Brandt Hershman


Brandt Hershman is an American politician and a former Republican state senator for Indiana. He is married to Lisa Hershman. He served from 2000 to 2018.

Early life

Hershman grew up on a farm in Jasper County, Indiana, which he still manages. After graduating from Purdue University with a degree in Political Science, Brandt took a job working in the White House. In 1991, a family friend, Steve Buyer, asked for help in his run for Congress. After winning in 1992, Brandt became the district operations director for Buyer.

Political career

Hershman was first elected to the Indiana Senate in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. He served as the Majority Floor Leader and represented Senate District 7, which includes parts of White, Tippecanoe, Jasper, Clinton, Carroll and Boone counties.
In 2007, Hershman authored the bill to ban same-sex marriage in Indiana.
Hershman was named Senate majority floor leader in 2012 after Connie Lawson resigned to become Secretary of State. He also served as chairman of the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee. He co-authored the Major Moves transportation bill and has won numerous awards for his work with telecommunication deregulation and small business in Indiana.
On February 17, 2010, Senator Hershman filed paperwork to run for Indiana's 4th Congressional District. He finished second to Todd Rokita in the 2010 primary election. On December 22, 2017, Hershman announced that he would resign from the Senate on January 2, 2018. He was succeeded by Rodric Bray as Senate majority floor leader.