Indiana's Mark Souder Resigns After Admitting Affair -- Replacement on the General Ballot Recommendation: Marlin Stutzman

The logical choice for Indiana's 3rd District nominee for the general election to replace Souder is the popular State Senator Marlin Stutzman who came in 2nd in the Senate primary won by Dan Coats. When we first heard what happened we knew he would make the perfect choice as he lives in the 3rd District of Indiana. In fact, we thought he should run against Souder in the primary for the Congressional seat and position himself for another run for Senate in the future. We believe Indiana 3rd District Republicans unlike the PA GOP Chair will choose the best man to win in November and in the opinion of many that is Marlin Stutzman.

Unlike the Democrats, Republican Leader Boehner didn't waste any time showing Souder the door after learning of the affair. It took Pelosi and her leadership months to oust the Democrat Massa who kept making gay advances towards aides and others but they looked the other way.

Souder never should have run this time with all the rumors swirling that have now been confirmed. Democrats were lying in wait to spring this out in the open during the general but their plans are dashed as a aide outed Souder. Having Marlin Stutzman as the nominee will make this seat an unlikely pickup for the Democrats. In fact we would put their chances at less than 5% if that to pick up the seat if Stutzman is chosen. We also expect the Stutzman choice to keep Democrat Congressional Committee money out of the race.

Washington Post -- Indiana Rep. Mark Souder resigns after admitting affair

The Christian faith is predicated on an understanding of man’s imperfection. But still so many Christians brag about their own virtue.

By modern standards, Souder’s scandal is Squaresville. He carried on an affair with a consenting adult woman who was a booster in his northwest Indiana district and a part-time staffer. But because Souder was such a holy roller, crusading against sex and drugs (I assume he had some reservations about rock ‘n roll), his moral blowout provides a rich vein of hypocrisy to be mined.
By talking so often of morality in his 16-year career in Congress, Souder made it almost inevitable that he would eventually do damage to the cause he went to Washington to serve. Pride goeth and all that.

It took House Minority Leader John Boehner took about 30 seconds to tell Souder to get out. A staffer got wise to Souder, confronted the congressman and then went to Boehner. Unlike Republicans who tried to stall on the creepy antics of Rep. Mark Foley in 2006 and the willful ignorance of Democrats about tickle-fan Eric Massa this year, Boehner didn’t dawdle.

Souder is so strange-looking that he might be commended under different circumstances for finding not one but two women who would have constituent relations with him. But as it is, he will quit Congress on Friday, setting up a scramble in his staunchly Republican district. Gov. Mitch Daniels can’t call a special election in less than two months, and might be inclined to just push the special until November to be held concurrently with the vote for the next full term.
GOP leaders will pick Souder’s replacement on the ballot and Democrats have even less hope that nominee Tom Hayhurst can win with Souder, a posterboy for incumbency disease even before his affair was exposed, will be able to win.

Writers Carol Leonning and Mary Ann Akers explain:

“One possible replacement is state Sen. Marlin Stutzman of Howe, who finished second to former senator Dan Coats in this month's GOP primary for the U.S. Senate.
Stutzman has a connection to Jackson's husband: Brad Jackson is a friend and pilot who sometimes flew Stutzman around the state for his Senate campaign.”

Primary Races in Indiana, Ohio, and North Carolina

On some 'conservative' websites, we keep seeing people post 'throw out all the incumbents' and have yet to figure out why they are saying that. Republicans in the House and Senate have stood up and are fighting against the Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda every day. They should be thanked for the job they are doing.

Yesterday the voters in three states did just that. They elected incumbents to run in the November election. Cong Burton had six challengers in Indiana but pulled it out last night. Former Senator Dan Coats who entered the race for US Senate from Indiana in February and a week later Democrat Senator Bayh decided to not to run, won his race last night against four other Republicans.

A lot has been written on sites about the Indiana Senate race against Dan Coats and for the other conservatives in the race supported by the Tea Party Express. Dan Coats is a conservative and was probably one of the more knowledgeable Senators on Foreign Affairs and Defense when he retired. We hated to see him retire from the Senate in 1998.

One of the items we keep seeing brought up by some of these 'conservatives' is that Coats voted for gun locks on guns sold at gun shows. We support the 2nd amendment but how many young children would be alive today if their parents had put locks on their guns lying around the house. Parents get careless, leave a gun around, and young children play with the gun and it goes off. We have never figured out why anyone would keep a loaded gun with children in the house.

We believed all along that Coats would be the better candidate to take on the Democrats and take this seat back Republican. We think his experience will make the difference. The State Senator Stutzman ran a very good campaign and expect to see more of him in the future. This year Republicans needed someone to force Bayh out of the race no matter what Bayh says that he wasn't running. Timing of him pulling out of the race was too convenient especially since he was running two weeks earlier.

The Ohio race for US Senator is shaping up to keep that Senate seat Republican. The Democrats Fisher and Brunner ran a nasty race. Fisher was supported by Obama and the National Dems while Brunner was the Ohio Secretary of State that favored Obama big time in Ohio in 2008 and refused to abide by Court rulings. Fisher won last night and has very little money left in his campaign after spending almost $4M on his Senate race. Rob Portman, the Republican, is sitting on over $7M and more will be pouring in for the general election. Former Congressman Portman will be picking up more support in Ohio with Fisher as his opponent not to mention help from around the Country.

Minority Leader John Boehner and other incumbents from Ohio won their primaries by large numbers. Boehner has done a masterful job with keeping the GOP Conference together to fight the Obama and Pelosi agenda. The voters of Ohio rewarded their Republicans for doing such a great job in standing up for them.

The same was true in North Carolina where Senator Burr won his primary along with other Republican incumbents.

If there is a lesson to be learned from these states it is that the Silent Majority who are furious at what they see happening in D.C. will make their voices heard at the ballot box. These are the Reagan voters who may be too busy to take part in the Tea Party movement, but are fed up with what they see coming out of this Congress and this President and spoke yesterday in three states at the ballot box.

We believe the Reagan voters are going to be heard across the Country on November 2nd as we share the same philosophy of smaller government, less taxes, strong national security, and appointing strict constructionist judges. Strong National Security means not only supporting our military but also securing our borders. The Border Fence needs finished. It is working in El Paso, Texas, and will work along the rest of the border.

It was good day for the Republican Party as the men and women who are fighting so hard for us in DC won their primaries and we are going into the November elections strong in Indiana, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Texas who voted several months ago in their primary has a strong Republican slate running as well as these three states. With Rick Perry leading the ticket for Republicans as the Governor's candidate, we expect a lot of Republicans victories in Texas on November 2nd.
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Indiana Democrat Sen Evan Bayh Not Seeking Re-Election

This came as a shock this morning although we had to wonder how Bahy would take having actual competition in the general election from someone as experienced as former Senator Dan Coats (R-IN). We have been hearing for sometime that Bayh's numbers were not looking good.

Wonder if the dissatisfactor with Bayh in Indiana from his contiuents came from his voting in lockstep with Obama and Reid. Indiana has never been a liberal state but now they have a liberal Senator in Bayh especially since the Democrats took over the Senate in 2006.

Bayh's lifetime conservative voting record in the Senate is now 20.70 while the Republican Lugar who is not known for being the most conservative is 77.55. Quite a contrast and just maybe the liberal votes of Bayh since 2006 have caught up with him in the State of Indiana and he sees the handwriting on the wall.

In Bayh's prepared remarks, he cites lack of progress recently but where was he during 2009 when Democrats were routinely ramming bills through the Senate that Republicans could not stop? If he spoke out, it was with a whisper.

We find this great news that Indiana will most likely have two Republicans in the US Senate come January 2011 -- Senator Richard Lugar and Senator Dan Coats.

Prepared remarks by Bayh, 54:

“After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned,” he said.

“My decision was not motivated by political concern,” he added. “Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election.”

(snip)

“Two weeks ago, the Senate voted down a bipartisan commission to deal with one of the greatest threats facing our nation: our exploding deficits and debt. The measure would have passed, but seven members who had endorsed the idea instead voted ‘no’ for short-term political reasons,” he said. “Just last week, a major piece of legislation to create jobs — the public’s top priority — fell apart amid complaints from both the left and right. All of this and much more has led me to believe that there are better ways to serve my fellow citizens, my beloved state4 and our nation than continued service in Congress.”

How does the above remarks track with the comments the Indy Star received from his staff below? Now Bayh is concerned about lack of bi-partisanship but wasn't all last year. What changed? Scott Brown was elected and with that their 60 vote filibuster proof majority vanished or was it the fact that former Republican Indiana Senator Dan Coats was throwing his hat in the ring for Bayh's seat? We believe it was the latter.

Only days ago, Bayh’s staff, close associates and Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker, who was manager of Bayh’s re-election campaign, had assured an Indianapolis Star reporter hat he would definitely seek a third term in the U.S. Senate. And Democrats recently released a poll showing Bayh easily ahead of both former Sen. Dan Coats and former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, two of the four Republicans seeking the GOP nomination.

Source: Indianaopois Star

Dan Coats Confirms Bid for U.S. Senate

This is great news for Indiana and for America. We hated to see former Senator Coats retire and are so happy to see him get in the race for the Republican nomination to take on Democrat Senator Evan Bayh in the general election. Evan Bayh needs retired like yesterday. He quit voting for his constituents some time ago, but a challenger who could take him on has been missing until now.

Senator Coats' expertise as a former member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is needed today more then ever after the fiasco by the Obama Administration on the Christmas Day Bomber.

The Democrats are already on the attack against former Senator Coats which shows the threat he poses to Evan Bayh.

We will keep you posted when he has his site is up.

By Ryan Elijah
Story Updated: Feb 10, 2010 at 1:37 PM EST

FORT WAYNE, IN (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Former U.S. Senator Dan Coats confirmed this morning that he will run for U.S. Senate. During a live interview with Charly Butcher on WOWO radio Coats said his campaign is "up and running, with thousands of volunteers on the ground".


The campaign is still collecting the necessary signatures to enter the Republican primary in May. The former 4th District Congressman said he never expected to be back in politics, but the recent turn the country has taken concerned him, leading him to enter the race.

Since word of a possible run by Coats surfaced, Democrats came out quickly labeling Coats as a lobbyist and questioning his recent ties to Indiana. Coats will join 4 other Republicans, including State Senator Marlin Stutzman and former congressman, John Hostettler in the Republican field seeking to unseat Bayh. There is speculation that some in the field may choose not to run now that Coats has announced his intentions. Stutzman has a news conference planned later this morning, but has not revealed what he will discuss. Dan Coats served in Congress in the 1980's and 1990's as both a Congressman and Senator. The winner of the Republican primary will need plenty of money to take on Evan Bayh, who has millions of dollars in his campaign war chest.

Coats said, “I felt a call to service throughout my life, whether it was the Army early on or representing the people of Indiana, the ambassador to Germany...these calls keep coming. As I have watched things unfold this past year in Washington under Obama, Pelosi, Reid...I am more than alarmed the way this country is going.”

Candidates must collect at least 500-signatures from registered voters in each of the state's nine congressional districts by February 16th to get on the primary ballot.


Source: http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/84004092.html