A Time Honored Tradition: Wabash and Public Service
Wabash has a deep history of producing politically active men, who go into the field of politics, creating great achievements for both themselves and their college. In the upcoming election cycle there are a handful of Wabash men who are attempting to navigate a trail that has been blazed by many Wabash men of the past. This coming election could be the most successful in Wabash alumni history, because we could quite possibly have Wabash graduates as a United States Senator, United States Representative, and the Secretary of State.
Luke Messer, class of 1991, is running for a seat in the House of Representatives in the 5th District. Luke grew up in Greensburg, Indiana and was raised by a single mother who taught her children that they could do anything they wanted to do. He came to Wabash with these same dreams and graduated with a major in Rhetoric in 1991. He then went to Vanderbilt Law School and came back to Indiana to practice law. He has served as a State Representative, passing legislation that changed the high school dropout age from sixteen to eighteen. From 2001-2005 he served as the Executive Director and Chief Spokesman of the Indiana Republican Party.
Luke Messer was recently on campus to discuss with the Wabash community his campaign and how he plans to change Washington. In this discussion, Messer presented himself as a man who passionately wanted to change the way Washington and the political system works. He is not running against a Democrat at the moment, but he is running against thirteen term incumbent Dan Burton. Luke feels that Burton has been in Washington for too long, and that reelecting the same person to Congress year after year inhibits the opportunity for new ideas and a change in Washington. To combat this Messer is very strongly in support of writing a bill that limits the number of terms a Congressman can serve. This is just one of the many plans that Messer has if he has the opportunity to serve in Congress, but his main focus is on Indiana and his family. Luke is the father of three, and his wife is far from the traditional politician’s wife. Jennifer Messer attempts to stay as far away from politics as she possibly can, and while some might see this as a negative to the Messer campaign, it is truly a positive because it keeps Messer grounded on what is truly important in the long run. If Messer defeats Dan Burton in the Republican primary, then he is most likely going to win the Congressional seat, because the 5th District is one of the state’s most Republican districts, along with the 4th District.
Carlos May is another young Republican throwing his hat into the national politics rings. Carlos is a member of the class of 2001 and is running for a seat in the House of Representatives in the 7th District. Carlos was born into a military family that had him moving throughout the United States and Europe until his family settled in Indianapolis when he was in the eighth grade. After graduating from Zionsville High School, Carlos came to Wabash and graduated in 2001 with a BA in Political Science. He then went straight to law school at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Carlos has worked for the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office, and has devoted much of his life to public service.
Carlos too recently came to Wabash and spoke with the Conservative Union about his campaign and his hopes for the future election. In this interview Carlos described the difficulties of running in a district that has sent a Democrat to Congress for the past eight years. May feels that he can reinvigorate a voting bloc in the seventh district that has remained silent for quite some time, the Hispanic and youth vote. May is 30 years old, and feels that getting the youth involved in the election is a huge component of his campaign strategy. He also sees his Hispanic heritage as an advantage as well. He told a story of a man of Hispanic heritage who was a hardcore democrat but said that he would support May if he ran because of the appeal of having a Hispanic in office. The main reason May is running is a devoted passion for public service, a passion that has its roots in Wabash. May described how Professor David Blix first put the idea of public service into his head after the two had dinner at the FIJI house. May saw himself going to med school after his Wabash career, but Dr. Blix presented the idea of public service, and for May there was no looking back. Another professor that had a huge impact on May was Dr. Edward McLean, or, as May referred to him, “Fast Eddie” McLean. May credits McLean with leading him to Conservative ideals, ideals that led May to run for Congress. As he stated it, he believes in lower taxes, strong national security, individual freedoms, and most importantly limited government, all of which are represented in the Conservative message.
Luke Messer and Carlos May are not the only young Wabash men that are throwing their hats into the political arena. Charlie White, class of 1992, is running for Indiana Secretary of State, and Secretary of State Todd Rokita, class of 1992, is running for the House of Representatives in the fourth district upon hearing the news that Rep. Steve Buyer will be retiring due to family health issues. All of these men make the Wabash community proud for their contributions to public service and the public good. Wabash has had a long history of producing men who wish to enter the public sphere, and it is a tradition that will endure long into the future.
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