Free Republic

Indiana Rep. Dan Burton said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the only GOP presidential candidate who can go toe-to-toe with President Barack Obama and turn the country away from the president’s socialist path. Burton, who made the comments while endorsing Gingrich at the speaker’s Latin American foreign policy speech at Florida International University in Miami-Dade County, told the audience that “we cannot stand four more years of president Obama.” “He is a socialist,” Burton said. “He is taking this country down the socialist path and we have to change it or America will be changed forever, in the wrong...

Former Vice President Dan Quayle will endorse Mitt Romney for president tomorrow at a campaign event in Arizona. The endorsement will take place in Paradise Valley, Arizona, which is located within the congressional district of Ben Quayle, the former Vice President's son, who was elected to the House in 2010 and has yet to make an endorsement in the presidential race....

Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock picked up an endorsement from a presidential candidate in his primary challenge to Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) this week. Former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain announced he would support Mourdock’s primary bid to unseat Lugar during a Monday visit to Indianapolis, the Associated Press reported. Cain reportedly met with Mourdock after addressing Indiana Republicans on the invitation of the state party. Indiana Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb invited all the GOP presidential candidates to speak to the Republican faithful in the state, but Cain was the first to schedule a visit. Cain placed fifth in Iowa's...

A poll unveiled this week from American Research Group shows that three Republican presidential candidates -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska -- are gaining serious momentum in Iowa, site of the first presidential caucus. Bachmann, who declared her candidacy in June and has been surging in polls at both the national and state levels, topped the poll with 21 percent. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts placed second with 18 percent. Paul, who was the Libertarian candidate in 1988 and ran for the Republican nomination in...

From backing the DREAM Act to supporting President Obama's crippling START Treaty with Russia, Dick Lugar has had a checkered past with Conservative thought and policy. Maybe if he had spent less time golfing with the President he would have had the time to look through these disastrous bills. There is now hope. In January, RINO Hunters in Indiana gathered to decide on someone to run against Lugar, and Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock now is challenging Dick Lugar in the 2012 Senate run. Richard Mourdock's campaign site has a wonderful YouTube video with damning comments falling from the lips...

Please Freep this Poll: Do you support the Right to Work Law? No Yes Undecided The Indiana Democrats followed the Wisconsin Democrats. Help us send a message.

He broke the news to supporters in a letter. Pence ended months of public speculation with a letter to supporters that he shared with the Indianapolis Star. In the choice between seeking national office and serving Indiana in some capacity, we choose Indiana,” the six-term House member wrote. I’ve worked with Rep. Pence a couple of times. He is exactly as he seems: genuine, humble, fair, smart, strongly patriotic and deeply committed to conservatism. He’ll make a great governor, and hopefully before long, a great president.

Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who trounced Democratic opponent Pete Buttigieg just a week ago, is now being talked about as a formidable opponent in May 2012. His possible opponent that year? None other than the vaunted U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar. Brian Howey of Howey Politics Indiana, whose column appears in The Times and at nwi.com on Sundays, cited "multiple informed and reliable Republican sources" in reporting this afternoon that Mourdock has set his sights on Lugar. Here's a snippet from Howey's post: "I've had a lot of Republicans telling me that I ought to look at a lot of...

In a speech Tuesday night at a pro-life event in Houston, former presidential candidate Sarah Palin said abortion is an "essential" issues for the pro-life movement in the 2010 elections. Palin said it is important to take advantage of the opportunity the elections present to mitigate President Barack Obama's pro-abortion agenda. Palin said Obama has been responsible for "the biggest advance of the abortion industry in America" thanks to the ObamaCare bill that includes abortion funding, she said, according to CNN. She added Obama is "the most pro-abortion president to ever occupy the White House," "That's why it's essential that...

Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Jimtown, picked up another big-name Republican endorsement Wednesday in her congressional campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger. Former Alaska governor, 2008 vice presidential candidate and current Fox News Channel pundit Sarah Palin endorsed Walorski on her Facebook page just before noon. Palin endorsed six other conservative female political candidates Wednesday as she recognized the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote. Palin said Walorski "knows the people, she knows the issues that matter to them, and most importantly, she knows what she stands for — limited government,...

Indiana state Rep. Randy Borror (R), an announced candidate to replace soon-to-resign Rep. Mark Souder (R), says that the top issues in northeastern Indiana dovetail with his background and experience. Borror told CQ Politics Wednesday that he's well-positioned to provide needed leadership for the Fort Wayne-based 3rd district on jobs, economic development and deficit reduction as the author of legislation creating the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and as a member of the Ways and Means and Budget Committees. "I think I have a pretty good understanding of finance," Borror said, adding later that "it's pretty well-known that when it comes...

In Indiana's Republican primary for U.S. Senate, conservative insurgents got more votes than the GOP establishment. There was only one small problem: the party establishment had just one candidate in the race while the conservatives split their votes between four.

Attorney Todd Young and Dr. Larry Bucshon will be the GOP nominees in a pair of top pickup opportunities in southern Indiana. Young defeated a field that included former Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-Ind.) to win the nod to face Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), while Bucshon survived a scare from a Tea Party candidate an will be the party’s candidate in Rep. Brad Ellsworth’s (R-Ind.) district. Buschon led 33-29 with 94 percent of precincts, while Young led activist Travis Hankins 34-32 with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Sodrel was third, with 31 percent. In a cycle that features many former members...

Here's the official site for returns...anyone have a better one?

Former Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) is running for the Senate much like he ran for the House: heavy on the social-issue conservatism and light -- very light -- on campaign funds. Hostettler raised just $37,000 in the first quarter of 2010, according a filing in the Senate public records office, and began April with just $9,700. His first-quarter receipts amounted to less than a tenth of what front-running Republican Dan Coats raised and 1/17th of what presumptive Democratic nominee Brad Ellsworth raised. Unlike the way he handled his House campaigns, Hostettler is now accepting contributions from political action committees. But...

A notable buzz surrounded youthful Indiana State Sen. Marlin Stutzman as he was escorted around this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) by activist Donna Weisner. “Back in Indiana, they say he’s our Scott Brown,” she said proudly. Stutzman supporters elatedly boasted news of a Rasmussen poll that gives Stutzman a ten-point lead over the likely Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Evan Bayh. All this is a stunning development for the young farmer and businessman who only four years ago was the youngest member of the Indiana legislature. In Washington power circles former Sen. Dan...

Senate Republicans were dealt another recruiting setback in Indiana this morning. Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, who had been mulling a campaign against Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), has instead decided to run for the House seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) "Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita discussed and prayed with his wife Kathy at home over the weekend about how best to serve going forward,” said Rokita spokesman Kevin Kellems.

The decision by Beau Biden not to run for Senate brings to mind an historical parallel. With no Biden in the race, with no Ted Kaufman serving another term, the Democratic candidate is likely to be New Castle County executive Chris Coons. Back in 1972, no Democrat wanted to run against a popular Republican, so a young New Castle County Councilman with no money entered the race. His name: Joe Biden. Historical parallels might be all that Democrats have to hang onto. Rep. Mike Castle (R) is sufficiently popular statewide and has a fairly unimpeachable record of service in Washington....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzpRZnnrjrs An empty suit? A Republican who hopes to prevent Democrat Evan Bayh from winning his third U.S. Senate term in 2010 is running his first commercial. The ad features Marlin Stutzman, a state senator from Howe, standing next to a suit on a hanger. "I don't approve of sending empty suits to Washington," he says, an implication that the moderate Bayh shifts with political winds. Stutzman is emerging as the front-runner among three Republicans who have entered the race. The empty suit commercial is running only on cable channels right now. Political observers think that to seriously challenge Bayh,...

Heart surgeon Dr. Larry Bucshon, the candidate that some 8th District Republican leaders say is the likely GOP challenger to Rep. Brad Ellsworth, is set to announce his candidacy. Bucshon, 47, will make a noon announcement Monday on the riverfront pavilion in Newburgh and appear Monday night at Princeton High School at a book-signing for former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind. Bucshon's campaign issued statements supporting him by party chairmen in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey and Gibson counties.

After losing to Rep. Hill in 2002, claiming the 9th CD in the presidential year of 2004, then losing to Hill again in 2006 by 110,454 to 100,469 (Libertarian Eric Schansberg polled 9,893), the Democrat was able to hang on to the seat in 2009 with a 61,000 vote plurality. Many believed that Sodrel was headed to the dustbin of Hoosier congressional politics. Not so fast, the trucking executive told HPI. “What I’ve told everybody was that I wasn’t prepared to tell them I wouldn’t seek the nomination, but I’m not prepared to tell them I will.” Sodrel is writing...

The Board of Governors of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) has decided to recognize one of its leading Members as the 2009 Republican Lawyer of the Year. The Republican Lawyer of the Year recognizes lawyers for outstanding professional accomplishments and years of dedicated service to the Republican Party and its ideals. James Bopp is one of the foremost lawyers in the field of Campaign Finance and Election Law and has been a leader in promoting the RNLA’s goal of ensuring elections are open, fair and honest.

Please FReep this poll!

Republican State Sen. Marlin Stutzman confirmed for Howey Politics that he is seriously weighing a 2010 challenge to U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh. “There’s plenty of things to talk about,” Stutzman told HPI on Friday. “Sen. Bayh has been on the Banking Committee with Sen. Chris Dodd and Washington has just failed to watch out for Americans out here.” Stutzman, 32, is in his first term in the Indiana Senate - representing Kosciusko, Noble, Steuben and DeKalb counties - after three terms in the House. He serves on the Commerce, Pensions & Labor, Utilities & Technology, and Natural Resources committees. Stutzman...

Indiana is still updating its website and it appears that McCain's lead is growing.

Greg Goode, Republican Candidate for Indiana's Eighth Congressional District, kicks off an old-fashioned Whistle Stop tour of the Eighth District Friday morning, Oct. 25

In Lake County, IN the Registrar of Voters started examining voter registrations turned in by ACORN. Of the first 2,100 that were examined, 2,100 were found to be fraudulent. Yep, all of them. Drew Griffin at CNN has been doing an amazing job of reporting on various entities connected to the Obama campaign, and here's his report: (MUST-SEE CNN VIDEO AT LINK)

Please FREEP this poll! We're working hard to re-establish a GOP base in our county. We need all the help we can get.

Please Freeper this poll! Located near the bottom of the page.

There's a heartwarming story in today's Times of Northwest Indiana. Jane Pauley, one-time co-host of NBC's Today and Dateline NBC programs, made an appearance yesterday for Barack Obama. Joining her was Steve Skvara, the retired steelworker who in August of last year tearfully asked Democratic presidential candidates at a debate, "What's wrong with America? And what will you do to change it?" The Times reported: PORTAGE Former television news anchor and Hoosier native Jane Pauley returned to her professional roots Monday during a local appearance on behalf of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Pauley, who said she worked for the...

In the 5th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Dan Burton gets to try for yet another term in November. Burton withstood a challenge from former Marion County Coroner Dr. John McGoff, saying his opponent was very well-financed with special interest money. Plus, he says his campaign had problems with the Indianapolis print media. Heading into November, Burton believes the main issue will be the economy. McGoff says the Republican crossover vote was probably the biggest factor in his loss. Burton faces Democrat Mary Etta Ruley in the general election.

http://boortz.com/nuze/index.html POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION A janitor working for Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis has been reprimanded for reading a book on campus. Keith John Sampson does janitorial work for the campus while accumulating credits for a degree in communications. Sampson checked out a book from the government library called Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan. The book is apparently about two days in May 1924 when a group of Notre Dame students got into a street fight with members of the Ku Klux Klan. http://www.nuvo.net/articles/21st_century_catch22/ The problem began when...

Greencastle, Ind. - "Four years ago in this cycle there was a front-runner and his name was Howard Dean," recalls Jeri Kehn Thompson, in an interview with Kentucky's Lexington Herald-Leader. "John Kerry was running about eighth. You can ask President Dean how things went in Iowa." Thompson, a 1988 graduate of DePauw University, is the wife of Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson, who is currently running third among GOP candidates in an Iowa poll. She was in Louisville campaigning for her husband yesterday. The article notes that Jeri Thompson returned home to Washington immediately following her Kentucky stop so she...

More names are surfacing as another candidate announces his intention to run against Congresswoman Julia Carson. The ailing Carson has not publicly said if she will seek another term in Washington, but speculation is growing in this race and so is the field of candidates. Republican State Representative Jon Elrod first walked into the statewide political scene last year. In fact, he walked so much of the 97th District that he wore holes in the bottom of his shoes. Voters rewarded the 29-year-old southsider with an upset victory. Now he's going to try and tackle the 7th U.S. Congressional District....

Whether he's on the golf course or behind the wheel, Dan Burton loves taxpayer-funded caddies. "U.S. Rep. Dan Burton's primary challenger today accused the Indianapolis Republican of wasting taxpayers dollars by spending office funds on a Cadillac DeVille and on mass mailings touting his accomplishments. "'I'm sure the average Hoosier taxpayer struggling to pay their own bills will be comforted to know that they are paying for Dan Burton to enjoy a luxurious Cadillac DeVille for over $700 a month,' said John McGoff, an Indianapolis doctor. "Burton is not the only one of the state's nine House members who leases...

Former Rep. Mike Sodrel announced Tuesday that he will run for Indiana’s 9th District Congressional House seat in 2008. It will be his fourth election running against current 9th District Rep. Baron Hill. Sodrel, a Republican, ran against Hill, a Democrat, in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Hill defeated Sodrel in 2002, though Sodrel won the seat in 2004. Hill was reelected in the last election, winning by a margin of less than 5 percent, according to a press release from Dr. Eric Schansberg, the third 9th district congressional seat candidate. “A lot of voters voted for change in 2006,” Sodrel...

A former Marion County official announced plans Tuesday to challenge 13-term U.S. Rep. Dan Burton in next year's Republican primary. John McGoff, who won election as Marion County coroner in 1996 and 2000, said he decided to seek the congressional seat for the heavily Republican 5th District after considering whether to enter the race for Indianapolis mayor. "When I started talking to folks, they said that they really wanted to restore integrity in Washington and I heard far more about that than I did about the mayor's race," McGoff said. "It was a natural fit with my background to run...

The 8th District includes 18 counties covering much of Southwestern and west-central Indiana. Vanderburgh County is home to about 25 percent of the district's voters. One Republican candidate already has said he is considering running for Ellsworth's seat in 2008. Gibson County Prosecutor Rob Krieg, a former aide to Rep. John Hostettler, who lost his seat to Ellsworth, told reporters that assembling a campaign organization strong enough to mount a credible campaign requires him to make up his mind within two months. Any potential challenger to Ellsworth likely would need time to raise enough money to compete with him. The...

OK FReepers, a friend of mine pointed out this site to me, I've wondered what the heck Sean Hannity was referring to when he would say "FReepers". I'm Mike Jezierski and I'm a diehard Republican living in Indianapolis, and I've had ENOUGH of the games and shenanigans the Democrat majority of the City-County Council and the Mayor's Office have imposed on the fine citizens of Indianapolis. This will be my first attempt at an elected office, and some ask "What business does a political newbie have in running for office in the 12th largest city in the United States?" My...

week after Sen. Evan Bayh announced he would not run for the Democratic nomination for president in ’08, speculation is gradually mounting in Washington and Indiana that the two-term senator will instead run in two years for the job he held from 1988-96 and reportedly loved more than being in the Senate -- governor of the Hoosier State. Sources close to Bayh, who explored and then opted against a bid for the White House, does not like the pace in the Senate and the hours that keep him from coming home to dinner with wife Susan and their twin sons....

This is a call to arms for anyone who really cares about their country and wants to help keep the GOP in charge in Congress. I am a volunteer for Capt. Eric Dickerson, USMC (no longer active duty) and after a successful career as a businessman and a VP for Public Relations for General Motors, and then an award winning Buick dealer in Indianapolis he is now wanting to answer the call of his country just like he did many years before when he became joined the United States Marine Corps. He is running for Congress. The 7th Congressional District...

When presidential election returns are reported every four years, Indiana is among the first states to reliably and resoundingly fall into the red Republican column. But beneath the presidential level, Indiana is a fiercely competitive state between Democrats and Republicans. And that's particularly relevant this year when a trifecta of House races in the state could hold the key to whether the GOP will keep majority control in the House or Democrats will eke out at least the net gain of 15 seats they need to seize the majority they lost in 1994.

Democrat Joe Donnelly’s apparent lead over Republican incumbent Chris Chocola in the 2nd District congressional race appears to be shrinking, according to a new Tribune/WSBT-TV poll. The poll of 400 likely voters, taken Monday and Tuesday by Research 2000, of Rockville, Md., shows Donnelly with a 50 percent-to-45 percent lead over Chocola, with 5 percent undecided and a 5 percent margin for error. That compares to a similar poll taken in mid-September that showed Donnelly with a 50-42 percent lead over Chocola, with the same margin for error.

President Bush did not actually invite the Taliban to visit Texas. He merely voiced his approval, in reference to the invitation, his buddies in Unocal set forth to the Taliban. No other clarifications are necessary, for the truth cannot be improved upon. I’ve listened closely to all the responses, and in doing so, I‘ve become confused about what a “Conservative”, actually is. It has always been my impression that conservatives believe in hard work, character, integrity, and above all, self-reliance. Many times I’ve heard tales of conservatives that started from nothing, and using sheer determination and will, maybe some inherent...

President Bush did not actually invite the Taliban to visit Texas. He merely voiced his approval, in reference to the invitation, his buddies in Unocal set forth to the Taliban. No other clarifications are necessary, for the truth cannot be improved upon. I’ve listened closely to all the responses, and in doing so, I‘ve become confused about what a “Conservative”, actually is. It has always been my impression that conservatives believe in hard work, character, integrity, and above all, self-reliance. Many times I’ve heard tales of conservatives that started from nothing, and using sheer determination and will, maybe some inherent...

Democrats are poised to defeat Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) in November. And they better succeed — because if they don’t, they might as well forget about ever defeating him.

You guys should check this group out. I met one of their members out in Ohio working with a congressional candidate. They knew what they were doing and I was impressed but i didn't realize that Alex had his own team until yesterday. I looked at their website its got some really solid ideas in terms of strategy. Check it out: http://www.vandenberg-strategies.com

Roemer, who represented a northern Indiana district from 1991 to 2002, said in a statement that he wants instead to spend more time with his wife and four children. Roemer now leads the Center for National Policy, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Former U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer, D-South Bend, says he will announce his decision on whether to run for the U.S. Senate "late next week."

Vanderburg County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth Considering Running, Would Be Hostettler's Strongest Opponent To Date