Christina Hale (born July 17, 1971) is an American politician and former State Representative of the 87th District in the Indiana House of Representatives, serving from 2012 to 2016. She previously worked as an executive at Kiwanis.[1] In 2020, she was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative for Indiana's 5th congressional district, losing to Victoria Spartz by around 4 points.

Christina Hale
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 87th district
In office
November 20, 2012 – November 22, 2016
Preceded byCindy Noe
Succeeded byCarey Hamilton
Personal details
Born (1971-07-17) July 17, 1971 (age 53)
Long Beach, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseChris
Children1
EducationPurdue University (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life and education

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Hale was born and raised in Michigan City, Indiana.[2] She is of partial Cuban descent.[3] Hale earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University.[4]

Career

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While studying at Purdue University, Hale worked various odd jobs to support her son. She later worked as a reporter for The La Porte County Herald-Argus until earning a scholarship to study abroad.[5] After returning to the United States, she worked in the Indiana Department of Commerce and Indiana Professional Standards Board. She later served as an assistant to Governor Frank O'Bannon, where she was tasked with managing state regulatory boards and commissions. In 2004, she joined Kiwanis as a communications officer.[6]

On May 25, 2016, John R. Gregg, the Democratic nominee for governor of Indiana, named Hale as his running mate for lieutenant governor in the 2016 election.[7] In the general election on November 8, Gregg and Hale lost to Indiana Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb and State Auditor Suzanne Crouch.[8]

In July 2019, Hale announced her intention to run for Congress in Indiana's 5th congressional district. In June 2019, incumbent Republican Susan Brooks announced that she would not seek reelection.[9][10] On June 2, 2020, Hale won the Democratic primary for the 5th congressional district against State Senator Victoria Spartz. She lost to Spartz in the general election, taking 46% of the vote to Spartz's 50%.[11] This was the closest race in the district since it was reconfigured as a northern suburban district in 1983 (it had been numbered as the 6th until 2003), and only the second time in that period that a Democrat managed 40% of the vote.[12][13] Hale lost seven of the district's eight counties, but was able to keep the race close with a strong showing in her base in Indianapolis; her state house district included much of the district's share of Indianapolis.[14]

Personal life

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Hale lives in Indianapolis with her husband Chris. She has one adult son from a previous relationship.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ Sittler, John (February 4, 2013). "Q&A Meet Rep. Christina Hale". Statehouse File. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  2. ^ bill.dolan@nwi.com, (219) 662-5328, Bill Dolan. "Michigan City native will be Gregg running mate". nwitimes.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Puente, Michael (November 7, 2014). "Latinos worry after losing longtime seat in the Indiana Statehouse". WBEZ 91.5 Chicago. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "Christina Hale". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  5. ^ Nahmad, Erica (2020-07-02). "This Cuban-American Candidate for U.S. Congress Wants You to Channel Your Latina Power, Too". BeLatina. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  6. ^ "Democratic gubernatorial nominee John Gregg's running mate, Christina Hale, is a LaPorte County native | What's New LaPorte?". Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  7. ^ Smith, Brandon (May 25, 2016). "John Gregg Announces Rep. Christina Hale As Running Mate". Indiana Public Media. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "AP: Latecomer Eric Holcomb defeats John Gregg for governor of Indiana". Chicago Tribune. Post-Tribune. November 8, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  9. ^ "U.S. Congressional District Shapefiles". cdmaps.polisci.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  10. ^ "More GOP Women Seeking Office, but Winning Still in Question". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2020-05-31. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  11. ^ "Indiana Primary Election Results: Fifth Congressional District". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  12. ^ "Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page".
  13. ^ "Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page".
  14. ^ Election results from CNN
  15. ^ "Christina Hale for U.S. House, Indiana". www.emilyslist.org. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  16. ^ Osowski, Zach. "Gregg tabs Christina Hale as running mate in governor's race". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
2016
Succeeded by
Indiana House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 87th district

2012–2016
Succeeded by