This is very big news (h/t Pwire), as it punctures the Richard Lugar air of inevitability:
U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar is in the most precarious position of his political career since autumn 1974 when he unsuccessfully challenged Democratic incumbent Birch Bayh. A Howey/DePauw Indiana Battleground Poll released today reveals Lugar with a 42-35% lead over Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock, with the two evenly splitting the vote among the 72% of primary voters identifying with the GOP. It has prompted HPI to move this race into “tossup” from “Leans Lugar.”
…. Lugar and Mourdock are evenly splitting the GOP vote. If Indiana did not have an open primary system, a record seventh term for Lugar would be doomed.
My February 28 endorsement of Mourdock likely was the game changer (just kidding).
Rather, there is a growing realization that Lugar’s time has come and gone. It’s time for him to retire, and to put a solid conservative like Richard Mourdock in the Senate.
You can support Mourdock here.
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Comments
Up here in northern Indiana, I haven’t seen a single sign supporting Lugar. I have seen a lot of signs for Mourdock coupled with “Retire Lugar” signs though. Pretty awesome.
I agree that we should support Mourdock. Definitely. Professor, thanks for staying on this. I really appreciate LI.
GOP Senators are a sorry lot, and Dick Lugar is one of the worst.
Some of the most potent ammunition against Lugar can be found in MSNBC-Drone Richard Wolffe’s book Renegade. Lugar’s trip to Iraq with then-candidate Obama is so damaging that the passage from the book should be used as a campaign ad. Also, there is a line I remember that Obama says to Wolffe: “I like to get in people’s heads.” Can someone send it to Newt!! Here’s the link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Making-President-Richard-Wolffe/dp/0307463125
I will tweet info on Mourdock out as soon as my Twitter account works. My account comes up but I can’t access anything!! Is it possible to be Blacklisted from Twitter? What should one do? Any legal beagles avail to help?
Patti – To contact Newt:
http://www.newt.org/contact/
I don’t know enough about Hoosier politics, but if conservatives dump Lugar and lose the seat, it would make our chances of taking the Senate problematic.
“Lugar and Mourdock are evenly splitting the GOP vote. If Indiana did not have an open primary system, a record seventh term for Lugar would be doomed.”
This makes no sense. They are even in the GOP vote, so if it were closed, Lugar would be doomed? Did the writer take math?
Likely won’t happen. Indiana is a pink–>red state; it elects a few Democrats here and there but it won’t do so this November. Joe Donnelly, the likely Democratic nominee, is a so called ‘blue dog’ Democrat whose first vote in every opening session of the House is for Nancy Pelosi.
Mourdock runs a little behind Donnelly in the polls right now but expect that to change if he beats Lugar and gets to the general election. Donnelly won’t have Obama to help him, as Indiana positively won’t go to Obama this time. Donnelly also is having trouble raising money (if Mourdock wins that might improve some).
Bottom line: Indiana remains traditionally red, and the Pub primary winner holds the seat in November.
My hunch is the open primary hurts Lugar. Dems think Joe Donnelly has a better chance against Mourdock than Lugar. The unions may very well order the members to vote Mourdock.
Thanks for the reminder, Professor. Donation going out tomorrow.
Please pick Lugar as your running mate, Rombama. PLEASE!!!!
[…] 17. From William Jacobson: […]
He’s 80 years old.
He’s been in politics since he was 35 years old.
It’s time for him to retire.