Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock resigned Friday, with four months left in his term.Mourdock said he wanted to pursue other professional interests.
A source tells the Indianapolis Star that the move was also motivated by a change in retirement benefits that will decrease payouts to retiring state workers starting in September.Mourdock, a tea party favorite, defeated longtime Sen. Richard Lugar in the 2012 Senate primary but has often been a lightning rod for criticism.Many questioned his decision to spend millions to challenge the Chrysler bankruptcy in 2009.He drew fire in a Senate debate for saying a pregnancy that resulted from rape was "something God intended."He also upset many of the GOP faithful again in June when he compared the handling of the national economy to the events leading up to Germany's 1936 elections under the Nazi regime.Governor Mike Pence appointed Indiana Finance Authority Chief Financial Officer Daniel Huge to serve as interim treasurer.
