Money, lies and power.
They may sound like the ingredients of an exciting movie or novel, but these words have actually been used by some to describe the U.S. Senate race in Indiana.
Democrat Joe Donnelly and Republican Richard Mourdock are locked in a tight, hotly contested battle to fill the Senate seat being vacated by outgoing Sen. Richard Lugar.
This race is one of three campaigns where voters in the Indianapolis area will select the federal elected officials who serve as their voice in Congress.
On Election Day, Indiana will have a new U.S. senator, and at least one new member of the U.S. House.
The Main Event: Donnelly vs. Mourdock
The senate campaign between Donnelly, a congressman from Northern Indiana, and Mourdock, the current state treasurer, has been like the political version of a prizefight. According to polls, the race is in a dead heat and has therefore attracted national attention from those who say it is one of several close matches that could help determine which party will control the U.S. Senate, where Democrats currently have a 53-47 majority.
Former President Bill Clinton stopped in Indianapolis last week to campaign for Donnelly, while Mourdock has received visits from prominent Republicans such as Rep. Paul Ryan, the party’s nominee for vice president.
Political action committees and both major parties have poured millions of dollars into the campaign, much of which has been used for television attack ads that have led the candidates to accuse each other of lying as well as clarifying their views and values.
During the campaign, Donnelly’s priorities have included helping Hoosiers find and keep good, well-paying jobs, strong support for Indiana’s educational facilities, educators and schools, and using his reputation as a “common sense” moderate to help end partisan gridlock in Washington so that the Senate can get more done.
“I won’t stop until every Hoosier who wants a job has a job,” said Donnelly. “I have a plan to help Indiana businesses create jobs, and I will continue to talk about that plan to business owners, educators, students, and those looking for work. We must put the needs of the Hoosier middle class first, and there is a clear choice in this race as to who has the better policies and approach to achieve those needs.”
Mourdock has campaigned on a platform that includes elimination of “wasteful” federal spending, reducing taxes and establishment of a sound energy policy that will unleash America’s natural resources potential to create jobs.
“In Indiana, we’ve shown we can balance budgets, reduce the size of government and create jobs,” Mourdock said. “Working alongside Gov. Mitch Daniels, I helped us craft a recipe I want to export to Washington.”
Libertarian Andrew Horning is also running in the race.
House Races
Voters living in Marion County should know that the district they live in could have changed since the 2010 Census.
Previously, the 7th Congressional District, represented by Democrat André Carson, included most of Indianapolis. Due to redistricting however, more Indianapolis residents, mostly on the city’s Northside, live in the 5th Congressional District, represented by Republican Dan Burton.
Burton is not seeking re-election, and Republican Susan Brooks and Democrat Scott Reske are waging a fierce battle over the open seat.
Brooks is a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and deputy mayor of Indianapolis. More recently, she worked at Ivy Tech Community College, leading statewide job training and workforce development strategies.
Brooks said she would like to restore public confidence in Congress, and has emphasized job creation, small business development, balancing the budget, improving educational standards, and revising the tax code.
Reske, a state representative, business owner, volunteer firefighter and Marine who served in the Iraq War, is running on his legislative record of having fought for public education funding, property tax reform, jobs and economic development, and child protection.
Libertarian Chard Reid, an economics instructor, is also running in the 5th District.
In the 7th Congressional District, Carson is running for re-election against Republican Carlos May, who has worked in the administration of Mayor Greg Ballard as a neighborhood liaison and Director of the Office of Latino Affairs.
He has conducted an aggressive outreach to new voters in the district.
“We have new voters who are becoming more concerned and involved every day,” said May, who has focused his campaign on shifting more government control from Washington to the states, creating an environment that produces jobs, reducing deficits and lowering the tax burden. He has also presented a plan that he says will improve access and services in the district.
Carson’s campaign has noted that since taking office, he has helped to secure more than $500 million in federal resources for the district, and authored or co-authored legislation to ease the tax burden for small businesses, increase opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses, increase access to affordable health care, pursue clean energy technologies, strengthen law enforcement and tighten federal regulations to end the risky lending practices that many believe led to the recession.
Recently, Carson proposed the creation of a new grant program aimed at improving access to locally grown fruit and vegetables for low-income families.
“All over our city, families face food deserts, areas that lack convenient access to supermarkets or grocery stores,” said Carson. “This common-sense, deficit-neutral legislation builds upon the critical efforts of food banks and food pantries to improve low-income families’ access to affordable, nutritious food.”
Everything you need to know
To find out which congressional district you live in, who your representative is, who the candidates are, your polling place and other helpful information, visit the Indiana Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) at indianavoters.in.gov.
