 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Luke Messer | 16,004 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 16,004 | 100 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Burton (incumbent) | 32,649 | 30 | |
| Republican | Luke Messer | 30,386 | 28 | |
| Republican | John McGoff | 20,645 | 19 | |
| Republican | Michael B. Murphy | 9,761 | 9 | |
| Republican | Brose McVey | 9,355 | 8 | |
| Republican | Andy Lyons | 3,948 | 4 | |
| Republican | Ann Adcook | 3,344 | 3 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Luke Messer | 162,613 | 59 | |
| Democratic | Brad Bookout | 96,678 | 35 | |
| Libertarian | Rex Bell | 15,962 | 6 | |
| Total votes | 275,253 | 100 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Luke Messer* | 102,187 | 65.90 | |
| Democratic | Susan Hall Heitzman | 45,509 | 29.35 | |
| Libertarian | Eric Miller | 7,375 | 4.76 | |
| Total votes | 155,071 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | 32 | |||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Luke Messer* | 204,920 | 69.14 | |
| Democratic | Barry A. Welsh | 79,135 | 26.70 | |
| Libertarian | Rich Turvey | 12,330 | 4.16 | |
| Total votes | 296,385 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | 59 | |||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Braun | 208,104 | 41.2 | |
| Republican | Todd Rokita | 151,675 | 30.0 | |
| Republican | Luke Messer | 145,772 | 28.8 | |
| Total votes | 100 | |||
Messer and his wife Jennifer have two daughters and one son. Luke and Jennifer Messer are the authors of a children's book,Hoosier Heart.[63]
Messer was cited fordriving under the influence (DUI) in 1990 and 1996.[64]
Following Messer's election to Congress, he sold his house inShelbyville, Indiana and moved toMcLean, Virginia, aWashington, D.C. suburb.[34] He is now listed as a registered voter at his mother's address inGreensburg, Indiana.[65] Messer has clarified that he owns the home with his mother and lives there when he is in the state.[66] He faced criticism from his opponents in the 2018 Republican primary election for theUnited States Senate for moving his family to the Washington, D.C. area.[67][68][69]
Fishers, an Indianapolis suburb, has paid Jennifer Messer $580,000 since 2015 in legal consulting she primarily does from the family's Washington, D.C. area home.[70] She is paid $20,000 a month as a part-time contract attorney for the city.[71] Jennifer Messer began the work for the City of Fishers two years before her husband was elected to Congress.[70] Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said the arrangement helped usher in an era of "unprecedented" economic success in the growing suburb of about 85,000 people.[70] Messer has defended his wife's work, calling her "the brains of the Messer outfit", and Jennifer defended her work in an op-ed forThe Indianapolis Star, calling anAssociated Press story about her "unfair, intellectually dishonest and straight-up sexist".[72][73]
Messer is aPresbyterian.[74]
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 6th congressional district 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Republican Policy Committee 2015–2019 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
