Greg Zoeller
Greg Zoeller (b. March 28, 1955, in New Albany, Indiana) was the 42nd attorney general of Indiana. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to the statewide position in 2008, and assumed office the following January.
Zoeller won re-election as state attorney general in 2012.[1] After being nominated for a second term by Republican delegates at the party's primary convention in June, Zoeller went on to defeat Democratic challenger Kay Fleming, an Indianapolis attorney, in the general election on November 6, 2012.[2][3]
Zoeller's second term as attorney general expired in January 2017 and he did not run for re-election in 2016. Instead, he was a 2016 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 9th Congressional District of Indiana.[4] Zoeller was defeated by Trey Hollingsworth in the Republican primary.[5]
Before becoming attorney general, Zoeller had amassed two decades of experience in politics without ever holding elected office himself. His past credits include serving as counsel and assistant to Dan Quayle in the U.S. Senate, and later, in the White House, after Quayle ascended to the vice presidency alongside former President of the United States George H.W. Bush. Zoeller has represented the U.S. delegation to NATO in Brussels and led the World Trade Center of Indiana as both director and president of the organization.
Beginning in 2001, Zoeller worked as the chief deputy attorney general under then-officeholder Steve Carter, in addition to his role as chief of the litigation division and advisory services of the office. Within this capacity, he directed the overall administration of legal services provided by the attorney general's office.[1]
Biography
Immediately upon receiving his law degree, Zoeller served as both the legislative and political counsel to then-Senator Dan Quayle. It was within this role that he managed five statewide offices in Washington, D.C. and Indiana. He was appointed as a special assistant to United States Attorney General Richard Thornburg in 1988. From 1989 to 1991, Zoeller served as an assistant to Vice President Dan Quayle within the White House. He was selected in 1992 to serve as Vice President of the Indiana Council of World Affairs on board the United States delegation to NATO in Brussels, Belgium.[1]
Zoeller then assumed the roles of president and director of the World Trade Center of Indiana, a charitable organization whose mission is to attract new industries or retain old ones within a given area.
In 1988, Zoeller received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science - Purdue University[6]
- Juris Doctorate degree, Indiana University School of Law (1982)
Political career
Indiana Attorney General (2009-2017)
Zoeller narrowly defeated Democrat Linda Pence to win election as Indiana's 42nd attorney general in the November 4, 2008 election. He was re-elected on November 6, 2012, defeating Kay Fleming (D). He did not seek re-election as attorney general in 2016.
Opposition to the Affordable Care Act
 |
On March 30, 2010, Zoeller joined thirteen other state attorneys general in a lawsuit against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[7][8] The newly-elected attorney general stated that he would "join in the most appropriate legal actions available to represent the significant interests of our state in this matter."[9] Under Indiana Code 4-6-8-2, which authorizes the state's attorney general to "make any reasonable or appropriate investigation or study of any such existing or proposed federal legislation whenever he is specifically requested so to do by any of this state's senators or representatives in congress and report the result thereof as requested," United States Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) asked Zoeller to "conduct a legal analysis of the constitutionality of provisions of the federal healthcare bill" on January 5, 2010.[10][11] The Indiana Attorney General had received similar inquiries from other congressmen, including Representatives Dan Burton (R-Ind.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.), at around the same time. About a month later, Zoeller published a fifty-five page report on his findings. He argued that the bill "would add roughly half a million more Hoosiers to the Medicaid rolls and create unintended consequences for patients, taxpayers and Indiana's medical-device industry."[12]
Zoeller took part in the oral arguments against the constitutionality of the individual mandate component of the law before the U.S. Supreme Court in March, 2012. Three months later, the Court ruled by a 5-4 vote to uphold the law, with the proviso that the mandate penalty be preserved in the form of a tax. Although he was disappointed in the court's decision, Zoeller defended the time and effort he invested in the lawsuit. “I still maintain it was not a frivolous case. It will give us guidance on what authority the federal government has and doesn’t have,” he told a reporter after the announcement. Zoeller also urged the public "to maintain civility and respect for the U.S. Supreme Court."[13]
Human-Trafficking
In February, 2012, Zoeller pushed successfully for legislative changes which are now in effect making it easier to prosecute traffickers and rescue victims.
Upon his election to the attorney general's office, Zoeller was tasked with developing ways to raise awareness about the human-trafficking industry and stifle its demand. As part of the nation-wide "Pillars of Hope" initiative, he founded the "Don't Buy the Lie" campaign that "aims to inform the public that purchasing sex is not a victimless crime and it fuels human trafficking." He serves as the co-chair of the Indiana Protection of Abused and Trafficked Humans (IPATH) task force. The task force has trained more than 2,000 people, ranging from law enforcement officers to hospitality workers, since the campaign launched in July, 2011.[14]
Super Bowl renter scam
In his capacity to protect Indiana consumers, Attorney General Zoeller filed a suit in Marion Superior Court against two Arizona-based home-rental companies accused of defrauding Indianapolis homeowners in preparation for the 2012 Super Bowl, which Indiana hosted. The companies offered services such as photographing and listing the homes of locals interested in renting to out-of-town fans seeking a place to stay while in town for the game. Super Week Lodging LCC and Major Home Rentalz guaranteed refunds for those whose homes did not get rented out, some of whom payed in excess of $1,400 in individual "online listing fees."[15] The scam yielded almost $30,000 in total losses, according to the 21 complaints registered with the attorney general's office.[16] "Although the Super Bowl brought positive attention and business to Indianapolis, it also brought in scammers who intended to deceive and take financial advantage of consumers," Zoeller explained after filing the lawsuits on March 1, 2012.[16]
Approximately five months later, Zoeller announced that one of the companies, Super Week Lodging LCC, failed to respond to the state suit, forcing Marion County Superior Court judge to issue a default judgment. The judgment ordered the company to pay $217,725 in fines and restitution for reneging on rental agreements stemming from the 2012 Super Bowl and placed an injunction on the company to prevent future deceptive acts. Zoeller said the default judgment amounted to $40,975 in consumer restitution, $176,000 in civil penalties and $750 in costs.[15]
Poverty
Since 2009, Zoeller has orchestrated an annual program aimed at reversing the post-holiday season dry up of food donations to banks and drives to help the hungry. The March Against Hunger food drive charges all law firms in Indiana and in adjacent states' metropolitan areas to donate food and money to Indiana's 11 regional food banks. In 2011, 50 law firms in Indiana Ohio and Kentucky donated more than 6,000 pounds of food and raised $27,574. Owing in part to the recession, the poverty rate in the region was alarmingly high, with about one in six Indiana residents at risk of hunger.[17] In 2012, Attorney General of Ohio Mike DeWine joined the effort.[18]
Elections
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as a race to watch. Incumbent Todd Young (R) won election to the U.S. Senate in 2016, leaving his seat open. Trey Hollingsworth (R) defeated Shelli Yoder (D) and Russell Brooksbank (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hollingsworth defeated Robert Hall, Erin Houchin, Brent Waltz, and Greg Zoeller in the Republican primary. On the other side of the aisle, Yoder defeated Bob Kern, James McClure Jr., and Bill Thomas to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on May 3, 2016.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Trey Hollingsworth |
54.1% | 174,791 | |
| Democratic | Shelli Yoder | 40.5% | 130,627 | |
| Libertarian | Russell Brooksbank | 5.4% | 17,425 | |
| Total Votes | 322,843 | |||
| Source: Indiana Division of Elections | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Trey Hollingsworth |
33.5% | 40,767 | ||
| Erin Houchin | 25% | 30,396 | ||
| Greg Zoeller | 21.9% | 26,554 | ||
| Brent Waltz | 13% | 15,759 | ||
| Robert Hall | 6.6% | 8,036 | ||
| Total Votes | 121,512 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shelli Yoder |
70.1% | 44,253 | ||
| Bob Kern | 11.6% | 7,298 | ||
| James McClure Jr. | 10.4% | 6,574 | ||
| Bill Thomas | 7.9% | 4,990 | ||
| Total Votes | 63,115 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State |
||||
Zoeller was a member of the NRCC's Young Guns Program in 2016. The Young Guns program "supports and mentors challenger and open-seat candidates in races across the country."[19]
2012
- See also: Indiana attorney general election, 2012
Zoeller won re-election in 2012. In Indiana, the two major parties conduct state conventions to nominate candidates for statewide offices.[20] On June 9, Republican convention delegates officially nominated Zoeller for attorney general.[21] The Democratic nominating convention took place one week later, with Indianapolis attorney Kay Fleming emerging as the Democrat's pick to challenge Zoeller's incumbency in the November 6 general election.[3]
| Attorney General of Indiana General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Greg Zoeller Incumbent |
58% | 1,453,334 | |
| Democratic | Kay Fleming | 42% | 1,051,504 | |
| Total Votes | 2,504,838 | |||
| Election results via Indiana Secretary of State | ||||
2008
Zoeller was narrowly elected Indiana Attorney General in 2008, defeating Democrat Linda Pence. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.
| Indiana Attorney General - General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Greg Zoeller |
50.7% | 1,318,147 | |
| Democratic | Linda Pence | 49.3% | 1,279,284 | |
| Total Votes | 2,597,431 | |||
| Election results via Indiana Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Zoeller currently resides in Indiana with his wife, Kerrie Turner, and their three children—Gretchen, Katherine, and Michael. He is also a practicing member of Christ the King Catholic Church.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Greg Zoeller Indiana Attorney. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Office of Indiana State Attorney General
Indiana Government Center South
302 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (317) 232-6201
Fax: (317) 232-7979
E-mail: [email protected]
See also
- Indiana Attorney General
- Attorney General
- Governor of Indiana
- Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
- Indiana Secretary of State
- Indiana attorney general election, 2012
External links
- Congressional campaign website
- Official Indiana Attorney General website
- Greg Zoeller's Facebook profile
- Greg Zoeller's Twitter account
- Greg Zoeller for Indiana Attorney General Campaign website
- Project Vote Smart - Greg Zoeller biography
- Indiana Attorney General YouTube channel
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008
- Zoeller for AG on Facebook
- Follow Zoeller's campaign on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Indiana Attorney General, "About" accessed September 15, 2012
- ↑ NWITimes, "Indiana Republicans pass party torch to Pence," June 9, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Indiana News Center, "Democrats meet their nominees," June 16, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 WTHITV.com, "Indiana attorney general enters congressional race," July 20, 2015 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "cong16" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 5.0 5.1 The New York Times, "Indiana Primary Results," May 3, 2016
- ↑ Paul Norwine for Political Office, "State attorney general Greg Zoeller visits KVHS to lay down the law (or just explain it)," February 10, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press, "13 attorneys general sue over health care overhaul" 23 March, 2010
- ↑ The Indianapolis Star, "Indiana joins 13 states to challenge health reform" 30 March, 2010
- ↑ The Hoosier Pundit' "Zoeller Readies Legal Challenge to ObamaCare" 23 March, 2010
- ↑ Find Law - Ind. Code § 4-6-8-2 : Indiana Code - Section 4-6-8-2: Reports; senators or representatives in congress
- ↑ The Hoosier Pundit, "Greg Zoeller to Review Constitutionality of ObamaCare" 7 Jan. 2010
- ↑ The Hoosier Pundit, "Zoeller Issues Report on ObamaCare" 6 Feb. 2010
- ↑ Indiana Star, "No regrets:Indiana's attorney general stand by health care case," June 28, 2012
- ↑ Office Press Release, "AG Zoeller: Spotlight on Super Bowl, national efforts to fight human trafficking," February 4, 2012
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Inside Indiana Business, "Super Bowl Rental Company Ordered to Pay," July 13, 2012
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 general?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com IndyStar, "SuperBowl 2012 home rental companies sued by Zoeller," March 1, 2012
- ↑ Evansville Courier & Press, "Post holiday help for local food-banks," February 21, 2012
- ↑ FOX19.com, Attorneys General Zoeller and DeWine team up for March Against Hunger," February 27, 2012
- ↑ NRCC, "32 Congressional Candidates Announced “On the Radar” as Part of NRCC’s Young Guns Program," November 19, 2015
- ↑ Indiana Code, IC 3-8-4-1," accessed May 1, 2012
- ↑ NWITimes, "Indiana Republicans pass party torch to Pence," June 9, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steve Carter (R) |
Indiana Attorney General 2009-2017 |
Succeeded by Curtis Hill (R) |
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