(La Porte County, IN) - La Porte’s Blair Milo isn’t the only Republican vying for an upset in Indiana’s 1st Congressional District.
The other front-runner in Tuesday’s primary race is Jennifer-Ruth Green of Crown Point. Green is a new face to La Porte Republicans and to Region voters in general. While visiting La Porte recently, she told HTNN a little about her political priorities. “The focus for me is definitely the home. Strong American families are important,” she emphasized. “And then a strong American economy. We see how important it is to have a lively economy that’s ready for workers and ready for jobs.” Green also stressed the need for bolstering national defense and border security.
Green acknowledged the hometown advantage of Blair Milo in this part of the district but said she has found plenty of support in La Porte County. “People here have been willing to hear who I am and learn more about me,” she said. “So I’m appreciative of that. I appreciate the open-mindedness of people in La Porte and just their willingness to see and evaluate the choices.”
Out of seven Republican candidates running in Tuesday’s primary, Milo and Green have emerged as the favorites. Hailing from opposite sides of the Congressional district, the two women share similarities and differences that will pose a difficult choice for primary voters.
Both women are successful military veterans. Milo served in the U.S. Navy for thirteen years, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Green is an Air Force Academy graduate and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard and runs a non-profit educational program that guides at-risk youth toward STEM careers.
Milo has been ensconced in state politics since becoming La Porte’s mayor in 2011. Following a stint as the state’s first Secretary for Career Connections and Talent, she currently works for Sagamore Institute promoting female and minority entrepreneurship. Milo has been endorsed by a group of over a dozen Indiana mayors.
Green is a newcomer to politics. However, she seems to have more GOP backing party-wide. Her endorsements include Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, Former U.S. Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Indiana Right to Life, and many sitting Republican members of Congress and the Indiana General Assembly.
If Green can ride a red wave to victory in the general election, she will become only the second African American Republican woman elected to Congress.
The other candidates in the 1st District primary race are Mark Leyva, who lost to Frank Mrvan in 2020, Martin Lucas, Nicholas Pappas, David Ruiz, and Aaron Storer. However, smart money has the ladies, Milo and Green, taking the race down to the wire. The question for Tuesday: which one?
Ultimately Republican voters in the Region may be faced with a choice between which candidate is more familiar to them and which one they think is more likely to win the general election in a liberal-leaning 1st District.
