Rep. Terry Goodin, a veteran lawmaker and superintendent of a Southern Indiana school district, will succeed Rep. Scott Pelath, who resigned the post earlier this month citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
In Goodin, Democrats chose one of their caucus's leading voices on education, but also someone who has taken a number of socially conservative positions over the years, sometimes putting him at odds with a majority of House Democrats.
Goodin beat out several other Democrats who had expressed interest in the position. In the end, the decision came down to Goodin or Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, a Fort Wayne lawmaker known for his fundraising prowess.
Goodin won by a one-vote margin, 15-14, with a coalition of supporters that included several veteran lawmakers and members of the black caucus, according to several sources.
