Indiana Rep. Luke Messer wins key House GOP post

WASHINGTON — Indiana Rep. Luke Messer was elected Thursday to the No. 5 House GOP leadership slot, a position he said he will use to show Republicans can help working families.

“We need a positive agenda, so we’re not defined by just what we oppose,” Messer said after his colleagues elected him chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee for the next Congress.

Messer called the panel the party's “engine for policy development.”

“It will give our area a bigger voice in the national debate,” the Shelbyville Republican told Indiana reporters.

Messer beat New York Rep. Tom Reed 137 to 90 after Georgia Rep. Rob Woodall was knocked out on the first ballot.

Both Reed and Woodall have served two years more than Messer, who is finishing his first term.

Indiana Rep. Todd Young said Republicans recognized that Messer is “an incredibly capable person” with a “strong policy mind and a real clear grasp of politics.”

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie called Messer “probably the best listener I have met here in Congress.”

“He’s always able to articulate what I think better than what I can,” Massie said after the election. “He’s also committed to working very hard at this job.”

Messer said the bill lawmakers are voting on this week to approve the Keystone XL pipeline is a “great start” to advancing an agenda that will help working families. He also wants to make changes to the Affordable Care Act while working toward a broader repeal.

“(Former Indiana Gov.) Mitch Daniels always said elections are green flags, not checkered flags, so now the hard work begins,” Messer said.

The election was held behind closed doors in a House office building as Republicans lunched on Subway sandwiches.

Messer's wife, Jennifer, was present as Indiana Rep. Susan Brooks and two other colleagues gave nominating speeches for Messer. Jennifer Messer had to leave to pick up their three children from school while the ballots were being cast so Messer sent a "We won" text to the family, who hurried back.

Messer, 45, has served as president of his GOP freshman class and had been the first of the three candidates to announce he was running for the policy job. He had emphasized that he wanted to use the position to help lawmakers produce and advance legislation.

“He worked very hard,” Brooks said. “I think he talked to almost everyone in our conference.”

Messer also contributed more than $100,000 to congressional candidates and to the campaign arm of House Republicans. And he sent aides to help several campaigns.

The current chairman of the policy committee, Oklahoma Rep. Jim Lankford, was elected to the Senate last week.

Gov. Mike Pence, who is Messer's predecessor and the last Hoosier to serve in GOP leadership, had written a letter to his former colleagues on Messer's behalf.

Pence called Messer a "principled conservative" and a "strong messenger."

"He knows that message matters and plays an integral role in our ability to deliver for the American people," Pence wrote in his support letter.

In addition to gaining a seat at the leadership table, Messer will have a budget of about $80,000 to pay for support staff and materials.

Although he has just one term under his belt, Messer gained Capitol Hill experience as an aide in the 1990s. He also served in the Indiana General Assembly and was executive director of the Indiana Republican Party.

Asked if he hopes to move up the leadership ladder, Messer said his philosophy has been to "do your current job and do it well and you never know what doors might open later."