Joseph Christopher Chocola (born February 24, 1962) is an American businessman, lawyer, and former politician who served as the U.S. representative from Indiana's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2007.
[1] After leaving Congress, Chocola served as president of the Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative 501(c)4 organization, from 2009 through the end of 2014.
[4] In August 2002, CTB International was sold to Berkshire Hathaway, the investment firm of billionaire Warren Buffett.
[5] In the 2000 election, Chocola made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in what was then Indiana's 3rd congressional district, losing to incumbent Democrat Timothy J. Roemer by a 52–47% margin.
"[6] In late October, after Roemer had featured that statement in political ads, Chocola said, "There is no one proposing, including me, a plan of total privatization."
Chocola defeated Tony Zirkle, an attorney, Navy veteran, and frequent candidate, in the Republican primary on May 2, 2006, by 70% to 30%.
In the November general election, Chocola lost to Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly, whom he had defeated in 2004, by a 54–46% margin with 191,861 votes cast.
In January 2006, Chocola said that great strides were being made in transitioning Iraq from military coalition to police control.