We haven't caught up with Jon Elrod in a while. Last we heard, ol' Jon was completing the sixth or seventh leg in his ongoing mission to run for every elected office within the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Unless he's jumped ship in the last few hours, I'm pretty sure he's running back in his old House district (HD-97) against an amazing, truly dedicated candidate -- you know, the kind who doesn't abandon the constituency on an over-ambitous whim -- and has been making the rounds with a characteristically opportunistic set of talking points.
Take, for example, this Elrod quote from a recent AARP forum:
"I would have no pension plan for legislators. It doesn't make any sense. It's a part time job, we shouldn't expect to have those kinds of benefits. Right now, legislators are paid about 35 to 45 grand a year. I think most people think that's a reasonable amount, but now we used to be able to say we're only paid 11 thousand a year but there were per diems and pension plans that made it higher."
Such outrage!
The only problem, of course, is that in the midst of all this faux moralism, Jon Elrod has been more than happy to rake in over $18,000 in taxpayer money into his own pension plan. (At a four-to-one rate, no less.)
Not a bad two-year gig, if you can get it. Especially if you can spend a good portion of those two years running for other elected positions.
(Honestly, the state legislator pension plans aren't high on my radar screen at the moment, but if you're going to run around with the holier-than-thou meter off the charts, you might want to at least walk the walk.)
Oh, and on the topic of Jon Elrod and ethics, let's not forget that his track record isn't exactly sterling.
A tip o' the hat to HPR for pointing me toward this. Mary Ann is running a great campaign against Jon Elrod, who gave his legislative district an unceremonious middle finger when he abandoned them to run for Congress earlier this year. Check her out on the web.
In doing my slept-late-wake-up-read-teh-blogz-first-thing morning routine while reading a snarkalicious post at The Chestnut Tree Cafe (h/t to Craigers @ Reverent and Free) I got a call with the dreaded Unknown Name/Unknown Number caller ID designation which in an election year means A) telemarketer, B) bill collector, C) phone banker for Candidate ___, or D) pollster.
Now usually, pollsters are my favorite being the politics junkie that I am. Working in the business of politics I generally don't get to participate in such calls if they bother to preface the questions with vetting language to weed out political hacks like me. This doesn't always happen though, and sometimes they don't ask so I get to answer.
Today's call was about the District 97 race between Jon Elrod and Mary Ann Sullivan. You will remember that Jon Elrod spent several months this year as a candidate for Congress before he wised up and read the tea leaves that said he would be losing that race pretty handily. Instead of bowing out gracefully he decided to run in the district which he just had abandoned to run for Congress. Mary Ann Sullivan ought to have a decent margin of victory in this race, one would think.
I was aksed what my priorities for voting would be from a list of about 8 different issues when considering who to vote for in a state legislator. I said job creation is the number one priority (it isn't, I just wanted to see what kind of response this provoked since it is issue number one for most folks). The response I got was a statement that said Mary Ann Sullivan wants to create more jobs or somethign to that effect.
It was a push poll style poll but didn't have any real teeth to it. However, perhaps I did not respond with the proper hot button issue to bring out the gritted and bared teeth that these push type polls use on their opponents. That, or the Elrod campaign has hired a polling firm to make calls appearing to come from Sullivan's camp so that he can later claim...something, what I am not sure.
Further complicating this entire thing, I don't even live in District 97, I am in John Bennett's district on the northeast side and nowhere near Elrod/Sullivan's district. So being the previously mentioned political hack I realized something. If they are calling me outside the district, how did I get a call in the first place at all? It then dawned on me. Elrod is using the 7th Congressional District voters list to have this push poll done.
Overall, it was an odd but reportable incident I wanted to share today.
The rumors have rampant for weeks, but today brings confirmation that perennial candidate Jon Elrod will be abandoning his bid for the 7th District congressional seat, presumably to jump back to his old house district and try to convince the people of HD-97 that when he threw them to curb earlier this year, it was just a spring fling. He's always loved them more. That congressional fiasco was just a stupid one-night stand.
Mary Ann Sullivan is our candidate in the 97th, and she hit the ground running a while ago and has been building support and a great infrastructure ever since. Her campaign put out a release earlier today that raises the issue that will be on the mind of most people in that district.
"It's becoming increasingly unclear what office Jon Elrod wants to run for," Sullivan said. "Does he want to be in Congress? Does he want to represent House District 97? What will he run for next?"
Sullivan said constituents deserve representation they can count on, not someone who looks at each campaign as a stepping stone to the next elected office.
"I got into this race because I want to serve the residents of House District 97 who are looking for leadership on the issues that matter to them," Sullivan said. "If elected, I pledge to serve a full term at the Statehouse, and I hope Jon Elrod will offer his constituents the same promise now that he's returned to this campaign."
I definitely recommend you check out Mary Ann's site and throw her some coin if you have some to spare.
So what've you been hearing right before the primaries? You know me, I love to gossip. Here's what I've got. How about you?
I hear the party has pretty much given up on Schellinger. Jill Long Thompson's election night celebration is in Ft. Wayne and not with the establishment in Indy. Will "change" win over "insiders" in the gubernatorial race?
How about in the Presidential battle? Sources tell me that Team Clinton is feeling confident that they will carry the day while Team Obama is encouraged by the amount of new registrations state-wide and are banking on "change" to give him the win.
All the 7th Congressional District campaigns are sweating those new registrations too. With so many new voters outside of Center Township, will Orentlicher buck the polls? No one thinks Carolene Mays stands a chance. I've heard of three different polls now that puts Woody just a hair under Carson; perhaps the newbie "change" can sweep the day.
The happiest candidates the night before the election? Mitch Daniels, Jon Elrod and John McCain.
The Star's Behind Closed Doors column makes note that the frantic complaints pouring forth from the GOP last Tuesday were heavy on the noise, light on the facts.
The GOP press releases, she said, were more of an annoyance because they contained erroneous information and focused on minor problems at only a couple of the 445 polling places.
One release called for the Election Board to petition the courts to keep polls open late at precincts that hadn't opened immediately. Another offered a reward for anyone who found "thousands of missing ballots" that White says never went missing.
A third release highlighted the fact that a Franklin Township precinct hadn't opened on time. The inspector, White said, had opened the precinct on time -- but in the wrong location.
But none of the problems drew much attention, and the GOP press releases didn't stick.
"There was just nothing to it," White said. "The one about how all the ballots were missing just wasn't true. . . . It's a little frustrating to have to go into public relations response mode during Election Day."
When I was sitting in Abdul's studio that night, the GOP representative had a crumpled sheet of paper with a hilarious list of frivolous complaints. I guess when you don't have a candidate, you try and make a controversy...
So, I more or less fell off the grid last night, and for that I apologize. Kudos to the crew in the comments for keeping things rolling while I was out of commission. But in case some of you were even more isolated from the outside world, let me tell you that Congressman Andre Carson is headed to Washington.
Democrat Andre Carson won Tuesday's special election to succeed his grandmother, the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, and fill out the final 10 months of her term.
Carson's win makes him the first Muslim to represent Indiana in Congress, and only the second Muslim nationwide to serve there.
Carson's 54-43 percent win, with 100 percent of the vote tallied, over Republican state Rep. Jon Elrod, was strong. But it might not have been the type of knockout blow that would fend off the competition he faces in the May 6 primary.
I don't care how you feel about Carson as our eventual candidate in November, because holding this seat was vital in terms of national fundraising and keeping the big mo' for Democratic candidates going strong as we move toward the summer.
And as for Jon Elrod...
While Carson and the Democrats celebrated, Elrod and the Republicans never conceded defeat Tuesday night. Leaving the GOP state headquarters, Elrod said he wouldn't concede until all the votes were counted.
As he left to head home, the 30-year-old Elrod added, he was "too tired" to talk about the whirlwind campaign he'd just been through, or the one he now faces. He has not given up his hope of being the first Republican elected to Congress from this district since 1975 and will be competing against two other little-known Republicans for the GOP nomination in May.
...he's just a petulant, petty child. And a sore loser, too.
And just in case any of you political junkies thought you could sleep in, today marks the official beginning of the primary election season. It's going to be fast and furious, and Dr. Woody Myers already has a press conference for this morning in which he is unveiling his new television advertisements.
No, I don't have any yet, but I got word from Abdul a short time ago that he was looking for some expert analysis, and all they could find was me. As such, I'll be on WXNT starting at 6pm and going until I can't take it anymore we're good and done.
(I jest, I jest.)
Feel free to play along at home if you are so inclined, and expect updates as soon as I get out of there as to what is rolling in, and what is going on behind the scenes.
Until then, you can track the results via the Indianapolis Star. They should start trickling in at some point after 6:00pm.
(As a reader just noted to me via email, expect most of the early results to come from GOP precincts.)
Are any of you folks with your ears to the ground hearing anything?
Oh, and in case some of you have forgotten, today is sort of a big deal for those in the Indianapolis area, who are heading to the polls to select who will succeed the late Julia Carson and fill out the rest of her term in the US Congress.
Exciting stuff.
The Indianapolis Star is catering to the immediate gratification we all seek, so be sure to check out their up-to-the-minute-they-post-an-update coverage as the day's events unfold. This morning's update shows only a few bumps as the polls opened.
Inspector no-shows resulted in late openings for about six polling places this morning, but the Marion County clerk's office expects "brisk" turnout for today's special election for the 7th Congressional District seat.
"Everything is going smoothly now," said Angie Nussmeyer, spokeswoman for Clerk Beth White.
Get out there and vote, and check out this handy website if you aren't sure where your polling location is.
And a contest! That's right, a prediction contest. Closest prediction gets...um...well, I'll figure that out over the next few hours. But you'll get something, and it will be real swell, I swear. I'll put mine up after another cup of tea and a few minutes of deep thought that will likely result in a wild guess. It's as good as anything else.
Update: Did anyone else notice that Elrod sent out an email blast this morning with his own name misspelled? I'm glad we could get one last present from his consulting team before they rode into the sunset.
Remember when Jon Elrod was, like, totally a social moderate who never, ever, ever would embrace the divisive rhetoric that has resulted in the Republian Party being loathed by so many over the last few years? Remember those kinder, gentler, simpler times?
Well, first came the pro-choice mailer, and now comes word via st.Allio! that Jon Elrod wants us all to know how much he loves guns.
(And really, really hates those of us who don't.)
If that doesn't scream "I swear I'm different than the other Republicans out there," I don't know what does.
Here's a thread for all of your 7th CD thoughts, musings and other expressions of excitement/frustration. For those of you who missed it online yesterday, the Star prints today their round-up of the last-second campaigning going on within all of the congressional campaigns.
"We're running, but we're having fun," said Democrat Andre Carson, a member of the City-County Council, who greeted shoppers at the entrance to Washington Square Mall on Sunday afternoon. He had been on the move since about 7:30 a.m.
"We've been to six churches already this morning," he said.
Carson, grandson of the congresswoman who died in December, is one of three candidates in Tuesday's special election, which decides who will finish the final 10 months of Julia Carson's term. He faces state Rep. Jon Elrod and Libertarian Sean Shepard.
Elrod spent a portion of his Sunday at Light of the World Christian Church, 4646 N. Michigan Road. Places of worship are important, especially when a candidate is trying to connect with black voters, he said.
"It's a good way to reach out to African-Americans in the 7th District," Elrod said. "You always want to run an inclusive campaign and represent your diverse district. That's one of the ways we try to do that."
Yeah, an inclusive campaign! It's really no wonder that Jon Elrod is reaching out to the African American community in the name of diversity considering that his misspelled television ad contained zero individuals other than those of the caucasian persuasion. He's under pressure to at least talk the diverse talk while he's on the campaign trail, you know.
I'm going to be in and out of the grid for the rest of the day, so try and not fight too much, folks. One more day to go...
In 2007, incumbent Democratic Mayor Bart Peterson vastly outraised his Republican challenger, Greg Ballard. Peterson spent much of the year airing positive ads touting his achievements. He spent over $2 Million on advertisements alone, not including ground ops and polling. Greg Ballard didn't have the resources to air even a single television ad the entire cycle. Crappy YouTube spots and radio ads were all he had.
The moment I knew Peterson might be in trouble was the moment his campaign started airing negative (or "contrast") advertisements against the Republican upstart. A campaign stays positive when it is in the lead, and goes negative when it's behind.
So, let's say you're a long-shot congressional candidate who no one wants to invest in, so you're financially screwed. You finally scrap together enough coin to run a last-second television advertisement. This is your one shot to take to the airwaves with your message that you, Jon Elrod, are the candidate of competency.
Don't you think a little proof-reading would have been in order?
First up was the email blast sent out by the state GOP. (stolen like a fiend from TDW)
Now, that would be goofy enough on its own, but then you take a look at the advertisement itself, and what do we find?
"Wahington"
Seriously?
No word on whether this actually hit the airwaves before some alarm bells went up, but I took the liberty of uploading the original to YouTube for when they inevitably take their original version down.
Amateur hour is almost over, folks, but kudos to Elrod's consulting company for making their first race a memorable one for all the wrong reasons.
The Indianapolis Star has come out with their endorsement for the 7th District Special Election, and while the Star has a history of supporting Democrats such as Bart Peterson, Evan Bayh, and even Julia Carson, this time they believe Republican Jon Elrod has what it takes to be Indy's next Congressman.
Voters in Indiana's 7th congressional district will have three opportunities this year to decide who will replace Rep. Julia Carson, who died in December. The first chance, which comes Tuesday in a special election, may pose the most difficult choice because of the relative inexperience of the two major-party candidates.
...
In the special election, The Star recommends Elrod over Carson and Shepard. It's early in Elrod's career to be chasing a seat in Congress, but he's better prepared for the job at this point than his Democratic opponent.
I'm in attendance at the 7th District special election debate at IUPUI taking presently, and unless this burly guy behind me with a walkie-talkie tells me I can't have the ol' laptop out, I'm planning on live blogging the event as best I can.
For those of you in the metropolitan area, you can follow along from home via WTLC-AM 1310 on the radio dial, or the WISH-TV website from the computer. The first half-hour (7:30-8pm) will also be on the television screen courtesy of MyNDY-TV.
Opening statements: Jon Elrod comes out swinging against his own party for not funding his campaign Carson for receiving funding from his national party. Sean Shepard is a Libertarian.
Balancing the budget: Elrod says he can balance the budget by getting rid of earmarks. He sounds sort of like Ballard in his dismissal of the question of how to fix the budget itself, implying that earmarks alone would make a palpable difference. Andre hits on the Iraq issue, citing the financial ill-effects it is currently having on our national budget. Shepard hits out on Elrod, saying that earmarks are "only 1% of the problem," and backs up Carson's assertion that the War on Terror has stretched our budget too thin.
Is faith an issue: Carson -- My faith "guides me" and "teaches me to respect everyone as a member of mankind." He says he will fight and vote "for the people." Shepard ignores the question outright, because he's a Libertarian, don'tcha know? Elrod says faith is important, and will shape his views in Congress.
Work to fight for IndyGo? Shepard says he is a Libertarian, and as such, hates the silly, silly federal government. Elrod says that rules hurting IndyGo are ridiculous, and would seek to change the law. Carson says that IndyGo is extremely valuable, and the federal government shouldn't meddle it how it is run.
Immigration: Elrod wants a better database to check employees, which he says would "dry up" the jobs and magically send the immigrants home. Hooray! Carson says it is unrealistic to move the illegal immigrants home. Wants to create a proper pathway to citizenship -- including paying back fines, taxes, etc. Also cites cracking down on employers. Shepard wants to relax quotas and create a path to citizenship that is easy and feasible.
Should drug-offenders be kept from social services? Carson says we can't keep offenders from reintegrating, and that means providing them a path back toward productivity with social services. Shepard concurs, and thinks that our incarceration rate is too high. Elrod loves him some redemption.
One federal government program that could be cut and done away with? Shepard hates it all, but farmers especially. Elrod punts, with a joke -- more Ballard speak about stuff he'll eventually find in the budget. Carson speaks of the war effort, saying that should be brought to an end.
Would earmarks benefiting IndyGo and Indiana businesses be on the cutting floor under your leadership? Elrod says his super-duper local office will show us the money. Carson says that projects like the Children's Museum are invaluable, and we should be careful not to lose these important parts of city life. Shepard hates taxes. A lot.
Lightning round! Too fast for my fingers, but the questions weren't that important anyway.
What committees would you seek to be a part of? Elrod -- transportation and small businesses. Carson -- banking, transportation and (jokingly) Ways and Means.
Privatizing social security: Elrod wants to move toward privatization over new funding mechanisms. Carson believes this is a promise that can "not be tossed away to the whims of the stock market." Shepard hates old people, taxes, social security, and a few other things. He's well-spoken, though.
Set a date for Iraq withdrawal? Carson -- no, it would be strategically unwise. Shepard -- believes we can accomplish this in the next few months. Elrod -- says he wants the troops home, too.
Other highlights to come over the next hour!
Jon Elrod says that the health crisis is the "biggest problem" facing our nation. That's funny, he doesn't bring it up on his campaign website.
Sean Shepard wants to decriminalize marijuana -- the crowd goes wild. Carson says this isn't a laughing matter, and says the serious problem of drug use needs to be addressed.
The debate tonight will take place at IUPUI, and will feature co-moderators Amos Brown and Jim Shella. I've heard various reports on whether this is open to the public, but it seems that some variety of ticket will be required at the door. If I find out more, I'll pass word along.
Hosted by IUPUI, the 90-minute debate will be held in the auditorium of the University Place Conference Center, 850 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis. It begins at 7:30 p.m. 6 March, just five days before the special election on 11 March.
24-Hour News 8 will broadcast the first 30 minutes of the debate on MyNDY Channel 23 from 7:30 to 8 p.m. WTLC-AM 1310 will air the first 60 minutes of the debate, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Update from the comments:
This is a closed event and tickets are sold out! Everyone is encouraged to watch the debate from the comfort of their own home on MyNDY Channel 23 or on radio AM 1310.
For all those Hoosiers who've complained about Bilerico going national and wanted more local coverage of politics from a queer perspective, I'm happy to announce the launch of Bilerico-Indiana. We'll be focused on local and state-wide issues just like the Bilerico of old. We're currently recruiting new bloggers that aren't on the Project as well as shifting some of our local bloggers over to B-I.
To launch the new site, we're featuring an interview with Mary Ann Sullivan, the democrat who looks poised to take over Jon Elrod's seat in the Statehouse. No Republican has filed to run and she is unopposed in the primary.
What'll shock you? She's in favor of same-sex marriage and is willing to champion most LGBT causes at the Statehouse - civil rights, school bullying, and more!
Blue Indiana is prepared to confirm that 7th District congressional candidate Andre Carson is, in fact, going to read to children today. That's right, you read it here first, and guess what? You read it without the help of a congressional candidate!
- - - - - - -
Today's celebration of Read Across America Day is nothing but a liberal ploy to unleash their latest form of government hand-out: Free reading.
Or, as I like to call it: Welfare for words.
Under the guise of celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss, these wacky-word-lovin', pinko-perusin' narrators are spreading their joy of literature across every corner of not just the 7th District, but the entire country. I hear that they've even convinced some wavering fence-sitters like Sen. Richard Lugar to read in classrooms before!
Don't believe me? Just check out the National Education Association's website:
Invite guest readers to come to your class on March 3 and read to your students. By far, this is the most popular activity. There is something powerful about a policeman, firefighter, mayor, radio personality, pastor, high school quarterback, or grandmother sharing their love for reading. Be sure and ask your guests to talk about why reading is important in their lives, and about their favorite books when they were kids. Afterwards, have your students write thank-you notes.
Let's be honest here, folks -- reading should be done alone. When we teach our children that it's more than fine for a community leader to read to them, what kind of example are we setting? What if they read to their children? Or worse yet, start reading to other people's children?
I know, it's scary.
Thank goodness that state Rep. Jon Elrod didn't take time out from his busy schedule of desperately making fundraising phone calls to read to children today. We can rest assured that in Jon Elrod, we have a career-minded politician who understands the importance of bringing a little social Darwinism to our classrooms. You either read on your own, kid, or you work for some of he and his white-collar friends.
I just received a phone call two minutes ago from a company called "Survey Research," and they proceeded to say they had one question, "and one question only." Okay. "In the March 11 Special Election, will you be voting for Andre Carson or Jon Elrod?" I gave my answer. "Thank you sir, this call was paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Have a nice day."
It obviously wasn't a poll because they didn't gather any demographic data. My guess is that they are identifying voters for GOTV under the guise of a "poll." Very interesting stuff. Anyone else receive that call?
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