Todd Rokita | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2011 | |
| 44thAttorney General of Indiana | |
| Assumed office January 11, 2021 | |
| Governor | Eric Holcomb Mike Braun |
| Preceded by | Curtis Hill |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Buyer |
| Succeeded by | Jim Baird |
| 59thSecretary of State of Indiana | |
| In office December 1, 2002 – December 1, 2010 | |
| Governor | Frank O'Bannon Joe E. Kernan Mitch Daniels |
| Preceded by | Sue Anne Gilroy |
| Succeeded by | Charlie White |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Theodore Edward Rokita (1970-02-09)February 9, 1970 (age 55) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kathy Rokita |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Brownsburg, Indiana, U.S. |
| Education | Wabash College (BA) Indiana University, Indianapolis (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Theodore Edward Rokita (/roʊˈkiːtə/roh-KEE-tə; born February 9, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 44th and currentAttorney General of Indiana. He served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromIndiana's 4th congressional district from 2011 to 2019. A member of theRepublican Party, he served two terms asSecretary of State of Indiana from 2002 to 2010. When Rokita was elected to office in 2002 at age 32, he became the youngestsecretary of state in theUnited States at the time.
Rokita was a candidate to replaceMike Pence in the2016 Indiana gubernatorial election after Pence withdrew from the race to beDonald Trump's running mate in the2016 U.S. presidential election. He lost toEric Holcomb, Pence's lieutenant governor.[1] Rokita vacated his U.S. House seat and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in2018 losing the Republican primary toMike Braun. In2020, Rokita defeated incumbentCurtis Hill for the Republican nomination forIndiana Attorney General, and won the general election. He was considered a possible candidate forUnited States Senate orGovernor, but ultimately ran for reelection, winning a second term as attorney general in2024.[2]
Rokita grew up inMunster, Indiana and attendedMunster High School.[3] He holds aBachelor of Arts degree fromWabash College inCrawfordsville, Indiana.[4] In 1990, Rokita, then 20, was arrested inBloomington, Indiana, and charged with possession of false ID and illegal consumption. The arrest occurred during a traffic stop for speeding in which Rokita allegedly provided false identification and appeared intoxicated. In 2018, while running for US Senate, Rokita acknowledged he was underage and possessed alcohol, passed a sobriety test, and that the arresting charges of underage consumption and possession of a false ID were dismissed. TheIndyStar reported that it was unclear if the charges were dropped because of his participation in a diversion program or other reasons.[5] He has a J.D. degree fromIUPUIIndiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.[6] 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.[7] In 2000, Rokita served as legal counsel for seven Florida counties during therecount for theGeorge W. Bush presidential campaign.[8]
Rokita was Indiana Secretary of State from 2002 to 2010. Elected in 2002, Todd Rokita became the youngestSecretary of state in the United States at the time.[9] Rokita was active in theNational Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and after serving as the elected treasurer, he became the President for the 2007–2008 term.[10] He was elected by his peers nationally to serve on the nine-member federal executive board of theElection Assistance Commission.[7]
Rokita was a named defendant when Indiana's voter identification case went before theU.S. Supreme Court on January 9, 2008; the combined cases ofCrawford v. Marion County Election Board (07-21) andIndiana Democratic Party v. Rokita (07-25). In April 2008, the Supreme Court upheld Indiana's voter photo ID law.[11] Following the ruling, theNew York Times'sAdam Cohen suggested the court's conservative majority has "become increasingly hostile to voters" by siding with Indiana's voter identification laws which tend to "disenfranchise large numbers of people without driver's licenses, especially poor and minority voters".[12] SenatorAl Franken criticized the ruling for "eroding individual rights."[13]
In September 2009, Rokita outlined a plan called "Rethinking Redistricting" to reform how Indiana's legislative districts are drawn to reducegerrymandering. He proposed making it a felony for lawmakers to use political data or incumbents' addresses when drawing electoral maps. Rokita said boundaries should follow existing county and township lines, and that each of the 50 Senate districts should be divided into two House districts, claiming that would lead to more competitive legislative elections.[14][15]
The reform plan sought to achieve these five objectives:
In April 2007, Rokita was speaking at a Republican event, and encouraged Republicans to reach out toAfrican Americans, mentioning 90 percent of African American voters voteDemocratic, 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?".[16][17] 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.[18] Four days after making those remarks, he apologized.[19] Rokita also met privately with eleven members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus to apologize for the comment. RepresentativeVernon Smith, D-Gary, told reporters, "He apologized to our satisfaction. We do believe he was sincere in his apology."
Rokita was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, where he served as vice-chair of theBudget Committee.[20] Rokita vacated his House seat to run for the Indiana U.S. Senate seat held byDemocratJoe Donnelly, losing the Republican nomination to eventual senatorMike Braun.[21]
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.[22] The Congressman's office issued a statement that he intended no offense by his comments.[23]
In 2020, Rokita challenged incumbentAttorney General of IndianaCurtis Hill for the Republican nomination. Rokita defeated Hill for re-nomination in mail-in voting at the Republican state convention, gaining 52% of the vote on the third round.[24] Rokita's nomination marked a political comeback after his unsuccessful runs for governor in 2016 and U.S. Senate in 2018.[24] In the general election, Rokita faced Democratic nomineeJonathan Weinzapfel, a former mayor of Evansville.[24] Rokita defeated Weinzapfel in the November election, the sixth consecutive election in which Republicans retained control of the AG's office.[25]
Rokita was sworn in as Attorney General in January 2021.[26] In 2021, Rokita faced scrutiny for collecting tens of thousands of dollars in payments for advisory roles from various healthcare and pharmaceutical companies while holding public office.[27][28] In July 2022,Lauren Robel, formerIndiana University provost and law school dean, sent a three-page letter to theIndiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission calling for a disciplinary investigation into Rokita, alleging he made "false or baseless" statements on Fox News concerning an Indiana doctor who performed an abortion for a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim.[29]
Rokita led a letter signed by 20 Republican state attorneys general opposing theFor the People Act, election reform legislation introduced by Democrats in theUnited States House of Representatives.[30][31] In March 2021, Rokita testified in theU.S. Senate Rules Committee in opposition to the legislation, threatening to sue if the bill became law.[32] Rokita asserted voting laws should be based on voters' perceptions, rather than any actual evidence of fraud.[33] Democratic SenatorJon Ossoff, responding to Rokita's statement, said he took exception to the notion "that public concern regarding the integrity of the recent election is born of anything but a deliberate and sustained misinformation campaign led by a vain former president unwilling to accept his own defeat" and that said he found it disturbing that a state attorney general "would indulge in that kind of misinformation and spread those kinds of conspiracies".[33]
Rokita joined other Republican state AGs in suing the Biden administration overan executive order on environmental protection and climate change.[34]
Aftera 10-year-old rape victim received a lawful[35] abortion in Indiana, Rokita toldFox News in July 2022 thatCaitlin Bernard, thegynecologist who performed the abortion, was an "abortion activist acting as a doctor with a history of failing to report" abortions, indicating that Rokita would investigate whether the gynecologist had fulfilled the reporting requirement in this case, and threatening a suspension of her medical license or criminal prosecution if that was not done.[36][37] Indiana government records released through a public records request byFox 59 showed that the gynecologist had filed the report within the required three-day timeframe. Rokita's office responded that they would continue investigating the gynecologist.[38][39]
A lawyer for the gynecologist sent a cease-and-desist letter to Rokita stating "Your false and defamatory statements to Fox News on July 13, 2022, cast [the gynecologist] in a false light and allege misconduct in her profession" and "mislead consumers and patients".[38] In November 2022, the gynecologist sued Rokita in Indiana Commercial Court, alleging that he improperly launched investigations into her based on meritless consumer complaints that were filed by individuals who had not actually interacted with the gynecologist, but made the complaints based on reading about the case of the 10-year old receiving an abortion.[40][41]
On November 30, 2022, Rokita sent a complaint about the gynecologist to the Indiana Medical Licensing Board, asking for sanctions on the gynecologist.[42][43] The complaint alleged that the gynecologist broke privacy laws and theHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act when discussing the case with the media, even though the gynecologist did not reveal the girl's identity.[42][44] The complaint also alleged that the gynecologist did not immediately report the abuse to Indiana authorities.[42][43] The gynecologist testified in court that she had informed her hospital's social work department about the abuse even before the 10-year-old travelled to Indianapolis, and also testified that the hospital's social work department handles the submission of abuse reports to authorities.[44][45]
In December 2022, Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch found that Rokita "clearly violated Indiana law", specifically "the licensing statute's confidentiality provision by discussing the statutorily confidential investigation [against the gynecologist] in statements to the media" in July 2022 and September 2022 before making a complaint to the Medical Licensing Board in November 2022.[46][47][48] The judge elaborated that Rokita's "comments do constituteirreparable harm" in relation to the gynecologist's "concerns about reputational and professional harm".[49] However, the judge rejected the gynecologist's request to stop Rokita from obtaining the medical records of the gynecologist's patients, leading to the gynecologist withdrawing her lawsuit.[47][48]
In September 2023, Rokita sued Bernard's employer, hospital system IU Health, claiming that it had failed to protect the 10-year old's privacy.[50]
The Disciplinary Commission of the Indiana Supreme Court in September 2023 filed professional misconduct charges against Rokita.[51] Two charges pertained to his July 2022 comment to the media that Bernard was an "abortion activist acting as a doctor, with a history of failing to report"; the commission alleged that Rokita's comment had "no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, delay, or burden", and that Rokita's comment was an "extrajudicial statement" that Rokita "should reasonably know" would spread publicly and would have a "substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter."[51][52] The third charge alleged that Rokita violated his "duty of confidentiality" due to public statements made before referring Bernard to the medical board.[52] Rokita responded that the situation was one "that 'cancels' non-compliant citizens through intimidation as well as tactics that can weaponize our respected institutions", and also argued that the duty of confidentiality may only apply to his employees and not him, the attorney general.[51] The Indiana Supreme Court in November 2023 concluded that Rokita had committed "attorney misconduct" with his "abortion activist … with a history of failing to report" public comment, with Rokita admitting to the first two charges above, hence the court publicly reprimanded Rokita and fined him $250.[53] Rokita responded by claiming that he "was not fined", describing his past statement as "factual", and repeated his description of Bernard being an "abortion activist".[53][54]
In May 2021 during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Rokita issued an opinion stating thatIndiana University's implementation of a mandate to show proof of immunization violated state law.[55][56] He also cited thatPurdue University found a procedural loophole by not requiring vaccination status, but to participate in testing.[57][58] In November 2021, Rokita filed a lawsuit against theBiden administration opposing a federal mandate.[59][60] In April 2022, Rokita issued a statement saying that Indiana schools could not be sued for COVID-related damages.[61][62] In November 2022, Rokita asked theIndiana Supreme Court to decide if students can file class-action lawsuits against Indiana's public universities to recover tuition and fees paid for services not rendered due to cancellation of in-person classes during the pandemic.[63]
In December 2022, Rokita filed a lawsuit againstTikTok, claiming that the platform exposes minors to age-inappropriate content and puts users' data at risk.[64]
On February 5, 2024, Rokita launched a website called Eyes on Education, which aims to stop "objectionable curricula, policies, or programs affecting children". It features a submission form where people can report school material that they believe violates Indiana law. School officials responded that they were not informed of the website's existence and that the complaints are not vetted before appearing on the site.[65][66]
Rokitaopposesabortion and has maintained a 100% anti-abortion voting record according to theNational Right to Life Committee.[67] He stated he believes that life begins from the moment of conception "without exception".[68]
In 2013, Rokita stated theAffordable Care Act was "one of the most insidious laws ever created by man".[69]
Rokita opposes direct federal government regulation ofagriculture. As a former representative of a heavy-farming district inIndiana, he supported deregulating agriculture.[70]
Rokita opposes recreational use ofcannabis, citing concern that it is a "gateway drug" to more dangerous narcotics. He expressed willingness to support legalization of some medical uses for cannabis only if the THC is removed.[71]
Rokita is a supporter of industrialhemp, having voted to allow its production. In December 2018, he told a group of local Republicans that legalizing industrial hemp "could help the farming community".[72][71]
Rokita is a supporter of capital punishment. In June 2024, he sought a death warrant for the execution ofJoseph Corcoran. The execution was carried out in December of that year and marked Indiana's first execution since 2009.[73][74]
In 2017, Rokita voted in favor of theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[75]
Rokita supports charter schools, school choice, and reducing the role of theDepartment of Education in setting education policy.[76] In 2015, Rokita and SenatorMarco Rubio introduced the Education Opportunities Act, a bill to expand choice options through the use oftax credits.[77]
As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, he had an active role in crafting theEvery Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorized the 1965Elementary and Secondary Education Act.[78][79] In May, Rokita introduced bipartisan legislation withAlcee Hastings (D-FL) to help students and parents withstudent loan debt. His legislation would allow student loan borrowers to refinance loans and have access to lower market rate loans.[80]
Rokita does not accept thescientific consensus thathuman activity is the driving factor ofclimate change,[81][82] and at a 2013 town-hall event called the idea that climate change was caused by human activity "arrogant".[82][83] Rokita has a 4% lifetime voting rating from theLeague of Conservation Voters, an environmentalist group.[84]
Rokita has stated: "I'm proud of my "A" rating from theNRA" and has said that he will "protect our2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms."[85][86]
Rokita opposes theAffordable Care Act and voted dozens of times to repeal it during his time in Congress.[87][88] While running for Indiana Attorney General in 2020, Rokita pledged to support a lawsuit to have the Affordable Care Act deemed unconstitutional.[89]
In December 2021, Rokita appeared on station WSBT and appeared to suggest he did not trust statistics indicating that COVID-19 had killed Hoosiers, stating, "I don't believe any numbers anymore."[90] Days later, in a series of tweets explaining the WSBT interview response, Rokita, without evidence, cited healthcare workers with financial motivations as the source of the allegedly misleading statistics and for recording deaths from other causes as COVID-19 fatalities. In the same series of tweets, Rokita thanked healthcare workers, stating they were heroes.[91]
In 2017, Rokita introduced the Stopping Lawless Actions of Politicians (SLAP) Act. The legislation would introduce fines and jail time for state and local politicians who implemented sanctuary city policies.[92] The SLAP Act did not receive a vote and thus was not enacted into law.[92]
Rokita supported President Trump's 2017executive order temporarily banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.[93]
Rokita authored the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act. The bill would "make clear that theNational Labor Relations Board has no jurisdiction over businesses owned and operated by an Indian tribe and located on tribal land." It cleared the House as of 2018, but has not been considered in the Senate.[94]
During his time in Congress, Rokita voted in line with PresidentDonald Trump 90.3% of the time.[95] During the Republican primary for the2018 United States Senate election in Indiana, Rokita earned the support of the chair and vice chair of 2016 Trump campaign in Indiana.[96]
In May 2019, the Trump White House announced Trump would nominate Rokita to join theAMTRAK Board of Directors.[97] TheSenate did not act on the nomination, which expired on January 3, 2021, at the end of the116th Congress.[98]
In 2020, after formerVice PresidentJoe Biden won the2020 presidential election and Trump refused to concede while making false claims of fraud, Rokita, as Attorney General-elect, endorsed a petition (Texas v. Pennsylvania) to theUnited States Supreme Court submitted by the Texas Attorney GeneralKen Paxton who sought to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.[99][100] The Supreme Court rejected the petition.[100]
After the2021 storming of the United States Capitol in January 2021, Rokita declined to sign aNational Association of Attorneys General letter condemning the attack. Instead, he issued his own statement with other Republican Attorneys General writing, "we can uphold the critical Constitutional right to freedom of speech as we oppose any attempt to hijack a protest to condemn violence."[101][102][103] Two days later, Rokitatweeted that "I will always be for our President." The next day he issued a statement saying that the tweets were an "experiment in free speech"; criticizing social media companies for "controlling the entire dialogue of a nation"; and said that "I also condemn the Capitol violence in the same way and terms that I have condemnedthe violence last summer."[104] In February 2021, Rokita falsely implied on Twitter that the 2020 presidential election had been "stolen" from Trump.[100][105] The platform initially restricted the distribution of Rokita's message, citing the risk of violence,[100] but later found that the tweets in question did not violate policy.[106]
 | This section of abiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Todd Rokita" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
On June 15, 2002, Rokita won the Republican nomination for Indiana Secretary of State at the state convention overMike Delph, then an aide to U.S. RepresentativeDan Burton, Marion County Coroner John McGoff, and then-Vanderburgh County CommissionerRichard Mourdock.[107] Rokita went on to win the general election with 53.4% of the vote.[108]
Rokita received the Republican nomination again in 2006 and won the general election with 51.1% of the vote in a year when Democrats took five of Indiana's nine congressional seats.[109]
On February 1, 2010, three days after CongressmanSteve Buyer ofIndiana's 4th congressional district said that he would retire at the end of his term, Rokita posted an announcement onFacebook making clear his intentions to run for the open seat. Buyer's announcement touched off a free-for-all among area Republicans to succeed him. Ultimately, 13 candidates entered the Republican primary, including Rokita.[citation needed]
With aCook Partisan Voting Index of R+14, the 4th is one of the most Republican districts in theEastern 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 representative. Rokita won the primary with 42% of the vote and the general election with 68.6% of the vote.[citation needed]
Rokita won the general election in 2012 with 62% of the vote.[110]
Rokita won the Republican nomination in 2014 with 71% of the vote.[111] He won the general election with 67% of the vote over John Dale, a teacher atWestern Boone High School.[112]
Rokita won the Republican nomination in 2016 with 60% of the vote. In the general election, he faced John Dale in a rematch from 2014. Rokita was reelected with 65% of the vote to Dale's 30%. Libertarian Steven M. Mayoras received 5%.[113]
On August 8, 2017, Rokita announced his intention to vacate his house seat, and run for the U.S. Senate in 2018 against Democratic incumbentJoe Donnelly.[114] He lost the Republican primary election toMike Braun, coming in second with 30% of the vote.[115][116]
On July 10, 2020, Rokita defeated incumbentIndiana Attorney GeneralCurtis Hill during the Indiana Republican Party Convention.[117][118][119][120] Rokita went on to win the November general election,[121] securing 58.34% of the vote.
On February 21, 2024, Rokita announced that he would seek reelection to a second term as Indiana Attorney General.[2] Rokita went on to win the November general election, securing 58.83% of the vote.[122]
| Date | Position | Status | Opponent | Result | Vote share | Top-opponent vote share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Secretary of State of Indiana | Open-seat | John Fernandez (D) | Elected | 53.41%[123] | 42.46% |
| 2006 | Secretary of State of Indiana | Incumbent | Joe Pearson (D) | Re-elected | 51.06%[123] | 45.60% |
| 2010 | U.S. Representative | Open-seat | David Sanders (D) | Elected | 68.57%[123] | 26.28% |
| 2012 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | Tara Nelson (D) | Re-elected | 61.96%[123] | 34.16% |
| 2014 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | John Dale (D) | Re-elected | 66.87%[123] | 33.13% |
| 2016 | U.S. Representative | Incumbent | John Dale (D) | Re-elected | 64.60%[123] | 30.47% |
| 2020 | Attorney General of Indiana | Open-seat | Jonathan Weinzapfel (D) | Elected | 58.34%[123] | 41.66% |
| 2024 | Attorney General of Indiana | Incumbent | Destiny Wells (D) | Re-elected | 58.83%[123] | 41.17% |
Rokita is a member of the Director's Circle of the Indiana Council for Economic Education, the state bar association, theKnights of Columbus, and theNational Rifle Association. He 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.[124] He is a member of the Indiana chapter of the International Flying Farmers,[125] and member of the Saint Vincent Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.[126]
Rokita's oldest son, Teddy, suffers fromAngelman syndrome.[127][128] Rokita is a commercial-rated pilot.[129][130][131]
Rokita formerly lived inClermont, an "included town" inIndianapolis under theUnigov system.[132] The 2010 round of redistricting cut out the 4th's share of Indianapolis andMarion County, leaving Rokita's home 500 yards outside the new 4th's eastern border. Members of Congress are required to live only in the state they represent, but it is a strong convention that they live within their district's borders. In 2012 Rokita ran for reelection from his home in Clermont,[133] but he later bought a home nearBrownsburg, a western suburb of Indianapolis within the 4th district.[124]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)a Valentine's Day-themed tweet from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita that implied the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
Rokita published a Valentine's Day-themed tweet on his personal Twitter account implying that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from ex-president Donald Trump...Trump has claimed he won the 2020 election despite offering no proof of widespread voter fraud. Courts in key swing states repeatedly rejected arguments made by Trump's legal team.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forSecretary of State of Indiana 2002,2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forAttorney General of Indiana 2020,2024 | Most recent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Indiana 2002–2010 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 4th congressional district 2011–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Indiana 2021–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative | Succeeded byas Former US Representative |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
