A look back at Mark Souder's career

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Mark Souder, who Tuesday announced his resignation amid the admission of an extramarital affair with a part-time female staffer, has represented most of northeast Indiana in Congress for more than 15 years. With his long tenure in Congress coming to an end this week, NewsChannel 15 decided to take a brief look back at his political career.

Souder was first elected as part of the Republican revolution of 1994. Altogether, he won eight terms in the House. During his time in Congress, Souder was a vocal advocate for northeast Indiana's interests: pushing to bring home funding for projects like the Maplecrest Road extension, for area colleges like IPFW, and for other institutions like Fort Wayne International Airport. He also fought hard for several years to keep in-patient care at Fort Wayne's V.A. hospital.
 

Throughout his career, he also drew criticism from across the political spectrum. A few years ago, Souder took heat for his efforts to spend money on renaming I-469 after Ronald Reagan.

At times, fellow conservatives even took Souder to task. A couple examples were when he didn't vote for every article of impeachment against President Clinton in 1998 as well as when he voted for federal spending like the bailout of the financial industry in 2008.
 

A policy wonk who spent years as a top aide to former congressman and senator Dan Coats, Mark Souder never fit the stereotypical mold of the smooth-talking, charismatic congressman. But he was a political juggernaut nonetheless; withstanding tough primary challenges over the years from ex-Fort Wayne mayor Paul Helmke and millionaire car dealer Bob Thomas, as well as a 2006 general election challenge from former Fort Wayne city councilman Tom Hayhurst.

Souder always portrayed himself as a fighter; a congressman who would fight for his district and his values, particularly in his most recent primary victory. Now, away from the halls of Capitol Hill and out of the public eye, he'll face the most important fight of his life: the battle to repair the damage done to his family.
 

Souder's last day in Congress is expected to be Friday, when he submits his resignation to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.