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Chuck Goodrich, a state representative from Noblesville and president of Indianapolis-based contractor Gaylor Electric, announced Friday he will run for Congress.
Goodrich, 53, is the second candidate to declare his intentions to represent Indiana’s 5th Congressional District to replace Rep. Victoria Spartz, who is planning to leave office after serving two terms. Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings entered the race last week.
His announcement comes one week after state lawmakers concluded their legislative session, during which time state law prohibits Indiana legislators from soliciting donations for public office.
If elected, Goodrich promised to bring a conservative, business-minded perspective to the nation’s capitol.
“There is a need for people in D.C. who understand what it takes to run and build a business, who have met the pressures of meeting weekly payrolls, dealt with rising health care costs, lived with workforce development challenges, like immigration and inflation, and have firsthand experience on the cumbersome impact of regulations and taxes,” Goodrich said in a press release.
Goodrich was the author and driving force behind House Bill 1002, part of an effort by Republican lawmakers to “reinvent” high school curriculum and prepare students for the workforce by expanding work-based learning opportunities. The legislation was supported by the business community but opposed by state and local education leaders who maintained that creating a new system was unnecessary given that Indiana already has career and technical education programs.
He was elected to state office in 2018 after winning a four-way contested primary to represent House District 29, which includes portions of Hamilton County.
A Purdue University graduate, Goodrich worked at Gaylor Electric for nearly three decades before purchasing the company in 2014. The electrical contractor has more than 1,300 employees in eight Indiana offices and locations in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee.
He and his wife, Trisha Goodrich, have four children and live in Noblesville.
Corrections: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Chuck Goodrich was the first candidate to declare in the 5th Congressional District race. It has also been corrected to say that Victoria Spartz is in her second term.
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Awesome! Chuck would be an excellent representative of CD-5. Too many attorneys ( no offense attys:) and not enough business owners and accountants in Washington. We need more Main Street representation and Chuck offers that.
Don’t know anything about Chuck but totally agree about attorneys.
I look forward to him supporting every war and doing nothing about goverenment spending.
Rodney Cummings has quite an impressive and successful story to tell. Having his pic next to the definition for fortitude would certainly be appropriate. It should be an interesting race that will surely grow in the number of candidates seeking the position.
https://www.heraldbulletin.com/news/raised-in-foster-care-prosecutor-offers-insight-to-battle-against-child-neglect/article_fd1b196a-d999-11e9-807a-13a455005c55.html
Great to see. Chuck has put forward smart and productive legislation while in the General Assembly. He’s also owns a sizable business that does work with top firms nationally – a real businessman. And he’s done great stuff in helping train often troubled kids in Noblesville to become electricians. They can essentially come out of “high school” with a journeyman’s card, an associates degree, and no debt. In fact, they are actually getting paid. Incredible program.
How did we end up with Todd Rokita?
Chuck has signed his name to the front of the check, that should bring some common sense to the table!
Smell test: who does he support as the GOP nominee for president? His answer would speak volumes about the kind of congressman he would be.