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By Marilyn Odendahl

The Indiana Citizen

July 17, 2023

North Vernon attorney J. Alex Zimmerman (pictured above) is the newest member of the Indiana General Assembly following a Republican caucus vote Monday evening to fill the vacant seat in House District 67.

Zimmerman, who started his law firm in November 2020, said he decided to run for the open seat after “a lot of prayer and reflection.”

The seat was held by former Rep. Randy Frye who resigned July 8 because of declining health. Four Republicans were competing for the spot in the Statehouse but Zimmerman won on the first ballot with 26 votes.

Forty-nine precinct members crowded into the county council meeting room at the Ripley County Courthouse Annex in Versailles. They listened to three-minute speeches by each of the candidates then cast their ballots.

When Kyle Hupfer, chair of the Indiana Republican Party, announced Zimmerman had won, the crowd cheered and applauded.

Hupfer noted Zimmerman will be a youthful face among the GOP members in the House.

“I think it’s great,” Hupfer said. “He clearly has an energy. He’s been working really hard campaigning from what I’ve heard from folks down here and I think he’ll make a great representative for the Republican Party at the Statehouse”

Zimmerman is no stranger to the legislature. He worked for the Senate Republicans for six years before moving to North Vernon to open his law office. He will be entering the session mid-term and has a clear idea of the work ahead of him.

“At this moment, I am literally the low man on the totem pole in the House,” Zimmerman said. “So I just hope to get to work and do the will of the citizens of House District 67.”

Read more about the caucus and the new representative Tuesday at The Indiana Citizen.