Indiana attorney general backs challenger to US Rep. Jim Baird

Title: Indiana attorney general backs challenger to US Rep. Jim Baird URL Source: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/briefs/indiana-attorney-general-backs-challenger-to-us-rep-jim-baird/ Published Time: 2026-03-30T17:20:04+00:00 Markdown Content: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is weighing in on his old congressional seat by backing a legislator who is running against current U.S. Rep. Jim Baird in the Republican primary. State Rep. Craig Haggard announced Monday he was being endorsed by Rokita in his bid against Baird, who is seeking a fourth U.S. House term this year. Rokita’s endorsement statement said “we need fresh, strong voices that believe in what they fight for.” “After serving this seat for years, I know firsthand that the people of Indiana’s 4th need a strong conservative fighter,” Rokita said. “I look forward to voting for Craig Haggard for Congress because I know it is time for change in this district.” U.S. Rep. Jim Baird of Indiana speaks at an environmental deregulation event in Indianapolis on July 29, 2025. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Baird is facing his toughest test for the congressional seat since he first won it in 2018 following Rokita’s decision to give it up after eight years for an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign. Baird’s campaign replied to Rokita’s announcement of Haggard with a one-sentence statement saying: “Congressman Baird is proud to have received the ‘complete and total endorsement’ of President Donald J. Trump.” Haggard, a two-term state legislator from Mooresville, has been challenging the 80-year-old Baird’s effectiveness in Congress. Haggard has gained other endorsements from several local Republican officials in the district that sprawls from the western Indianapolis suburbs, through the Lafayette area to the Kankakee River in northwest Indiana. The primary is May 5. While Rokita has positioned himself as a Trump loyalist, he is also on opposite sides of the president in another significant Indiana primary after Trump last week endorsed state Sen. Liz Brown of Fort Wayne. Rokita has a long-running feud with Brown and is supporting challenger Darren Vogt, including a $50,000 campaign contribution last year.