Former Indiana Secretary of Public Safety Jennifer-Ruth Green announced Thursday she will not seek the Republican nomination for Indiana’s First Congressional District in November because the Indiana legislature did not pass mid-census redistricting.
Since mid-census redistricting failed in the Indiana legislature, Green said in a statement that the First Congressional District “remains an extremely difficult seat for a Republican to compete in and win.” Green ran for the seat as the Republican candidate against U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, in 2022 and lost.
“Having been through it once, I understand the harsh reality: to win this seat, there is no margin for error. We will only win when we are unified in our vision as Republicans. We are in a midterm environment that history tells us will be challenging,” Green said.
While Green said she’s not afraid of leading or of “completing difficult tasks” or of fighting “poor ideas,” it was important to her to “act with great wisdom before leading a team into the battle for the heart of our country, when our own teammates have proverbially tied our hands behind our back.”
“We will eventually flip this seat. It will require unity and a shared vision. I am committed to developing both, as God leads,” Green said.
Mrvan, through a spokesperson, said he had no comment.
The Trump administration began pushing Republican-led states, starting with Texas, in August to take up mid-census redistricting to secure a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 election. Typically, redistricting occurs after the release of census data.
Ultimately, after months of discussions, the Indiana legislature met in early December to vote on new congressional maps and to allow for mid-census redistricting. The House passed the measure, but it failed in the Senate.
Green announced her candidacy for the First Congressional District in October, one day after Gov. Mike Braun called for a special session to address redistricting.
Green resigned as Indiana’s Secretary of Public Safety on Sept. 5 amid an ethics probe for political activity, ghost employment, misuse of state property, and the prohibition against retaliation.
The Indiana State Ethics Commission approved a settlement agreement in Green’s ethics case in December for violating Indiana’s political activity and misuse of state property rules. With the approval, Green will have to pay the $10,000 fine.
In September, the office drafted a probable cause affidavit that listed ethics violations against Green. It alleged that she asked employees to generate content and proofread posts on the Committee to Elect Jennifer-Ruth Green Facebook account; included her state title on her Battle-Proven Leadership website; met with a member of the National Republican Congressional Committee during work hours on state property; used a state employee as a personal aide for tasks including retrieving her assigned state vehicle from Crown Point; and retaliated against an employee for providing information to the inspector general’s office.
When she learned that an employee reported her to the Office of the Inspector General, Green threatened the employee with demotion or termination and “made derogatory comments” toward the employee, according to the complaint.
With those actions, Green violated the state’s political activity rule, the ghost employment rule, the misuse of state property rule and the prohibition against retaliation, Elaine Vullmahn, chief counsel for enforcement at the inspector general’s office, said during the commission meeting.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has been reviewing the materials submitted and will likely release a conclusion at the end of the review, Vullmahn said.
In a statement to the commission, Green said she has been in leadership roles in the Air Force and then Braun’s administration.
“As a leader, I know that I am responsible for what happens within the domain over which I led. I assure you, the violations of the ethics code are aberrant behavior for me. The violations were mistakes … not made with any malicious intent or for gain,” Green’s statement to the commission read.
