John Hostettler



John Nathan Hostettler was a Republican member of the U. S. House of Representatives representing the 8th District of Indiana (map) from 1995 to 2007.

Bio
Hostettler was born June 19, 1961 in Evansville, Indiana. He grew up in rural Posey County and was educated at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1983. Prior to his service in Congress he was employed as a Power Plant Performance Engineer with Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company.

"Hostettler's interest in politics increased following the election of Bill Clinton in 1992. In January 1994 Hostettler announced he would run for the 8th District Congressional seat held by Frank McCloskey, a six-term incumbent... Hostettler called for a return to the Constitution as the nation's governing document. He promised that if elected he would work toward balancing the budget, cutting taxes, reforming welfare and strengthening national defense."

Congressional career
Hostettler is considered by many to be a staunch conservative with a significant Christian influence. In 2004 he received the Distinguished Christian Statesman award from D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministry. He was also a signatory to the Contract with America. 

Iraq War
Hostettler voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Democrats nominated Brad Ellsworth to face Hostettler in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Ellsworth defeated Hostettler 61% to 39% to take possession of the seat. 

Meet the Cash Constituents
Among Hostettler's largest campaign contributors in the 2003-2004 election cycle are Peabody Energy, Rutledge Oil Co., Heritage Petroleum and Lockheed Martin.

Breast cancer/abortion link
On April 30, 2002, Hostettler met with eleven breast cancer survivors that were seeking support for more research funding. The women who met with him claimed he only wanted to talk about a possible link between abortion and breast cancer. Although all eleven agree on the exchange that took place, Hostettler denies he said it.

Concealed weapon arrest
Hostettler was briefly detained at Louisville International Airport on April 20, 2004 when he attempted to board a flight for Washington, D.C. with a loaded 9 mm GLOCK pistol in his bag. The congressman explained he had "completely forgot" the gun was there. On August 10th, he pled guilty to carrying a deadly concealed weapon and agreed to a plea bargained sentence of 60 days that would be suspended for two years. On October 4, 2004, a Kentucky judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to pay court costs, but it was set aside a few hours later after his law firm paid the fine.

Democratic "War on Christianity"
During debate on the house floor on June 20, 2005, Democrats attempted to add language to the Defense Appropriations bill that declared that "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing" is "inconsistent with the professionalism and standards required of those who serve at the [U.S. Air Force] academy." Hostettler repsonded, "Like a moth to a flame the Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians." The words were immediately stricken from the Congressional Record after a prompt objection from Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wisconsin), whose was spearheading the attempt to add the additional language. 

Committees in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * Subcommittee on Projection Forces
 * Subcommittee on Readiness
 * House Committee on the Judiciary
 * Subcommittee on Task Force on Antirust
 * Subcommittee on the Constitution
 * Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Claims - Chair

Resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * Hostettler "On The Issues" from Issues 2000
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Articles

 * Roberta Heiman, "Hostettler escalates war with breast cancer survivors", Evansville Courier & Press, (Capitol Hill Blue), September 16, 2002.
 * "'Silly Season' In The House: Hostettler Bill Seeks To Limit Church-State Lawsuits," The Wall of Separation Blog, June 22, 2006. re H.R. 2679 "Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005" (PERA)
 * Dave Baron, "House Subcommittee Takes Up Public Expression of Religion," Faith in Public Life, June 23, 2006.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Torporindy

Contact
DC Office: 1214 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-4636 Fax: 202-225-3284 Email: John.Hostettler AT mail.house.gov Web Email Website

District Office- Covington: 411 Third Street Covington, IN 47932 Phone: 765-793-2161 Fax: 765-793-2137

District Office- Evansville: 101 Northwest Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, Room 124 Evansville, IN 47708 Phone: 812-465-6484 TollFree: 800-321-9830 Fax: 812-422-4761

District Office- Terre Haute: 901 Wabash Avenue, Suite 140 Terre Haute, IN 47807 Phone: 812-232-0523 Fax: 812-232-0526

District Office- Vincennes: 328 North Second Street, Suite 304 Vincennes, IN 47591 Phone: 812-882-0632 Fax: 812-882-4298