Can someone explain to me why Senator Luger is running unopposed ?

[hedgehog]

It's bad enough that the Democratrs have a bad habit of writing off House Districts, but an entire state?!? Isn't there one Democrat in the state of Indiana willing to at least even try to unseat Luger?

[DU9598]

1. Unacceptable

In 2004 the Iowa Democratic party did not have a supported candidate against Chuck Grassley. What happened as the top of the state ticket was blank and we lost a good shot at picking up a second district congressional seat with a quality candidate and Kerry lost very narrowly to Bush. Had we had a senate campaign working on GOTV statewide - even one that lost - I suspect that we would have picked up a congressional seat in District 2 and Kerry would have won Iowa.

Leaving Senators unopposed is just unacceptable.

[Chipper Chat]

2. Lugar is so highly respected in Indiana the $$$ went elsewhere.

I live part-time in Indiana. I am a liberal democrat. But I admit I voted for Lugar each time he ran for Senate. I know, I know, he is somewhat of a Pub-playbook-fannykisser. Bur he was a great mayor of Indianapolis / did alot of great things. Other Hoosiers may not agree of course.

[hedgehog]

4. I think your answer speaks volumes.

The idea of direct election of senators was to prevent the control by special interests. Now we're under the control of the $$$. I just hope Howard Dean can keep pushing control of the Party back to the roots and waay from big money.

[Chipper Chat]

6. Yes, yes. The bottom line is the money. Sad.

I think it was just a practical matter to spend money wisely this year. The fundie-pubs have almost TAKEN OVER the entire Indiana delegation to the US House. There are 4 or 5 races that could turn back to the Dems in Nov - and most are neck & neck. Indiana sorely needs to become blue again, at least in one House of Congress.

[Justyce]

9. Even if they don't dump a load

of money into a campaign, can't they at least have a dem on the ticket as an option?

[INdemo]

10. Our State Democratic party has for years

conceded that seat. If not unopposed he has had only token opposition.
This year however we have some great congressional candidates challenging
incumbent Republicans and I think we will win at least three districts.
But I give credit to the candidates coming forward and challenging and not the result of the State Party recruiting them to run..
Incidentally we have a Democratic Mayor in Indy now I believe..

[Chipper Chat]

12. Go Baron Hill (9th District)

Mike Sodrel, a total fundie, squeaked out a win in '04 on Shrub's coattails.
Hill should win, but soooo many of those southern-indiana folks are anti-abotion and anti-gay. They'll vote pub no matter how many GOP scandals are out there because "the democrats are worse!!!"

[Karmageddon]

14. So run some flunky and make Lugar spend his money in his own state

on his own campaign instead of spreading it around on more competitive races. Hell, put my name on the ballot, spent next to nothing on my campaign, and I'll take all the public abuse and get my ass handed to me on election day if it means the guy at least has to try.

There should never be an unopposed republican running. No excuse for it.

[bryant69]

3. His names is intimidating?

That's why they are grooming Reprentative AK47 to run in New Jersey.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[hippiechick]

5. Because the money & effort are better spent elsewhere ...

... he's pretty much unbeatable amongst the sheeple here, so the Dems are putting forth money and candidates in other contests at different levels.

[hedgehog]

7. Go back into his career, and he is like many other Senators and Reps

I'm sure this applies to Democratic senators and representatives as well. Too many just happened to be in the right place at the right time and really weren't all that distinguished. That's how a bug exterminator and ex-wrestling coach got to be such powerful men. Here in my district I see the old New York State poltroon system alive and kicking because the Republican congressman here started out working on the staff of one of the largest land owners in the area. That was his qualification for Congress. The landowner was big in local GOP politics, so his boy got the nod.

The point is, the only reason these guys are unbeatable is that we say so. They're really nothing very special. We've got to stop writing off elections and go out and fight for them. We may win or lose, but at least we should put up a fight.

[onenote]

8. as others have indicated, better use of resources elsewhere

Lugar was first elected in 1976, when he trounced the incumbent Democrat, Vance Hartke. He had a relatively close race in 1982, when he only got 54 percent of the vote, but has been elected by two-to-one margins each time since then (1988,1994, and 2000).

[WI_DEM]

11. The democrats are running more candidates in this election cycle

in districts that have been written off previously than they have in many election cycles. This is part of Dean's 50-state strategy. It's too bad about Indiana and that somebody in that state didn't come forward to run.

[hedgehog]

13. You can't win if you don't even run.

And if we ran somebody, at least we'd make the Republicans spend money on this race instead of spending it elsewhere

[SheilaT]

15. Sadly, it happens

far more than it should. Here in Kansas Pat Roberts ran unopposed in 2002, and two years ago when the Democratic Party couldn't persuade someone it really wanted to run against Sam Brownback, first an attorney named Joan Ruff announced she was running, but gave up after a couple of months when she realized that there was no way she could raise enough money to mount an effective campaign. So then a railroad engineer named Lee Jones stepped up, was actually defeated in the primary by some bozo who had apparently filed as a joke, but then stepped aside allowing the party to appoint Jones as the official candidate. However, other than that the Democratic Party did NOTHING to help out Jones. Needless to say, he only got about 30% of the vote.

It's simply not possible to run successfully for national office without major money. Look at the guy who tried to oppose Hillary in the senate primary. Since he was trying to oppose a popular incumbent, the party wasn't going to give him any help, and on his own he simply didn't stand a chance against someone like her.

The conventional wisdom is that the party needs to put its money where it stands a chance, but then the voters are left with no choice at all, and opposing ideas are simply not aired.

[izzybeans]

16. the libertarian party here has a candidate in the race

He's raised only $5000. Luger is so well respected by righwingers here their fringe groups can't even get something going.

I think you'll find a hard time getting serious opponent of Luger this election cycle because it would be political suicide. You'll get lumped in with the nutty libertarians around here as some fringe candidate taking on "mainstreet" usa. People here think that Luger saved the world from Nuclear Armageddon with his own bare hands.

It is probably a more efficient use of resources to focus on retaking the state congress and federal house seats. It sucks that it is this way. But the democratic party seems to only now be getting its act together on the local level in this state. I don't think this is unique to Indiana however.