Connie Lawson (born April 20, 1949) is an American politician. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Lawson was

Indiana Secretary of State Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 38th-largest by area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 17th-most populous o ...

from 2012 to 2022 and was a member of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year term ...

from 1996 to 2012. While in the state senate, she was Republican floor leader.

Early life, education, and career

Lawson was born and raised in Danville, located in

Hendricks County Hendricks County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 145,448. The county seat is the town of Danville. Hendricks County is the third largest county in the Indianapolis- Carmel-Ander ...

in central

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. She graduated from Danville High School. She attended Darden School of Legislative Leadership and in 1998 she went to Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership. Lawson was elected Clerk of the Hendricks County Circuit Court in 1988. She was subsequently reelected twice to four-year terms As clerk, her responsibilities included maintaining all records of the court and overseeing elections. During this period, Lawson was also president of the Indiana Clerks’ Association and chair of the group’s legislative committee. She also served as Vice Chair of the

Republican Party from 1995 to 2005.

State Senate

Lawson was a member of the Indiana Senate from 1996 to 2012.Chris Sikich
Can Democrats nab another statewide office?
''Indianapolis Star'' (Oct. 31, 2014). She replaced incumbent State Senator Richard Thompson. She was the first woman appointed to the post of Indiana Senate Majority Floor Leader. The

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...

gave her an Indiana Legislature evaluation of 93%. Indiana State Senate 24th District Election Results, November 2, 2004 Indiana State Senate 24th District Republican Primary Election Results, May 6, 2008 Indiana State Senate 24th District Election Results, November 4, 2008

Secretary of State

On March 16, 2012, Governor

Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician. A Republican, Daniels served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. Since 2013, Daniels has been pr ...

appointed Lawson Secretary of State. Indiana Secretary of State Election Results, November 4, 2014 In the summer of 2018, Lawson received two challenges to her eligibility as Candidate for Secretary of State of Indiana. The challenges stemmed from the Indiana Constitution's provision that states no person shall be eligible for "more than eight years in any period of twelve years." Both eligibility claims were dismissed, but questions still exist over her ability to finish the entire term if re-elected in 2018. She was reelected. In 2016, Lawson targeted a voter registration group, the Indiana Voter Registration Project, who she claimed were "nefarious actors" and who were engaging in turning in "forged voter registration applications." Shortly thereafter, police raided the organization's building. There is no evidence that the group was turning in forged voter registration applications. On February 15, 2021, Lawson announced that she intended to resign to focus on her health and family. She formally resigned after Indiana Governor

Eric Holcomb Eric Joseph Holcomb (born May 2, 1968) is an American politician who is the 51st and current governor of Indiana, serving since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 51st lieutenant governor of Indiana from 2016 to 2017 under ...

selected state Rep.

Holli Sullivan Holli Sullivan is an American politician, businesswoman, and engineer who served as the 62nd secretary of state of Indiana. As a member of the Republican Party, she also represented the 78th district in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2 ...

as Lawson's successor.https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/16/gov-holcomb-announces-new-indiana-secretary-state/4714376001/

Personal life

Connie Lawson is married to Jack Lawson, has two children Brandon and Kylie, and seven grandchildren. She and her husband own and operate Lawson & Company, an auctioneer and real estate business.

References

External links

Connie Lawson at Ballotpedia
profile

''Official Indiana Secretary of State website'' * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Connie 1949 births Living people 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Republican Party Indiana state senators People from Danville, Indiana Politicians from Indianapolis Secretaries of State of Indiana Women state legislators in Indiana