Representative Michael E. Sodrel

Michael Eugene Sodrel (born December 17, 1945) is an American politician and businessman who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Indiana’s 9th congressional district from January 3, 2005, to January 3, 2007. During his single term in Congress, he participated in the legislative process at a time of significant national debate over domestic policy, foreign affairs, and the role of government, representing the interests of his southern Indiana constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sodrel was born in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, and grew up across the Ohio River in New Albany, Indiana. He graduated from New Albany High School in 1963. Following high school, he attended Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, pursuing further education while beginning his involvement in the family transportation business. His early life in the Ohio River Valley, straddling the Kentucky–Indiana border, would later inform his political focus on transportation, commerce, and regional economic development.

From 1966 to 1973, Sodrel served in the 151st Infantry Regiment of the Indiana National Guard. He was honorably discharged with the rank of staff sergeant. Even before and during his National Guard service, beginning in 1963, he worked in his family’s trucking enterprise, Sodrel Truck Lines Inc., gaining extensive experience in logistics and over-the-road transportation. Building on this background, he later founded the Free Enterprise System Inc., a charter motor-coach and contract passenger-carrier company, as well as Sodrel Logistics, expanding his role as a business owner and employer in the region. He became known for personally driving an 18‑wheeler on the campaign trail, underscoring his identity as a working businessman. Outside of business and politics, Sodrel authored an internet book titled “Citizen Sheep Government Shepherds,” reflecting his views on government and civic responsibility.

Sodrel’s political career developed out of his business and civic activities in southern Indiana. A member of the Republican Party, he first sought election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, running in Indiana’s 9th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Baron Hill. In that initial race he was defeated, 51 percent to 46 percent. Undeterred, he ran again in 2004 in a rematch with Hill. In a closely contested election, Sodrel defeated Hill by 1,425 votes, securing a seat in the 109th Congress. His victory marked the beginning of his formal congressional service, during which he emphasized issues such as job creation, tax reduction, and conservative social and economic values.

During his term in Congress from 2005 to 2007, Sodrel served on several key House committees. He was a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the House Committee on Small Business, and the House Committee on Science. These assignments aligned with his professional background in transportation and logistics and his interest in economic development and small business. In his legislative work, Sodrel opposed partial-birth abortions and federal funding for elective abortions, and he was an outspoken supporter of the right to bear arms. He opposed additional environmental regulations and favored permanently repealing the federal estate tax. His voting record earned him a 92 lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and a zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters, reflecting his consistently conservative positions. In 2006 he introduced a bill intended to prevent federal courts from ruling on the content of speech in state legislatures, a measure prompted by U.S. District Judge David Hamilton’s ruling that official Indiana House proceedings could not begin with sectarian prayers advancing any particular religion.

Sodrel’s 2006 reelection campaign again pitted him against Baron Hill in what became one of the most closely watched races in the country. The Cook Political Report rated the contest as a toss-up throughout the campaign. President George W. Bush traveled to Indianapolis early in 2006 to headline a fundraiser on Sodrel’s behalf, while former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Hill at events in Indianapolis. Outside groups also became involved; Texas businessman Bob J. Perry contributed more than $5 million to the Economic Freedom Fund, a 527 organization that targeted Hill among others and financed automated “push poll” calls attacking him. These calls ceased after action by the Indiana Attorney General. Despite roughly equivalent fundraising by the candidates, Sodrel lost his bid for a second term in the November 2006 general election, receiving about 45 percent of the vote to Hill’s 50 percent.

Following his 2006 defeat, Sodrel continued to seek a return to Congress. In October 2007 he announced that he would run again in 2008 for the 9th district seat, once more challenging Baron Hill. In contrast to 2006, when Cook had rated the race a toss-up, the 2008 contest was rated between “Likely Democratic” and “Lean Democratic” by the Cook Political Report, reflecting a more favorable national climate for Democrats and weaker fundraising on Sodrel’s part compared both to Hill and to Sodrel’s own 2006 campaign. In the 2008 general election, Hill defeated Sodrel by a wider margin, 58 percent to 39 percent. On January 11, 2010, at an event in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Sodrel announced that he would again seek the Republican nomination for the 9th congressional seat, entering a primary field that included Bloomington attorney Todd Young and Columbus real-estate investor Travis Hankins. A poll published by the weblog Firedoglake showed Sodrel leading Hill 49–41 in a hypothetical head-to-head race, but in the Republican primary he finished third, behind Hankins and winner Todd Young. Young went on to win the general election against Hill.

After a period away from electoral politics, Sodrel reemerged as a candidate in the 2022 election cycle. On February 8, 2022, following the announcement that three-term Representative Trey Hollingsworth would retire, Sodrel declared that he would once again seek the Republican nomination for Indiana’s 9th congressional district, effectively attempting to reclaim his former seat after a twelve-year political retirement. He was one of nine Republicans competing in the primary. In that contest he finished second to State Senator Erin Houchin, who subsequently won the general election and succeeded Hollingsworth as the district’s representative. Throughout these later campaigns, Sodrel continued to emphasize themes consistent with his earlier service, including creating and protecting jobs, lowering taxes, and advancing conservative values.

In his personal life, Sodrel married Marquita Dean in 1967. The couple has two children and seven granddaughters. Beyond his business and political activities, he has been active in civic and charitable organizations, serving on the boards of various nonprofits, including the Remnant Trust, and as a past regional council president of the Boy Scouts of America. His long career has combined military service, entrepreneurship in the transportation and logistics industry, and repeated engagement in the electoral process as a Republican candidate and former member of Congress from Indiana.