Michael E. Sodrel (born December 17, 1945) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for

Indiana's 9th congressional district Indiana's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located in south-central and southeastern Indiana, the district stretches from the south suburbs of Indianapolis to the Indiana side of the Louisvill ...

from 2005 to 2007. Sodrel launched another run against incumbent Democratic Rep. Baron Hill in 2010 – his fifth straight run for Congress in the ninth district. However, he lost the Republican nomination to Bloomington attorney

Todd Young Todd Christopher Young (born August 24, 1972) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator for Indiana, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Young previously served as the U.S. r ...

, who won the general election. In 2022, after a twelve-year political retirement, Sodrel announced he was running for his old seat in the

2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the state of Indiana, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts. The elections coinci ...

Early life

Born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, Sodrel grew up across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

New Albany, Indiana New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. The population was 37,841 as of the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Floyd County. It is bounded by I-265 t ...

. He graduated New Albany High School in 1963. Sodrel attended

Indiana University Southeast Indiana University Southeast (locally known as IUS or IU Southeast) is a public university in New Albany, Indiana. It is a regional campus of Indiana University. History The Indiana University Falls City Area Center was established by Floyd ...

in New Albany, Indiana.

Career

From 1966 to 1973, Sodrel served in the 151st Infantry Regiment of the

Indiana National Guard The Indiana National Guard (INNG) is a component of the United States Armed Forces, the United States National Guard and the Military Department of Indiana (MDI). It consists of the Indiana Army National Guard, the Indiana Air National Guard, a ...

. He was honorably discharged with the rank of staff sergeant. Since 1963, Sodrel has worked at his family's business, Sodrel Truck Lines Inc. He founded the Free Enterprise System Inc. (a charter motor-coach/contract passenger-carrier) and Sodrel Logistics. Sodrel is the author of an internet book, ''Citizen Sheep Government Shepherds''.

U.S. House of Representatives

Congressman Dan Burton speaks at a joint press conference

Sodrel served as a member of the

United States House Committee on Agriculture The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of s ...

United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. History The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works a ...

United States House Committee on Small Business The United States House Committee on Small Business is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It was established in 1941 as the House Select Committee on Small Business. History On December 4, 1941, the U. S. House of ...

, and

United States House Committee on Science The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development. More specifically, the committee has complete jurisdic ...

. During his term, Sodrel opposed partial-birth

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

s and federal funding for elective abortions. He opposed additional environmental regulations. He has outspokenly supported the

right to bear arms The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...

. He has a 92 lifetime rating from 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 ...

, and a zero rating from the

League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...

. He is in favor of permanently repealing the federal

estate tax An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and property) of a person who has died. International tax law distinguishes between an es ...

. In 2006 Sodrel introduced a bill that would prevent federal courts from ruling on the content of speech in state legislatures. The proposal came as a response to U.S. District Judge David Hamilton's ruling that official Indiana House proceedings could not begin with sectarian prayers that advanced any particular religion.

Political campaigns

Sodrel has campaigned on a platform of creating and protecting jobs, lowering

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

es and values. He drives his own

18-wheeler A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer a ...

on the campaign trail. He first ran for the House of Representatives in 2002, losing to incumbent Baron Hill, 51% to 46%. In the 2004 rematch, he defeated Hill by 1,500 votes.

2006

Sodrel faced Hill again in the 2006 general election. The

Cook Political Report ''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...

, an independent nonpartisan newsletter, rated the race as a toss-up. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

came to a Sodrel fundraiser in Indianapolis early in 2006, while his opponent gained help in Indianapolis with fundraisers from former President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. Sodrel ultimately lost his bid for re-election by a margin of 45% to 50%. The candidates raised equivalent funds in 2006. Texas millionaire

Bob J. Perry Bobby Jack Perry, known as Bob J. Perry (October 30, 1932 – April 13, 2013), was a Houston, Texas homebuilder, owner of Perry Homes, and major contributor to a number of politically oriented 527 groups, such as the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth a ...

gave more than $5 million to the

Economic Freedom Fund The Economic Freedom Fund (EFF) is a 527 group started in 2006 by Bob J. Perry, with a $5 million donation. Only one person is officially associated with the group: Charles H. Bell Jr., a lawyer from California, who is the general counsel for the ...

, a

527 group A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (). A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat ...

, which included Hill as one of its targets for removal. The group paid for automated "push poll" calls attacking Hill. These calls stopped after action by the Indiana Attorney General.

2008

In October 2007 Sodrel announced that he would run again in 2008 for the Congressional seat against Baron Hill, whom he defeated in 2004 but to whom he lost in 2002 and 2006. In 2006 Cook rated the race as a toss-up for the duration of the race, but in 2008 the race moved between Likely D to Lean D on the Cook Political Report. Sodrel's fundraising was weak compared both to Hill and Sodrel's 2006 figures. Hill defeated Sodrel in the election, 58% to 39%.

2010

On January 11, 2010, at an event in

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...

, Mike Sodrel announced that he would again seek the 2010 Republican nomination for the 9th congressional seat. He joined two other candidates in the field of Republican contenders: Bloomington attorney

(a native of

Carmel, Indiana Carmel is a suburban city in Indiana immediately north of Indianapolis. With a population of 100,777, the city spans across Clay Township in Hamilton County, Indiana, and is bordered by the White River to the east; the Hamilton-Boone county ...

) and Columbus real-estate investor Travis Hankins. A poll published by the left-leaning weblog Firedoglake showed Sodrel leading Hill 49–41 in a head-to-head race. However he lost the Republican nomination, coming in third place behind Travis Hankins and winner Todd Young. Young won the general election against Hill.

2022

On February 8, 2022, Sodrel announced that he would once again seek the Republican nomination for the ninth district after three-term representative

Trey Hollingsworth Joseph Albert "Trey" Hollingsworth III (; born September 12, 1983) is an American businessman and politician who is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. Hollingsworth serves on the House of R ...

announced his retirement. Sodrel is one of nine Republicans seeking the nomination in the district.

Electoral history

Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, Donald W. Mantooth received 33 votes.

Personal life

In 1967, Sodrel married Marquita Dean; they have two children and seven granddaughters. Sodrel has served on numerous charitable organization's board of directors, including the Remnant Trust and as a past regional council president of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

References

External links

* *
FairTax
Mike Sodrel is a supporter and cosponsor (Link no longer works)
Firedoglake blog article
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sodrel, Mike 1945 births 21st-century American politicians American trucking industry businesspeople Baptists from Kentucky Businesspeople from Indiana Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Living people Military personnel from Indiana People from New Albany, Indiana Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky United States Army soldiers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana