INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock has resigned four months before the end of his term.
Mourdock announced his departure Friday, saying he wanted to pursue other professional interests. The two-term state treasurer was barred by state law from seeking a third term.
The tea party favorite defeated longtime Sen. Richard Lugar in the 2012 Senate primary but has often been a lightning rod for criticism.
Many questioned his decision to spend millions to challenge the Chrysler bankruptcy in 2009.
He drew fire in a Senate debate for saying a pregnancy that resulted from rape was “something God intended.''
He also upset many of the GOP faithful again in June when he compared the handling of the national economy to the events leading up to Germany's 1936 elections under the Nazi regime.
