Councilman to fill seat of outgoing Indiana Senate leader

A county councilman in northeastern Indiana has been selected to fill the seat of the outgoing Republican leader of the Indiana Senate.

Allen County Councilman Justin Busch defeated Parkview Health public safety director Tom Rhoades on Tuesday at a Republican caucus of Senate District 16 officials in Fort Wayne. Busch is the northeast Indiana director for Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young and has been an aide to other senators.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long of Fort Wayne announced in February that he was stepping down in November. He's taking a job at high-powered Indianapolis law firm Ice Miller.

Long has been the Senate's leader since 2006 and was first elected to the chamber 22 years ago. Busch will finish Long's four-year term, which expires in 2020, starting Nov. 6.