One of the longest serving members of the Indiana House announced Tuesday he will not seek reelection next year.
Rep. Jerry Torr (R-Carmel) will retire after nearly three decades in the General Assembly.
Torr was first elected in 1996 and will serve out his 14th term in office. He said serving in the House was the “honor of a lifetime” but that he looks forward to focusing fully on his career in title insurance.
Torr helped lead some of the most controversial legislation in the House in the last two decades. That includes the shift to daylight saving time in 2005 and making Indiana a “Right To Work” state in 2012, banning union contracts from requiring non-union employees to pay fees for representation.
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Torr’s retirement will also potentially be a test of political shifts in Carmel, a northern suburb of Indianapolis. Democrats have gained there in recent years and have targeted Torr the last couple of cycles. An open seat could be an opportunity for Democrats to make further gains in the traditional Republican stronghold.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.