Crider seeking seat in House

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GREENFIELD – A Greenfield state lawmaker plans to run for U.S. Congress.

State Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield, recently announced he’s joining the race to represent Indiana’s sixth congressional district in Washington, D.C.

He seeks the U.S. House of Representatives seat that will be vacated by Republican Luke Messer, who announced last week he’ll run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat.

Messer took to Twitter to share his news. He posted a photo with the phrase “I Like Luke (for) U.S. Senate 2018.”

A day later, Crider, a retired conservation officer and current security officer at Hancock Regional Hospital, posted his plans on Facebook.

Crider said it’s likely he’ll have opponents in the Republican primary next spring, and he’s looking forward to a busy campaign season.

“This decision comes at a time when our country is deeply divided, so I have no illusions that competing for the position or serving in it will be anything other than incredibly difficult,” he wrote.

Crider was first elected to public office in 2012 after longtime state Sen. Bev Gard left the position. He represents District 28, which encompasses Hancock, Shelby and Marion counties.

He won re-election easily last November, taking 64 percent of the vote against his two opponents, Ken Kern and Jerry Coverstone.

Crider’s current term in the Indiana Senate doesn’t expire until 2020. If he wins his bid for Congress, that seat will be open. Should he lose, he’ll continue representing Greenfield residents at the state level.

In the past five years, the state senator has championed legislation that extended the statute of limitations for rape cases in Indiana, created a voluntary veterans preference policy for hiring and penned legislation that funneled $1.2 million into Indiana’s Adult Protective Services Agency to hire more caseworkers last year when a study found the department was understaffed.

This year, he worked on a bill that will funnel an additional $1.2 billion every year into road and bridge projects across the state.

Hancock County Republican Party chair Janice Silvey said local Republicans are proud of the work Crider has accomplished at the state level. He’ll be a great asset in D.C., she said.

Over the years, he’s learned to break down a difficult issue and to build the consensus needed to move it forward, he said.

His track record at the Statehouse proves he’s a dedicated lawmaker, who works hard and tries his best to represent his constituents and what they want for Indiana’s future, Crider said.

Keeping Hoosiers in mind will be more important than ever if he’s working at the federal level, he said.

“Moving into the environment that exists in Washington will be a challenge,” he said. “I’m going to go in every day and work hard.”