Larry Bucshon

Larry Dean Bucshon (born May 31, 1962) is an American politician and physician who has been the U.S. representative for IN's 8th congressional district since 2011.

He is a member of the Republican Party.

Bucshon was born in Taylorville, Illinois on May 31, 1962, and raised in Kincaid, Illinois.

His father, Ronald, was a coal miner, Navy serviceman, and lifelong Democrat; his mother, Barbara, was a nurse.

Bucshon graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and got his medical degree from the University of Illinois Medical School at Chicago.

After medical school, he completed a residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he served as chief resident in surgery and remained there to complete a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery.

He also received training at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Hospital.

During this time, he enlisted with the United States Navy Reserve, where he served for almost a decade.

Bucshon specialized in cardiothoracic surgery and has performed hundreds of heart surgeries.

From 1995 to 1998, he was in private medical practice in Wichita, Kansas.

Bucshon joined Ohio Valley HeartCare in 1998, where he served as the group's president.

He was named St. Mary's Medical Staff Physician of the Year in 2007.

He also served as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Medical Director of the open heart recovery intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital.

Bucshon faced Democratic nominee State Representative Trent Van Haaften in the race to fill the seat vacated by Brad Ellsworth, who was running for Senate.

Bucshon received support from the National Republican Congressional Committee and was named a GOP Young Gun.

During the campaign, he was endorsed by several conservative interest groups and elected officials, including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Congressional Action Committee, United States Chamber of Commerce, National Right to Life Committee, Indiana Right to Life, Indiana Manufacturers Association, Campaign for Working Families, House Minority Leader John Boehner, U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

Bucshon received significant campaign contributions from medical groups.

Bucshon defeated van Haaften by 21 points, winning all 18 counties in the district.

Bucshon defeated Kristi Risk again in the Republican primary.

He has called for freezing spending at 2008 levels, extending the Bush tax cuts for all income brackets, and reviewing all government programs for places to reduce spending.

He has said that Republicans need to "first admit we were partially to blame for the increased government spending over the past decade."

Bucshon supports simplifying the personal and corporate tax codes.

Bucshon had defeated Risk in the 2010 primary, 16,262 votes to 14,273.

In the general election, Bucshon defeated former state representative Dave Crooks.

During his 2010 campaign, Bucshon said one of his campaign goals was to lower taxes for all Americans.

In 2010, Bucshon signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.

Bucshon supports the repeal of the Affordable Health Care for America Act.

He supports reforms that expand and reform high-risk pools and federal reinsurance programs and lower costs.

Bucshon wants to increase transparency in medical care costs.

He has called for cuts in health care programs.

Bucshon, who calls himself "an ardent supporter of protecting the Second Amendment", has supported several bills that loosen restrictions on gun ownership.

Bucshon voted for the Budget Control Act of 2011, which created a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

He also supported a balanced budget amendment that would require the federal government to spend no more than it collects in revenue each year.

He co-sponsored the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, which requires all states to honor concealed carry permits from other states within their borders, irrespective of their own gun laws.

The conservative Club for Growth announced that it would target Bucshon for defeat in the 2014 Republican primary, but he was reelected.

Bucshon is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.

Bucshon voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

After voting, he said there would be "dramatic" economic growth that would "fully cover the amount of revenue decreases" from tax cuts.

Bucshon claimed that people would file their taxes on a postcard.

Bucshon supports lower corporate and individual taxes.