Randy Niemeyer will serve as republican candidate in one of Indiana’s most closely watched House races.
Niemeyer, who won the Republican Party nomination for Indiana’s First Congressional District On Tuesday, he will now face Democratic incumbent Rep. Frank Mrvan in the state’s general election later this year.
Alongside Niemeyer, two other candidates, Leyva and Ruiz, competed in the GOP primary election.
This seat – rated a “Lean Democrat” by the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analyst – is one the Republican Party hopes to win. electoral cycle with the aim of strengthening his slim majority in the House.
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Niemeyer, who received national party support in the race, serves as chairman of the Lake County Republican Party and is the current 7th District councilman.
Before Tuesday’s election, Niemeyer insisted that his political experience at the local level, coupled with being a small business owner, made him best suited for the job.
“I would say my credentials in local government speak for themselves. I’m happy to be a part of the party,” Niemeyer said. according to the Chicago Tribune. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done in Lake County. I want to make sure we give voters good choices… When people aren’t challenged, it doesn’t create the accountability that our system has need.”
Niemeyer also said he thought his experience as a small business owner facing some financial hardship was “familiar to a lot” of people in the district who have faced economic hardship in recent years.
“This experience is familiar to many, many people in our district…we have to go to work every day and create something from nothing,” Niemeyer said.
Leyva, who has sought the GOP nomination to represent the district since 2010, said before Tuesday’s election that he thought “this year is different.”
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“This year is different. Even if they think they have the elected official with a lot of money, that’s not the case,” Leyva said, according to the Tribune. “The reason I want to take this job is because I want to prove that an average worker like me… can actually do it.”
Ben Ruiz, a political newcomer who describes himself as an “Ultra MAGA” Republican, also sought the party’s nomination Tuesday.
He and Leyva have already taken what appear to be shots at Niemeyer.
“We need to start prioritizing our American culture above anything else. I am not chosen by…
