Indiana attorney general loses reelection bid after groping allegations

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill (R) lost his reelection bid Friday after spending two years engulfed in a sexual assault scandal, the Indianapolis Star reports. 

Replacing Hill for the Republican nomination is former U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, who will face Democratic challenger Jonathan Weinzapfel, a former mayor and former state representative.

Rokita beat Hill 52 percent to 48 percent, according to the Star. 

In May, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that Hill’s law license would be suspended for 30 days due to allegations that he groped four women at a party in 2018. His accusers are three legislative staffers and State Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon (D).

In its opinion, the court ruled there was sufficient evidence he touched the women in a “rude, insolent or angry manner,” which meets the threshold for misdemeanor battery.

Hill has denied the allegations, though the GOP has sought to distance itself from Hill, instead backing Rokita for the nomination. Hill ignored calls for his resignation from Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) and now-Sen. Mike Braun (R) since the allegations first surfaced in 2018.

According to the Star, state Democrats were hoping Hill would persevere in the primary and be an easier target to take out in the general election. Weinzapfel has reportedly begun framing Rokita as a career politician and opportunist.   

“Hoosiers are dealing with a lot right now,” Weinzapfel told the Star. “A global pandemic, racial injustice and an economic slowdown just to name a few things. They need someone in their corner. Someone to fight for them, not for a political agenda.”