The Republican party’s sweeping election wins earlier this month have swept Indiana Representative Luke Messer ’91 into a key leadership position within the House GOP.
Messer was elected head of the GOP Policy Committee, the fifth-ranking leadership position in the conservative caucus, following his re-election by Indiana’s sixth district on Nov. 4. The committee serves as an advisory panel to help House Republicans develop policy solutions.
“It will give our area a bigger voice in the national debate,” Messer told reporters following the announcement via the Indianapolis Star. “We need a positive agenda, so we’re not defined by just what we oppose.”
Messer will assume this new post when the 114th Congress convenes on Jan. 6.
His ascension to the GOP leadership continues a whirlwind of activity for Messer, who was first elected to Congress in 2012. Since moving to Washington, D.C., he was elected Freshman Class President by his peers in 2012, and currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Messer previously served on the House Budget and Foreign Affairs Committees.
Messer’s efforts in and around the Capitol have won him plenty of fans, as Messer was described as “probably the best listener I have met here in Congress” by Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, as reported by the Star.
While at Wabash, Messer majored in speech and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He was also a letterman on the Little Giant football team. Following graduation, he earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University, where he also served on the Law Review.
Messer is a member of the Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse initiative’s Advisory Committee.
No matter the post, Messer hasn’t lost sight of the responsibility of representing the American public, and specifically, the people in his 19-county district in Indiana.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to be here,” Messer said on C-SPAN. “On election night just a few days ago, the American people spoke loudly. They’ve given our party an opportunity and they expect us to deliver.”
