Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, whose law license was temporarily suspended while in office when the state Supreme Court ruled he criminally battered four women, is running for governor.

Hill joins a crowded Republican primary for the open seat.

The former Elkhart County prosecutor had been seen as a rising Republican star before allegations that he groped four women, including a state lawmaker, at a late-night party in 2018. Despite facing calls to resign — and having his law license suspended for a month — Hill remained in office before losing reelection at the state Republican Party convention to current Attorney General Todd Rokita.

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Hill also lost a bid for Congress last year in a private Republican caucus to replace the late U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski.

In a statement, Hill said he’s running for governor because people want a “proven conservative leader who is not beholden to Washington, D.C. or special interest groups.”

U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden are among the other announced Republican candidates.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.