13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Ex-Army officer drops out of race for Congress

Ex-Army officer drops out of race for Congress

Elkhart - A former Army captain who works with Blackwater USA has dropped out of the Republican race for the U.S. House in northern Indiana's 2nd District.

Chris Minor, 39, of Kokomo said in a news release Friday that the campaign would pose too much of a distraction to his work as an independent contractor in Iraq for the U.S. State Department.

"The vital work of providing intelligence analysis for our country's diplomatic efforts in Iraq demands my full attention," said Minor. "I must also take into account the burden that a political campaign would place upon my family."

Minor is returning to Iraq this month for an assignment that ends in April, a few weeks before the May primary.

He was seeking the GOP nod to challenge incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly, who is serving his first term in Congress after defeating Republican Chris Chocola last year.

It was Minor's first run for political office.

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