Former US Rep. Mark Souder dead at 72 after cancer battle

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Mark Souder, a Republican who represented northeastern Indiana in Congress for more than 15 years, has died. He was 72. Souder disclosed in January that he had inoperable pancreatic cancer. Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana noted Souder’s death Monday during remarks on the floor of the Senate on Thursday. Souder described himself as an “ultraconservative” and had been running for a ninth term in the U.S. House when he abruptly resigned in May 2010 after admitting to an extramarital affair with a woman who worked in his congressional office. Throughout his congressional tenure, Souder made evangelical Christianity a centerpiece of his public persona.