Dave Crooks (born December 13, 1963) is a radio station owner and former member of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

, where he represented the 63rd District from 1996 to 2008.

Early life, education, and business career

Crooks was born and raised in Sullivan County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He grew up in a working-class household, where his brother was a mine worker, his mother and sister were steel workers, and his father was a machinist. Crooks entered the work force at the age of nine at a gas station down the street from his family's home. He began working at his first radio station at 17 and eventually came to own stations in both Daviess and Knox counties.

Indiana House of Representatives

Elections

Crooks was first elected to the 63rd House District in the

in 1996. In 2002, he won re-election unopposed. In 2004, he won re-election with 51% of the vote. In 2006, he won re-election with 62% of the vote. In 2008, Crooks choose not to seek re-election and was replaced by current Rep. Mark Messmer (R) who defeated his Democratic opponent with 57% of the vote.

Committee assignments

During his time in the general assembly, Crooks served as Chairman of the Commerce and Utilities Committee and as Chairman of the Insurance and Small Business Committee. He was appointed to the position of Assistant Minority Whip.

2012 congressional election

In May 2011 Dave Crooks announced his candidacy to represent

Indiana's 8th Congressional District Indiana's 8th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Based in Southwestern Indiana, southwest and west central Indiana, the district is anchored in Evansville, Indiana, Evansville and also includes Jasp ...

in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. He will face Republican incumbent Larry Bucshon in the general election. On December 10, 2011, Crooks was endorsed by the 8th District Democratic Central Committee. Crooks and his primary opponent, Patrick Scates, had agreed before the caucus that whoever lost the endorsement would drop out of the race and endorse the winner. The vote results were Crooks, Dave (Democratic) 122325 Gadau, Bart (Libertarian) 10134 Bucshon, Larry D. (Republican) 151533

Personal life

Crooks lives with his wife Shelley in

Brazil, Indiana Brazil is a city in Clay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,176 at the 2022 census. The city is the county seat of Clay County. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. There is a fountain from the country o ...

. They have three children.

References

External links

Dave Crooks for U.S. Congress
official campaign website

official government website (archive) *
Campaign contributions
at OpenSecrets.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Crooks, Dave Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives 1963 births Living people People from Sullivan, Indiana 20th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly 21st-century members of the Indiana General Assembly