Luke Messer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luke Messer
Chair of the House 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 the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Mike Pence
Succeeded by	Greg Pence
Member of the Indiana 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.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jennifer Messer
Education	Wabash College (BA) Vanderbilt University (JD)
Signature

Luke Messer (born February 27, 1969) is an American politician. He was a member of the Republican Party. From 2013 to 2019, he represented Indiana's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

Luke Messer was born in Evansville, Indiana. He went to Wabash College and Vanderbilt University Law School. Early in his career, he worked for the Indiana Republican Party. He also served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2003 to 2006. Later, he worked as a lobbyist. In 2012, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He took over the seat from Mike Pence, who decided to run for Governor of Indiana. In 2017, Messer ran for the U.S. Senate but did not win the primary election.

Luke Messer's Early Life and Career

Luke Messer finished high school in 1987. He then attended Wabash College, where he studied speech and joined a fraternity. He graduated in 1991. In 1994, he earned a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. After law school, he worked as a lawyer for a company called Koch Industries.

Messer started his political career in 1997. He worked as a press secretary for a representative from Tennessee. He also served as a legal advisor for different committees and representatives in the U.S. House. In 1999, he moved back to Indiana and worked at a law firm.

In 2000, Messer ran for the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time. He did not win that election. In 2001, he became the executive director of the Indiana Republican Party. This role involved leading the party's operations in Indiana.

Serving in the Indiana House of Representatives

In 2003, Luke Messer was chosen to represent the 57th district in the Indiana House of Representatives. This happened after the previous representative, W. Roland Stine, passed away. Messer served in this role from 2003 to 2006. The 57th district included parts of Shelby County and Bartholomew County.

During his time in the Indiana House, Messer worked on laws to help reduce high school dropout rates. He was also an Assistant Majority Floor Leader. This meant he helped guide the legislative process for his party. He decided not to run for re-election in 2006.

Lobbying Work

From 2006 to 2012, Luke Messer worked as a registered lobbyist. A lobbyist tries to influence lawmakers on behalf of a group or company.

In 2006, Messer joined a lobbying group at Ice Miller LLP. This was a large law firm in Indiana. He also helped with John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008. In 2010, Messer ran for the U.S. House again but did not win the primary election. After that, he became the head of School Choice Indiana. This group supported laws that give families money (vouchers) to send their children to private schools.

United States House of Representatives

Becoming a U.S. Representative

In 2011, Mike Pence announced he would run for Governor of Indiana. Luke Messer then decided to run for Pence's seat in the U.S. House. This district was now called the 6th District. In May 2012, Messer won the Republican nomination with 71% of the vote. He then ran against Brad Bookout, a Democrat, in the general election.

On November 6, 2012, Luke Messer won the election with about 59% of the votes. After winning, he moved to the Washington metropolitan area to be closer to Congress.

Key Roles in Congress

As a U.S. Representative, Luke Messer had several important roles:

• House Republican Policy Committee: He was the chairman of this committee. This meant he helped shape the Republican Party's ideas and plans for new laws.
• Committee on Education and the Workforce: He was part of this committee, which deals with laws about schools, colleges, and jobs.
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training: He focused on issues related to higher education and job training.
• Committee on Financial Services: He also served on this committee, which handles laws about banks, money, and the economy.

In 2014, his fellow Republican representatives chose him to be the House Republican Policy Committee Chairman. In 2017, Messer started the Congressional School Choice caucus. This group works to expand programs that help families choose different schools for their children, like school vouchers. In 2018, Messer led a group of representatives who suggested Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. This was for his efforts to help bring peace between North and South Korea.

Luke Messer's Political Views

Luke Messer is known for his conservative views. He often said his ideas were similar to those of Mike Pence.

Economic Ideas

Messer supported laws that would prioritize government spending if the country reached its debt limit. He also voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This law aimed to simplify the tax system and lower tax rates. He supports a balanced budget amendment, which would require the government to spend only what it takes in. He also believes in limiting how much federal spending grows.

Education Ideas

In 2013, Messer helped pass a law to prevent student loan interest rates from getting too high. He also worked on linking student loan rates to market rates. In 2017, he wrote a law to change how students pay for college. This law looked at "income share agreements," which are different from traditional student loans. He also introduced a law to make colleges send annual debt letters to students. This idea came from a program that helped students borrow less money. Messer also helped students who were attending ITT Tech when the school closed. He worked to restore their financial aid benefits. He strongly supports expanding school voucher programs.

Healthcare Ideas

Messer believes in getting rid of the Affordable Care Act (often called "Obamacare"). He wants to replace it with a better healthcare system. In 2017, he voted for a bill that would partly repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Immigration Ideas

In 2017, Messer wrote a law that would prevent people who are in the U.S. without permission from getting the child tax credit. He also said that people who came to the U.S. unlawfully should pay fines. Messer supported President Donald Trump's 2017 order that temporarily banned people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. He said this was to "protect Americans from terrorist threats."

Veterans' Support

Messer supported a new GI Bill law that helps veterans. He wrote a part of this law that would give education benefits back to veterans whose schools closed in the middle of a semester. This helped students from places like ITT Technical Institute.

Gun Rights

Messer has a strong record of supporting gun rights. In 2012, the National Rifle Association gave him a high rating for his votes on gun issues. He is against new restrictions on buying guns.

Electoral History

2000 Election (Republican Primary)

• Mike Pence: 44.48%
• Jeffery M. Linder: 23.94%
• Luke Messer: 20.76%

2006 Election (Indiana House of Representatives)

• Luke Messer: 100% (He ran unopposed)

2010 Election (Republican Primary)

• Dan Burton (incumbent): 30%
• Luke Messer: 28%
• John McGoff: 19%

2012 Election (U.S. House of Representatives)

• Luke Messer (Republican): 59%
• Brad Bookout (Democrat): 35%
• Rex Bell (Libertarian): 6%

2014 Election (U.S. House of Representatives)

• Luke Messer (Republican): 65.90%
• Susan Hall Heitzman (Democrat): 29.35%
• Eric Miller (Libertarian): 4.76%

2016 Election (U.S. House of Representatives)

• Luke Messer (Republican): 69.14%
• Barry A. Welsh (Democrat): 26.70%
• Rich Turvey (Libertarian): 4.16%

2018 Election (U.S. Senate Republican Primary)

• Mike Braun: 41.2%
• Todd Rokita: 30.0%
• Luke Messer: 28.8%

Personal Life

Luke Messer is married to Jennifer Messer. They have two daughters and one son. Luke and Jennifer Messer wrote a children's book together called Hoosier Heart.

After Luke Messer was elected to Congress, his family moved to McLean, Virginia, which is near Washington, D.C.. He also owns a home with his mother in Greensburg, Indiana, where he is a registered voter.

Jennifer Messer works as a legal consultant for the city of Fishers. She has done this work from their home in the Washington, D.C. area. The mayor of Fishers has said her work helped the city's economy. Luke Messer has defended his wife's work, saying she is very smart. Jennifer Messer also wrote an article defending her work.

Luke Messer is a Presbyterian.

Images for kids

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  Official portrait of Luke Messer.

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  Luke Messer's signature.