Max Engling announced Oct. 17 that he is running as a Republican to represent Indiana’s 5th Congressional District.
Rep. Victoria Spartz has announced that she is not seeking reelection to that district, which comprises Hamilton, Madison, Delaware, Grant and Tipton counties, and part of Howard County.
In an announcement from his campaign headquarters, listed as PO Box 2151 in Noblesville, Engling stated that the country is on the wrong track and “we need an unabashed fighter who can stop the Democrats and help restore our country.”
The announcement stated that Engling, 36, graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, worked for an HVAC business and volunteered with the Republican Party on campaigns in Indiana. He later interned on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and eventually became a full-time member services director for recently ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California.
The announcement stated that Engling earned a master’s degree in defense and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
According to Legistorm, an online Congressional database, Engling now works as member services director for Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina. His congressional employment began in 2013 with Republican Rep. Dan Lungren of California. He also worked for Republicans Candice Miller of Michigan and Rodney Davis of Illinois.
According to his campaign headquarters, Engling resides in Fishers. The announcement stated that he met his wife, Kelcey, in Muncie, and they were married in Cicero.
Two news stories from 2012 state that Engling is originally from Chicago, and that he was named that year to The Hill’s list of 50 most beautiful people working on Capitol Hill. The Chicago Magazine article states that Engling, then 25, was a former model. He also waited tables in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.
