First appeared on FOX: A Republican seeking to flip an Indiana House seat from Democrat to Republican says his Democratic opponent has abandoned the district’s “hard-working” voters and aligned himself with the “far left” and the “Washington, D.C. political machine” since joining Congress more than three years ago.
Randy Niemeyer, the Republican candidate elected to represent Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, will face off against incumbent Democratic Rep. Frank Murban in the state’s general election later this year.
“Right now, Frank Mulvan’s voting record leans more to the far left than it does to the hard-working, middle-class, conservative nature of the people in his district, and he’s not doing much to represent that,” Niemeyer said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Niemeyer said Mr. Murban’s voting record proves that his vote in Washington is not in line with the desires of the people of Indiana’s 1st Congressional District.
A Republican candidate has been elected and is trying to flip an Indiana House seat from Democrat to Republican.
Democratic Congressman Frank Mulvan and his Republican opponent Randy Niemeyer (Getty Images | Randy Niemeyer Campaign)
““Frank is so in tune with the Washington political machine and so ingrained within it that he forgets that his district is not being represented the way it should be and the way it could be represented by his vote,” he said.
Niemeyer also said that apart from public appearances and speeches, he rarely sees Mrvan interacting with or listening to voters in his district.
“If there’s a parade or a speaking opportunity somewhere, he always takes advantage of it. If there’s an opening ceremony for a project funded by the infrastructure bill or the Anti-Inflation Act, he attends those events,” he said of Murban, “But I haven’t seen or heard much of him interacting in the community, being there for people to listen and learn, making sure he’s connected to the grassroots people, the people on the ground who are paying their taxes and transportation fees for this country.”
Mr. Murban won the 2020 House of Representatives election, beating Republican opponent Mark Leyva by about 53,000 votes. In the 2022 election, he was re-elected, beating Jennifer Ruth Green by just over 12,000 votes.
Niemeyer previously served on the Cedar Lake Town Council for 12 years, 10 of which as speaker, and he often reflects on that experience and the lessons he learned as he seeks to earn voters’ trust and support ahead of the general election.
“I think one of the biggest things we can do in government goes back to my 16 years working in local government, where we really connect with the people and make sure the people that we represent, the work that we do, is really done for them,” he said.
Niemeyer, who defeated a Republican challenger in the state’s May 7 primary election, has lived in northwest Indiana his whole life and hauled milk for his family’s trucking business for nearly 30 years.
Six House seats could flip from blue to red in 2024, giving Republicans an even bigger majority.
Randy Niemeyer speaks to supporters during an event on Jan. 19, 2024, in Highland, Indiana.
Niemeyer pointed to his own upbringing, work ethic and combined 16 years of experience in local government, saying he shares “in many ways the same struggles” with the residents of his district.
“I’ve been behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer and driven 3 million miles. I run a small business. I run a business that runs out of money before payday. The business I run operates with little to no profits at times. I’m paying off college debt for my daughter,” he said. “We have similar life experiences.”
“I still drive a truck,” he added. “I want to give people the perspective that I work with them. I sweat with them. We do the physical labor. We contribute to feeding this country. I think that perspective is what separates me from Frank, who has, for the most part, aligned with the far left wing of the party.”
Niemeyer said that while he has family members with experience in public service, the person with the most influence in challenging Mrvan is someone “who has never had his name on an election poster.”
“My grandmother worked in the cafeteria at our local school for 35 years and died of cancer a year after she retired,” recalled Niemeyer, who was 16 at the time of her death. “We held multiple wakes for her and over 1,100 people would line up and tell us the same story of how she would take money out of her wallet, put it in the register and give hot meals to kids who might not have had a hot meal at home.”
Rep. Frank Mulvan was first elected to Congress in 2020. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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“These people told me these stories, and it gave me the opportunity to really understand what true public service means,” he added.
Niemeyer will face off against Mrvan and three independent candidates in the general election on November 5th.
