Rudy Yakym to succeed Jackie Walorski in 2nd District after beating Paul Steury

Granger Republican Rudy Yakym, a former campaign finance director for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, is poised to win decisively in his bid to succeed the congresswoman and represent Indiana's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, unofficial election results indicate.

With all of the district's 11 counties reporting unofficial election results Tuesday night, Yakym leads Democrat Paul Steury with roughly two-thirds of the vote. The election will be certified Nov. 18.

In a victory speech Tuesday night at the Gillespie Conference Center on State Road 933, Yakym began by recognizing Walorski. He said his immediate priority is to address the chronic inflation being driven by fuel, food and energy prices. His plan to do so is "to cut wasteful spending, balance our budget and support programs and policies that will create more good-paying jobs right here at home."

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Invoking his late grandfather, Rudy Yakym Sr., Yakym said, "You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem. And tonight, I pledge to be part of the solution to deliver results for Hoosier families and businesses."

From the time Walorski's husband endorsed Yakym about two weeks after her death, Yakym has aligned himself with the congresswoman's image. In his first TV ad Sept. 20, Yakym pledged to further "Jackie's spirit": "Jackie showed that if you fight hard enough, stand for conservative values, and never give up," he said, "then you can bring change."

Walorski was first elected to the House in 2012 after former 2nd District Rep. Joe Donnelly left the seat to successfully run for U.S. Senate. Donnelly, a Democrat, eventually lost that seat in 2016 to current Sen. Mike Braun, a Republican.

Walorski had risen to positions of increasing influence and leadership before being killed in an Aug. 3 car crash that also claimed the lives of two of her staffers and the driver of another car. She was 58.

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Yakym faced Steury, a former Goshen College assistant professor and teacher in an Elkhart alternative high school, and Libertarian William Henry, who is a U.S. Army veteran whose journalism in Afghanistan earned him a Bronze Star. Yakym won with about 65% of the vote, while Steury earned 32%.

"I want to remind anyone who is disappointed tonight," Steury said in a statement conceding defeat, "that whether we won or lost, the fight for a better country and a brighter future starts tomorrow."

In an August voting caucus, Indiana Republicans decisively chose Yakym as their nominee in the bid to succeed Walorski. He competed among a dozen candidates, including former Attorney General Curtis Hill.

Dean Swihart, Walorski's husband, said in August he didn't endorse Yakym lightly. But describing Yakym as a "pro-Trump, pro-life and Christian family man," he felt assured Yakym wouldn't back down from the conservative causes for which Walorski fought.

Yakym actually won two separate elections: a special election to serve the remainder of Walorski's term, which expires in January, and the general election to serve in Congress the next for two years beginning in January.

His 80-day campaign featured visits to manufacturing and agricultural businesses throughout the 2nd District. Yakym said in his victory speech that patriotism will color his efforts in Congress.

"Together, we will double down on our nation's status on the international stage as the greatest country in the history of the world," he said. "We owe it to our men and women in uniform. We owe it to our veterans and to their families, who have made incredible sacrifices to defend liberty at home and abroad."