Rodric D. "Rod" Bray (born 1969) is an American politician from

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 ...

. A member of the Republican Party, Bray has been a member of the Indiana State Senate since 2012, representing the 37th state Senate district, which comprises all of Morgan County and a portion of

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

, Owen and Putnam counties.

Early life and education

Rodric was born to Maurine D. ( née Sweet) and Richard Bray in 1969. His father, Richard, served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1974 to 1992 and in the Indiana Senate from to 1994 to 2012, where he was the Assistant Majority Caucus Chair. His grandfather William G. Bray was 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1951 to 1975, representing Indiana's 6th and 7th congressional districts. Bray is a graduate of Martinsville High School. He attended

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

, where he received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

in 1991. Bray also attended

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...

, where he graduated with his Juris Doctor from the

Valparaiso University School of Law The Valparaiso University Law School was the law school of Valparaiso University, a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. Founded in 1879, the school was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1929 and admitted to the Association of Am ...

in 1994.

Early career

Bray was a deputy prosecuting attorney in

Morgan County, Indiana Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 68,894. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Martinsville. Morgan County is between Indianapolis, in Marion Cou ...

until 1997. He then entered private practice, where he was an attorney with Harris & Currens, and was elected Chairman of the Morgan County Republican Party on August 18, 1998, after the incumbent party chair, Joan Gray, resigned. He served as chair until March 2005. He was succeeded by Martin Weaver as County Party Chair. On August 18, 2003, Bray was appointed

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city att ...

of Martinsville by Mayor Shannon Buskirk, after the death of incumbent Robert St. Clair. Bray served as city attorney until 2007. He was succeeded by Roger Coffin as City Attorney. After serving as city attorney, Bray became a member of the Morgan County Election Board and the general counsel to the Martinsville Plan Commission and Board of Zoning. Bray has also served on the board of directors for Home Bank since 2008.

Indiana State Senate

After his father Richard decided to retire from the Indiana State Senate after five terms, Rodric Bray declared his candidacy for Indiana's 37th State Senate district, officially filing to run on January 24, 2012. Bray faced insurance agent and Morgan County Councilman Ryan Goodwin in the Republican primary. Bray defeated Goodwin 10,115 votes (54.8%) to 8,333 votes (46.2%), in the May 8, 2012 Republican primary. Bray went on to face Democratic nominee Jim Cahill, a cement truck driver and

Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the ...

local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

president, in the general election. Bray prevailed in the November 6 general election with 36,959 votes (71.2%) to Cahill's votes 14,947 (28.8%). Bray was sworn into office on November 20, 2012, by Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court Brent Dickson. Bray's district includes all of Morgan County and parts of

, Owen and Putnam counties. Bray is a member of the Senate committees on Corrections and Criminal Law, Health and Provider Services, Local Government, and Utilities. In January 2018, Senate Republicans elected Bray Senate majority leader, after Brandt Hershman retired. In May 2018, Senate Republicans preliminary electedBrian A. Howey
Bray completes Senate power transition
''Howey Politics Indiana'', Vol. 23, No. 37 (May 17, 2018). Bray to the post of Senate president pro tempore and

Mark Messmer Mark B. Messmer is a Republican member of the Indiana State Senate, representing the Senate District 48 since November 19, 2014. Messmer is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing three terms for the 63rd district ...

to replace Bray as Senate Majority Leader. In the caucus balloting, Bray reportedly won by a single vote over

Travis Holdman Travis Holdman is a Republican member of the Indiana Senate, representing the 19th District since 2008. He was elected to the State Senate in March 2008, after the death of David C. Ford. Holdman has championed legislation to make texting while d ...

. Bray was officially elected and took office in November 2018, at the opening of the legislative session.Tom Davies
Indiana Senate’s 1st new leader in 12 years showing caution
Associated Press (November 20, 2018). The Republicans enjoy a two-thirds supermajority in both the state House and state Senate.Arika Herron
Despite prior assurances, schools may see funding cuts. Here's what we know.
''Indianapolis Star'' (August 7, 2020). As Senate president pro tem, Bray opposed proposals to legalize

marijuana in Indiana Cannabis in Indiana is illegal for recreational use, with the exception of limited medical usage. Possession of any amount is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $1000. History Prohibition (1913) In ...

. He resisted calls for an increase in schoolteacher pay. In 2019, Bray supported a hate crimes bill that provided that judges could considered "bias" in sentencing; with Bray's support, a majority of Senate Republicans had amended the proposal to strip a list of protected victim traits from the original bill, including race, sexual orientation, and gender identity, from the bill, drawing criticism from Democrats, some Republican legislators, Republican 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 ...

, and civil rights advocates. In 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana The COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S. state of Indiana on March 5, 2020, and was confirmed on March 6. As of July 12, 2021, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) had confirmed 757,904 cases in the state and 13,496 deaths. As of July 3, ...

, Bray sent a letter to Indiana school leaders, saying that public schools that did not offer an in-person education option (as opposed to virtual education) risked major cuts in state funding, which could amount to millions of dollars, depending on the student population of the

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

Personal life

Bray currently resides in

Martinsville, Indiana Martinsville is a city in Washington Township, Morgan County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 11,828 at the 2010 United States Census. The city is the county seat of Morgan County. History Martinsville was founded in 1822. It i ...

with his wife, Kelly, and their two sons. Bray attends the First

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

of Martinsville, where he serves as a member of the Pastor Parish Committee and is a Sunday school teacher.

References

External links

Official Senate WebsiteCampaign Website
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bray, Rodric 1969 births Living people 21st-century American politicians Republican Party Indiana state senators Indiana University Bloomington alumni People from Indiana People from Martinsville, Indiana Valparaiso University School of Law alumni