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

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

Luke Messer was born in Evansville, Indiana. He studied at Wabash College and Vanderbilt University Law School. After trying to get elected to the U.S. House in 2000, Messer became the first executive director of the Indiana Republican Party. This was from 2001 to 2005. In 2003, Messer was chosen to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives. He took over after State Representative W. Roland Stine passed away. He represented Indiana's 57th District from 2003 to 2006. After that, he joined a lobbying group called Ice Miller LLP. From 2006 to 2012, Messer was a registered lobbyist. He ran for the U.S. House again in 2010 but did not win. In 2012, Mike Pence decided to run for Governor of Indiana. Messer was then elected to take his place. He won against Democratic candidate Brad Bookout.

On July 26, 2017, Messer announced he would run for the U.S. Senate in 2018. He did not win the primary election on May 8, 2018. He lost to Mike Braun.

Early Life and Education

Luke Messer finished high school at Greensburg Community High School in 1987. He then went to Wabash College. There, he studied speech and was part of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He earned his degree in 1991. In 1994, he received a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Starting His Career

After law school, Messer worked as an Associate Counsel at Koch Industries from 1995 to 1996. In 1997, he began his political career. He was the press secretary for Tennessee Representative Ed Bryant. From 1998 to 1999, he was a legal counsel for a House subcommittee. He worked for Indiana Representatives David McIntosh and Dan Burton. Later in 1999, he was legal counsel to U.S. Representative Jim Duncan. In 1998, he managed Virginia Murphy Blankenbaker's campaign for Congress. In 1999, Messer returned to Indiana. He practiced law at the Barnes & Thornburg law firm in Indianapolis.

First Run for Congress

In 2000, Messer ran for the United States House of Representatives. This was in Indiana's 2nd congressional district. The current representative, David M. McIntosh, was leaving to run for governor. Messer was supported by The Indianapolis Star. He received 21 percent of the vote in the Republican Party's primary election. He finished behind Mike Pence and Jeff Linder. In 2001, Messer was chosen to be the executive director of the Indiana Republican Party.

Serving in the Indiana House

On May 23, 2003, Luke Messer was chosen to take the place of W. Roland Stine. Mr. Stine had passed away. Messer then served in the Indiana House of Representatives for the 57th district. From 2003 to 2006, Messer represented District 57. This district included parts of Shelby County and Bartholomew County.

Legislative Work

During the 2005-06 legislative session, Messer was the Assistant Majority Floor Leader. He worked on laws to help reduce high school dropout rates. This work gained attention when Shelbyville High School became a symbol of a national dropout issue. He decided not to run for reelection in 2006. Sean Eberhart took his place as State Representative.

Working as a Lobbyist

Luke Messer worked as a registered lobbyist from 2006 to 2012.

Joining Ice Miller LLP

In 2006, Messer became a partner in the lobbying division of Ice Miller LLP. This happened a month after he voted for Indiana to lease the Indiana Toll Road. The lease was to an international group for $3.85 billion over 75 years. Ice Miller, a large law firm in Indiana, represented this group in the deal. Messer stated he did not know they were involved with the Toll Road deal.

Later Lobbying and Campaigns

Messer was the Indiana co-chair for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. In 2010, Messer ran for the House of Representatives again. This time it was in Indiana's 5th congressional district. He challenged Dan Burton, who was the current representative. Burton won against Messer by a small margin. After this, Messer became the president and CEO of School Choice Indiana. This group supported a law in Indiana that allowed private school voucher programs.

Since he was elected to Congress in 2012, Ice Miller LLP has been a major source of campaign money for Messer.

United States House of Representatives

Elections to Congress

In May 2011, Mike Pence announced he would run for Governor of Indiana. Luke Messer then said he would run for the Republican nomination in the district. This district was renumbered as the 6th District after the 2000 census. His home in Shelbyville was now back in this district. On May 8, 2012, Messer won the Republican nomination. He defeated several other candidates, including Travis Hankins, with 71% of the vote.

General Election Victory

In the general election, he ran against Democrat Brad Bookout. On November 6, 2012, Messer defeated Bookout. He won with about 59% of the vote. After winning the election, Messer moved to the Washington metropolitan area.

Committee Roles

Luke Messer held important roles in the House of Representatives:

• United States House Republican Policy Committee, Chair
• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
• Committee on Financial Services

Key Actions in Congress

In November 2014, Messer was chosen by his fellow Republicans to be part of the House Leadership. He became the House Republican Policy Committee Chairman. He took over from James Lankford. Messer won against Tom Reed and Rob Woodall.

Education Focus

In 2017, Messer started the Congressional School Choice caucus. This group works to expand school voucher programs. In August 2013, Messer helped pass a law to stop student loan interest rates from doubling. This law also linked student loan interest rates to market rates. In July 2017, Messer wrote a law to change how American students pay for college. His law suggested using income share agreements. These can be different from traditional student loans. Messer also introduced a law to require annual debt letters for student loan borrowers. This idea came from an Indiana University program. He also worked with Senator Patty Murray to help students who were attending ITT Tech when it closed. They helped these students get their Pell Grant eligibility back.

Other Initiatives

In May 2018, Messer led a group of 18 House Republicans. They unofficially nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. This was for his efforts to reduce nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. It was also for trying to end the 68-year war between North and South Korea.

Political Views

Luke Messer is a strong conservative. When he first ran for Congress, he said his ideas would be very similar to Congressman Mike Pence's.

Social Issues

Messer holds conservative views on social issues. .....

Economic Issues

On May 9, 2013, Messer voted for the Full Faith and Credit Act. This law set priorities for spending if the government reached its debt limit. Messer supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He also supports changing the tax code to make it simpler and lower tax rates. Messer supports a balanced budget amendment. He does not support federal stimulus spending. He believes federal spending growth should be limited to the rate of inflation per person.

Health Care

Messer supports getting rid of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). He wants to replace it with a better system. In May 2017, Messer voted for the House bill American Health Care Act of 2017. This bill aimed to partly repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Immigration

In July 2017, Messer wrote a law that would stop undocumented immigrants from claiming the child tax credit. President Donald Trump included this idea in his 2018 budget request. Messer said that a path to citizenship and agreements on border security would be big challenges for immigration reform. He stated that those who came to the U.S. unlawfully would need to pay penalties and back fees. Messer supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order. This order temporarily banned entry to the U.S. for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. He said it was to "protect Americans from terrorist threats."

Veterans Support

Messer supported a GI Bill reform package. The House passed it on June 25, 2017. President Trump signed it into law. This package included a rule Messer wrote. It would give education benefits back to veterans whose schools closed mid-semester. This helped students from places like ITT Technical Institute.

Electoral History

2000

2006

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

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 called Hoosier Heart.

After Messer was elected to Congress, he sold his house in Shelbyville, Indiana. He moved to McLean, Virginia, which is near Washington, D.C.. He is now registered to vote at his mother's address in Greensburg, Indiana. Messer has said he owns the home with his mother and lives there when he is in Indiana.

Jennifer Messer's Work

Jennifer Messer, Luke's wife, has worked as a legal consultant for Fishers. This is a suburb of Indianapolis. She has been paid for her work since 2015. She mostly does this work from their home near Washington, D.C. She is paid monthly as a part-time contract attorney for the city. The Mayor of Fishers, Scott Fadness, said her work helped the city's economy grow. Luke Messer has supported his wife's work. Jennifer also defended her work in an article for The Indianapolis Star.

Messer is a Presbyterian.