GOP Sen. Jon Ford announces resignation from Indiana Senate

By: Casey Smith - September 15, 2023 1:06 pm

Sen. Jon Ford, R-Terre Haute, has resigned from the Indiana Senate. (Courtesy Indiana Senate Republicans)

Republican Sen. Jon Ford resigned from his seat in the Indiana Senate “to pursue new professional endeavors” effective Oct. 16. It comes less than a year after he was re-elected to another four-year term.

“One of the greatest honors of my life has been serving the residents of Senate District 38,” Ford said Friday in a statement. “I am thankful for the people of Vigo, Clay and Sullivan counties for trusting me in casting important votes on their behalf for nearly a decade. Through my time in public service, I have met numerous people who aim to make the Wabash Valley and Indiana a better place to raise a family.”

Ford, of Terre Haute, has served in the Indiana Senate since 2014. He was re-elected to the District 38 seat — which represents Vigo and Clay counties and a portion of Sullivan County — in 2018, and again in 2022.

During his tenure, Ford served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Elections, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Family and Children Services and as a member of the Senate Committees on Appropriations, Public Policy, Veterans and The Military, Homeland Security and Transportation, and Judiciary.

Ford championed bills that addressed foster care and expanded eligibility requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. That included legislation authored during the 2023 legislative session that changed the income requirement for families to participate in TANF. Ford said the bill’s passage came after nearly five years of work on the issue.

In a Friday news release about his resignation, Ford also highlighted bills he sponsored on electronic voting, mail-in ballots and sports wagering.

His resignation is the fourth from a lawmaker since session ended and came two weeks after fellow Republican Sen. Chip Perfect also announced he will step down from his seat later this month due to personal reasons.

A caucus of local precinct committeemen will be used to fill out the remainder of Ford’s term, which runs through 2026.

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Casey Smith

A lifelong Hoosier, Casey Smith previously reported on the Indiana Legislature for The Associated Press. Internationally, she has reported on water quality across South America. She holds a master’s degree in investigative reporting and narrative science writing from the University of California/Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. She previously earned degrees in journalism, anthropology and Spanish from Ball State University, where she now serves as an instructor of journalism.