Brent Waltz
Darryl Brent Waltz Jr. (born September 7, 1973)[3] is an American politician and businessman. He has served in the Indiana State Senate since 2005, representing southern Marion County and northern Johnson County which comprise the 36th Senate District of Indiana following his defeat of Senate Finance Chairman Larry Borst in the May 2004 Republican primary election.[4] His investment banking company, The Baron Group, Inc., specializes in mergers, acquisitions, and capitalization of small to midsize private companies in the transportation and manufacturing industries. Waltz announced he will not seek reelection in order to run for Indiana's 9th congressional district being vacated by Congressman Todd Young. Brent was unsuccessful in his campaign [5]
Brent Waltz | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Indiana Senate from the 36th district | |
| In office 2005-2017 | |
| Preceded by | Larry Borst |
| Succeeded by | Jack Sandlin |
| Johnson County Councilman from the At-Large district | |
| In office 2001–2005 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Zehr, Charles Littleton[1] |
| Succeeded by | Josh McCarty, John L. Price[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 7, 1973 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Greenwood, Indiana |
| Alma mater | Wabash College |
| Profession | Investment banker, politician |
| Website | brentwaltz |
Early life
Darryl Brent Waltz Jr. was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 7, 1973 to Darryl Brent Waltz, Sr. and Geraldine Chaney Waltz. He is an only child. His father was a senior vice president of an Indiana savings and loan. Waltz graduated from Center Grove High School in 1992 as a National Merit Scholar. At 16, he became an Eagle Scout with bronze, silver, and gold palms. After high school, he attended Wabash College where he completed his degree as a history major with a minor in political science in 31⁄2 years.[6]
Political career
Three out of four of Waltz's great-grandfathers held elected office in Indiana and Kentucky. At the age of 26 he was elected an at-large member of the Johnson County Council in 2000. He was elected President of the Johnson County in 2003 and re-election his last year on the council in 2004.[7]
In a political upset, Waltz unseated 36-year incumbent and Senate Finance Committee chairman Larry Borst in the 2004 Republican primary by just 34 votes—6,062 to 6,024.[8][9] He defeated his Democratic opponent in the November 2004 election and was reelected to a second term in 2008. Subsequently, in 2012 he won re-election for a third term.[10]
Waltz announced he would not seek re-election for his Senate seat in order to pursue Indiana's 9th congressional district being vacated by congressman Todd Young.
Business career
In 1995 Waltz founded his investment banking company, The Baron Group, Inc. - named after a company in a Jeffery Archer novel.[11] In 2001 Waltz and two business partners began a logistics and courier company named Velox Express.[12]
Scandal and criminal indictment
On September 29th, 2020, Waltz was indicted on 5 counts related to violations of federal campaign finance law related to his 2016 campaign.[13]
References
- "8 Nov 2000, Page 16 - The Indianapolis Star at Newspapers.com". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- "5 May 2004, Page 73 - The Indianapolis Star at Newspapers.com". Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- Indianapolis Star October 21, 2004
- Daily Journal May 3, 2004
- "Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller to seek U.S. House seat". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- SpinWeb. "Indiana Senate Republicans". www.in.gov. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- "Brent Waltz - U.S. Congress". Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- Daily Journal May 4, 2004
- Indianapolis Star May 3, 2004
- "Brent Waltz - Ballotpedia". Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Veloxexpress.com website
- "Former Indiana State Senator and Gaming Executive Indicted for Violations of Federal Campaign Finance Laws". Department of Justice. Retrieved 2020-09-29.