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Rudolph Chester Yakym III[1] (/ˈjɑːkɪm/ YAH-kim; born February 24, 1984)[2] is an American politician and businessman who is the member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Indiana's 2nd congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Yakym was born in South Bend, Indiana, on February 24, 1984.[3] He earned an associate's degree in business and a Bachelor of Science in finance and business administration from the Indiana University South Bend.[4] In 2019, he earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.[5]
In 2010 and 2011, Yakym worked as a sales manager for Omnicity, a broadband company. In 2011 and 2012, he was the Finance Director for Jackie Walorski's congressional campaign.[6] From 2013 to 2019, he was a vice president at the Bradley Company, a commercial real estate business. In 2015, then-Governor Mike Pence nominated Yakym to serve as a member of the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission.[7] Since 2019, Yakym has been the director of growth initiatives at Kem Krest, a logistics and supply chain organization.
After congresswoman Jackie Walorski died in a car accident in August 2022, Yakym declared his candidacy in Indiana's 2nd congressional district special election to succeed her. He was selected as the Republican nominee by the district's GOP precinct committee members to serve both the remainder of Walorski's term and a full two-year term beginning in January 2023.[2] Winning the nomination on the first ballot amid a field of 12 candidates, Yakym defeated contenders including former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill and state Representatives Curt Nisly and Christy Stutzman. He defeated the Democratic nominee, Goshen teacher Paul Steury, and Libertarian nominee William Henry in the general election[8] with over 64% of the vote.[9]
In a 2024 interview, Yakym stated that his most important issues were inflation and border security.[10]
Also in 2024, Yakym sent a letter to 136 presidents of colleges regarding their positions on encampments protesting the Gaza war.[11]
For the 119th Congress:[12]
Yakym married his wife, Sallyann Freet, in 2006.[14] She is a teacher at Elkhart Christian Academy.[15] They have three children. He is a practicing Baptist and serves as the head usher at the New Life Baptist Church in Osceola, Indiana.[15]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rudy Yakym | 125,222 | 64.6 | ||
| Democratic | Paul Steury | 62,726 | 32.4 | ||
| Libertarian | William Henry | 5,782 | 3.0 | ||
| Total votes | 193,730 | 100.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rudy Yakym (incumbent) | 184,848 | 62.7 | |
| Democratic | Lori Camp | 101,962 | 34.6 | |
| Libertarian | William Henry | 7,795 | 2.6 | |
| Independent | Michael John Hubbard (Write in) | 13 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 294,618 | 100.0 | ||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
