Republican Todd Rokita was reelected Indiana attorney general Tuesday in a race considered more contentious than previous elections, The Associated Press called at 8:47 p.m.
Rokita, Indiana’s 44th attorney general, is defeating Democrat Destiny Wells by a margin of more than 18%, with 94% of votes counted as of publication. He was first elected to the position in 2020, beating Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel by a margin of more than 16%.
Around 7:30 p.m., before the race was officially called, Rokita claimed victory at the Indiana Republican Party's election watch party, the IndyStar reported.
Some of Rokita’s priorities, according to his campaign website, include “securing the right-to-life,” keeping “woke” ideology out of education, preserving the Second Amendment and combating federal overreach.
Rokita, a hardline conservative, made national headlines during his first term — notably for his remarks about Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indiana OB-GYN who provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape survivor from Ohio.
In July 2022, Rokita said on a Fox News show he was investigating Bernard for violating patient privacy laws by speaking to the IndyStar about the girl. Rokita also claimed Bernard did not properly report the abuse the patient experienced.
The Indiana Medical Licensing Board found Bernard to be in violation of laws protecting patient privacy and fined her $3,000 in May 2023. The board did specify Bernard had properly reported abuse.
Last November, the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission reprimanded Rokita for attorney misconduct and ordered him to pay a $250 fine. In a statement about the decision, he called the commission's investigation the product of a “cancel culture establishment.”
The AG’s influence also impacts IU directly.
Rokita has been the subject of local news more recently for his legal brief in defense of Senate Enrolled Act 202, Indiana’s controversial “intellectual diversity” law that went into effect in July. The AG argued in his brief that what state university professors say in the classroom is considered “government speech,” and thus the state has authority to control professors’ speech.
Along with State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla, Rokita sent a letter to IU President Pamela Whitten and the IU Board of Trustees in August asking the university to prove it was not using state tax dollars to fund the Kinsey Institute.
Rokita previously served as representative for Indiana’s 4th Congressional District from 2011-19, and as the secretary of state from 2002-10. He graduated from the IU Maurer School of Law.
Indiana’s attorney general faces reelection every four years and is not subject to term limits. The attorney general acts as legal counsel for state agencies and for the public interest of state citizens. In his role, Rokita can also propose legislation and issue legal opinions that interpret state law.
