United States Representative Rudy Yakym has deep roots within both Indiana and St. Joseph County. His great-grandfather immigrated to Indiana from Eastern Europe on the eve of World War I, ultimately landing in South Bend. Since then, the Yakyms have been working in and as a part of the community.
“We have a long line of people who live and work in the community,” said Yakym. “Our family has been here 100 years. We’ve traveled all over the country, all over the world, but this has always been home for us.”
Yakym followed in his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather’s footsteps in helping St. Joseph County grow and develop. He graduated with his Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Notre Dame and set to work helping businesses succeed in South Bend.
“I'm a business guy by background, and I spent my career helping people grow companies, create jobs, and engineer and execute on growth strategy,” said Yakym. “About 10 years ago, I worked for my predecessor, Jackie Walorski.”
Former United States Representative Jacqueline “Jackie” Walorski was the representative for Indiana’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 until her tragic passing in fall of 2022. When Yakym stepped up to fill the role, he did so with the lessons he learned under Walorski in mind.
“Jackie served our state and our country for a decade in her role, and she did so admirably,” said Yakym. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the legacy that Jackie has built, and I see that legacy everywhere. I make sure that I do things as Jackie did, which means being all over the district all the time.”
Yakym has been informed on politics through a combination of experience campaigning for his father’s school board candidacy and his time under Walorski. He realized that the most important part of being an elected official is being there and committing to the role.
“I was a volunteer on my dad’s campaign at the age of 10, going door to door passing out flyers, making phone calls, and attending meetings for my dad and I saw how being involved can really make a difference,” said Yakym. “As I got into my teens and 20s, I realized that there are so few people that are willing to dedicate the time to be involved, and because of that, it doesn't take but a few people getting involved to really make a big difference.”
Yakym is dedicated to making sure his constituents know who their representative is. He tries to build relationships with them like Walorski did. He also combines his business background to help develop the district and its 11 counties further. This requires Yakym to work with people from all walks of life.
“Jackie had a reputation, even in Washington, for working with and partnering with people. Even if she disagreed on some topics, she would find common ground on issues with people. I seek to continue that,” said Yakym. “I'm also taking a lot of my own business experience bringing that common sense, Hoosier business approach to the nation's capital to solve some of the big issues.”
When approaching federal issues, Yakym takes a state-rights approach.
“A big part of what I spend my time on is making sure that the federal government doesn't get in the way of our Hoosier farmers,” said Yakym. “What I trust more than anything is for Hoosiers to make the decisions for them that are good for their businesses, that are good for their quality of life, and that are good for the future of our Hoosier economy.”
At the end of the day, Yakym is hoping to make a positive impact on Hoosiers today and the future Hoosiers of tomorrow.
“What I want to be is the type of person that can walk into a committee room and actually be able to affect change on a bill that impacts the lives of Hoosiers. That takes a pretty high degree of focused energy on studying and understanding the issue,” said Yakym. “There are opportunities to make the country an even better place for our kids to grow up in than what we had. I want to make sure that we maintain that positive trajectory as a country.”