FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP): A county councilman in northeastern Indiana has been selected to fill the seat of the outgoing Republican leader of the Indiana Senate.

Allen County Councilman Justin Busch defeated Parkview Health public safety director Tom Rhoades on Tuesday at a Republican caucus of Senate District 16 officials in Fort Wayne.

Busch is the northeast Indiana director for Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young and has been an aide to other senators.

He’ll take the seat of Senate President Pro Tem David Long, who is stepping down to take a job at a high-powered law firm.

Busch will finish Long’s four-year term, which expires in 2020, starting Nov. 6.