Todd Rokita plans to shake up the Senate

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Current U.S. Representative Todd Rokita is looking to leave the House in order to shake up the Senate.

“President Trump’s agenda is being thwarted at every turn and I’m going to be there just like I was with him on the campaign to continue on making America great,” said candidate Rokita.

Congressman Rokita made that pitch to local voters on a stop in South Bend last week.

He vowed to stand up for their values by standing by President Trump if elected.

“He’s very popular in this state,” said Rokita. “He’s revered by a lot of people because he’s turning things upside down and shaking things up.”

Shaking up the Senate is his plan after serving in the House since 2012.

During his tenure, he’s cosponsored 40 bills.

Most recently, he pushed the SLAP Act.

It’s a bill that would penalize those who obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

It’s a topic at the center of his platform.

His "Fight Back" TV ad promised to make English the country’s official language.

ABC 57 News asked Rokita what that meant.

“For a nation to be sovereign, for a nation to be strong, it deserves to have a border; it deserves to have several things in common, that’s what binds us together as a people,” said Rokita. “Of course we want immigration; of course we want people from all walks of life and parts of the world to come together, that’s good. But we have to have some common bonds.”

He’s hoping those conservative ideals will lead to a huge upset victory over Democratic Incumbent Senator Joe Donnelly in the fall.

“We’re showing people that we have the guts the courage and tenacity and the work ethic to put someone with Hoosier values in the U.S. Senate,” he said.