Indiana congressman's reputation as a tough boss is hurting his Senate bid

Rep. Todd Rokita announces his U.S. Senate candidacy on the south steps of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis on Aug. 9, 2017. (Photo: Robert Scheer, IndyStar)

WASHINGTON — Exhibit A in why it pays to be nice to underlings is Rep. Todd Rokita, an Indiana Republican whose Senate bid has been hurt by stories about being a demanding boss.

Two weeks after Politico published the eight pages of instructions given to the aide assigned to drive Rokita around, the Associated Press reported Friday more details of what it’s like to work for him.

Former aides, who spoke to the Associated Press anonymously, described colleagues reduced to tears after Rokita yelled at them, pay cuts for small mistakes and a worker ordered to scrub clean Rokita’s vehicle because he complained of body odor from a volunteer driver.

Rokita, who has a reputation for high staff turnover in his congressional office and when he was Indiana secretary of state, told the Associated Press he demands excellence from both himself and his employees in the service of Hoosiers.

First elected to the House in 2010, Rokita is seeking the GOP nomination to take on Sen. Joe Donnelly next year, one of the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrats.

Donnelly’s campaign manager dubbed Rokita “Temper Tantrum Todd” when tweeting the article.

The Indiana Democratic Party pointed to former aides’ comments that many felt obligated to do volunteer political work as a potential ethics violation.

Rokita’s main competition for the GOP nomination is Rep. Luke Messer, whose backers include three former state party chairmen and Greg Pence, the brother of Vice President Pence.

Portraying himself as a big backer of President Trump, Rokita’s campaign slogan is “Defeat the Elite,” which has included the “media establishment and the beltway elite.” But he has also been at odds at times with Indiana Republicans. The Indiana Republican State Committee passed up Rokita when he attempted to become the party’s gubernatorial candidate after Pence dropped out of the race last year to become Trump’s running mate. Instead they chose Gov. Eric Holcomb, whom Pence endorsed. 

And his fellow Republicans in the state legislature cut Rokita’s house out of his district when they drew new boundaries after the 2010 census. Some saw the move as retribution for Rokita’s outspoken support of redistricting reforms.

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