Mark Messmer
American politician (born 1962)
Mark Brian Messmer (born September 21, 1962) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Indiana's 8th congressional district since 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Previously, Messmer served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2008 to 2014 and the Indiana Senate from 2014 to 2024, serving as majority leader of the chamber from 2018 to 2022. Before that, he previously served on the Holy Family School Board from 2001 to 2004, and as its president from 2003 to 2004.
Representing a safe Republican district, Messmer was first elected to Congress in 2024 after winning a crowded Republican primary with 38% of the vote. He is a member of the moderate Republican Governance Group.
01Indiana House of Representatives
In 2022, Messmer sponsored a bill that bans the foreign ownership of agricultural land in Indiana. He also sponsored bills in 2022 to provide in-state tuition and drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.
02U.S. House of Representatives
In February 2024, Messmer announced his candidacy for Indiana's 8th congressional district in the 2024 election. He defeated former U.S. Representative John Hostettler in the primary by a wide margin of roughly 20 points. He resigned from the Indiana Senate in September 2024 in order to focus on his campaign. Messmer would later go on to defeat his Democratic opponent, Erik Hurt.
Tenure
Rep. Messmer was sworn into the 119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025.
Committee assignments
- United States House Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Education and Workforce
Caucus memberships
03Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Messmer | 30,668 | 38.5 | |
| Republican | John Hostettler | 15,649 | 19.7 | |
| Republican | Richard Moss | 11,227 | 14.1 | |
| Republican | Dominick Kavanaugh | 9,397 | 11.8 | |
| Republican | Kristi Risk | 7,350 | 9.2 | |
| Republican | Luke Misner | 2,287 | 2.9 | |
| Republican | Jim Case | 2,107 | 2.6 | |
| Republican | Jeremy Heath | 944 | 1.2 | |
| Total votes | 79,629 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Messmer | 219,941 | 68.0 | |
| Democratic | Erik Hurt | 95,311 | 29.5 | |
| Libertarian | Richard Fitzlaff | 8,381 | 2.6 | |
| Total votes | 323,633 | 100.0 | ||
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Mark Messmer”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Rep. Mark Messmer Official Portrait.jpg by Ike Hayman, House Creative Services, Public domain
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