Fourth District Congressman Todd Rokita says if re-elected for a third term, education reform would be
one of his priorities.
The Republican wants to give states the power to set their own benchmarks for K-12 education instead of being held to the guidelines in the No Child Left Behind Act.
Rokita says he would also seek to streamline the application process for federal loans and grant applications for higher education.
His challenger, John Dale, has been a government and history teacher at Western Boone High School for 24 years.
The Democrat says the federal government should not be taking money from public schools to fund charter schools.
Dale also wants to see Congress invest more in renewable energy.
" One dollar invested in renewable energy produces four times as many jobs as that same dollar in the energy industries of the past," says Dale. "That's what we needs to be investing in. Oil is a finite resource. We are going to be running out of it, it's just a matter of when."
Rokita is a heavy favorite in the 4th district race.
He faced two challengers in the 2012 election, and won the seat with 62-percent of the vote.