The residents of Indiana’s third congressional district will have to wait until November to fill Rep. Mark Souder’s seat who resigned May 21 after details of his affair with a staffer emerged.
Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) announced today that there won’t be a special election to replace Souder, the Journal-Gazette reports.
“The grounds for this decision are: The cost to taxpayers, the convenience of the voting public, and the involvement of the largest possible number of citizens in the selection of a new congressman,” the governor said. “It seems to me that these interests outweigh any gains from having a member of Congress present for what would amount to no more than 20 voting days.”
Souder, a Republican who championed abstinence education and traditional family values, resigned because he had an affair with a part-time female staffer.
