Mike Sodrel has been in my life forever. Or maybe it just seems that way.
Every two years for almost a decade, the Republican businessman has been on the ballot in Indiana's 9th district, either trying to oust Rep. Baron Hill (D) from Congress or, once, seeking re-election to the House.
But with his bizarre primary defeat earlier this month, Sodrel, a 64-year-old trucking company owner, probably ends a political run that featured more downs than ups.
[...]
Of course, as Sodrel found out, there is a difference between being known and being liked.
Apparently, 9th district Republican voters knew Sodrel but were ready for a change.
I think Rothenberg might be overstating the case here - I don't think Sodrel is capable of knowing (or caring) what the voters in the 9th think of him. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back for another run in 2012.
On the other hand, I hope Rothenberg is right. The people of Indiana's 9th District have rejected Sodrel's ideas of leadership since he managed to eke out a win in the 2004 election. Maybe after yet another loss, he'll take his ball and go home for good.
Good news out of the Fightin' Ninth, where all-around good guy Baron Hill has turned in another strong showing with the latest FEC reporting cycle. Here are the nitty-gritty details:
Baron Hill (D) --
Raised: $233,687 Spent: $55,048 Cash on Hand: $908,293
Mike Sodrel (R) --
Raised: $177,302 Spent: $69,239 Cash on Hand: $109,818
Todd Young (R) --
Raised: $139,209 Spent: $177,588 Cash on Hand: $225,758
Sodrel is still running over $200k in debt, but doesn't appear all that worried about paying that amount down any time soon. I didn't include Travis Hankins on the grounds that who the hell is Travis Hankins?
Keep in mind that Young and Sodrel are both incredibly likely to end their primary battle with next-to-nothing in the bank. If that's the case, and Congressman Hill continues to enjoy success when it comes to filling his campaign coffers, look for the eventual Republican nominee to rely heavily on out-of-state groups to get their message out.
The Hill reports that a recently leaked survey conducted by perennial Republican candidate Mike Sodrel shows that while he has created some distance between himself and his GOP opponents, he still trails Congressman Baron Hill in the Fightin' Ninth.
Former Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-Ind.) trails Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) by just one point, 43-42, according to a poll conducted for Sodrel's campaign.
The Wilson Research Strategies poll also shows Sodrel in solid position in his May 4 primary with attorney Todd Young and activist Travis Hankins. Sodrel's name recognition from four previous campaigns in the district has spurred him to a 46-19 lead over Hankins. Young, who is a member of the NRCC's Young Guns program, is in third, at 13 percent.
Aside from the fact that this is a Sodrel internal, the poll was from roughly three-weeks ago. I'm curious to see how things look after the primary -- until then, these polls are more about fundraising than predicting.
The more and more I think about the Jim Shella story I linked to below regarding the NRCC's use of pseudo-robocalls in Indiana -- and their subsequent refusal to stop -- the more and more I think that the Republican challengers in the affected districts owe it to their potential constituents to condemn the NRCC's tactics.
To recap, all three major political parties in Indiana signed a "treaty" months ago pledging to not use automated phone calls in the upcoming election cycle.
Not only is the legality of robocalling in question right now, but at the end of the day, people hate these calls. The treaty was widely seen as a win-win for both the political organizations and ordinary Hoosiers.
Clearly, though, the NRCC didn't get the memo. And when Attorney General Greg Zoeller pointed it out, they gave Hoosiers the political equivalent of a middle finger.
All of which leads me to a simple question: Will any of these candidates step forward to condemn the NRCC's flagrant disregard for what Hoosiers want?
I'm a little late to this particular party, but for those of you who missed the big development of the weekend, here's the skinny:
"My focus has been, and will remain, on fulfilling my job as the congressman from Southern Indiana and continuing to address the most pressing issues our nation and great state face, like deficit reduction, health care reform, energy independence and entitlement spending," Hill said in a statement.
Republicans, meanwhile, promised to give Hill a stiff challenge in the congressional race.
Hill's decision and endorsement likely clears the path for Ellsworth to get the Senate nomination, which will be decided after the primary by the Indiana Democratic Party's 32-member central committee.
Congressman Hill is in a strong position as he pursues reelection, and his two potential challengers have yet to do, well, much of anything to articulate why they'd like to replace him.
For what it's worth, Mike Sodrel appears to be more interested in selling books than anything else, and Todd Young doesn't even have the political chops necessary to see that folding on his debate challenge with Sodrel is just the latest in a long line of bad decisions.
Remember when Ninth District Republican candidates Mike "Fifth Time's A Charm" Sodrel and Todd "I Swear Carmel Is Southern Indiana" Young pledged to debate one another every week until the primary election?
"I can assure you, when I am in D.C., I will not forget I represent people like you," Young said as the room exploded with cheers.
Young ended the night by challenging Sodrel to weekly debates until the primary elections. Sodrel quickly accepted. Details are still being worked out.
Sodrel said he was not sure about Young's experience, but he pointed out that he was loyal to President Ronald Reagan's 11th commandment.
"Thou shall not speak ill of any fellow Republican."
That was nearly a month ago.
Since then, details have been few and far between on these supposed debates. Anyone hearing anything out there? Who is afraid of whom?
As Janice Joplin pointed out, only people who have nothing to lose can be completely free. If you have no property, you have no responsibility to maintain it. You can sleep under a bridge and have no responsibility to report for work. If you don't have a family, you have no family responsibilities.
Sodrel then, for what it's worth, quickly segues into a discussion of godless atheists destroying America.
1.Communist Atheism where the State is the Church
2.Islamic Fascism where the Church is the State
3.The Judeo/Christian tradition where the Church and State are separate, but co-dependent
Of the three major faiths today, only the Judeo/Christian faith is compatible with individual liberty.
This no doubt will come as a surprise to the 1.5-2 billion Hindu and Buddhist practitioners in the world.
(Stay tuned for quotes from the part where Mike tells us that liberal atheists and Islamic extremists are working together to destroy America and the Church!)
Mike Sodrel, he of four-time loss fame, has done it again, and thus we are almost undoubtedly assured of at least five or six months of campaign trail wackiness from that second-most famous 'stache in the state.
(For what it's worth, Shella's got him beat by a landslide.)
What I find most interesting about this latest bout with delusions of grandeur is just how little fanfare has accompanied the announcement. Aside from some conservative bloggers and a few brief local and AP blurbs, Sodrel's entry into the race has been greeted with a decidedly muted reaction for a candidate who for the last few months has been heralded as a game-changer by his party's faithful.
More than anything, Sodrel's hat-tossing is indicative of a decidedly down year for candidate recruitment at the congressional level here in the state. Granted, the field may not be as bleak as last year's chuckle-fest, but we're talking about slim pickings at best. A quick recap:
2nd District: Wacky Jackie Walorski announces a bid, which will no doubt be fueled by the fringe elements that have held her aloft for years.
8th District: A bottom-of-the-barrel self-funding doctor and a motorcycle blogger round out the current crop in a district that seems to fall more in love with Congressman Brad Ellsworth every year.
9th District: Travis Whatshisface spent the summer spending every penny he brought in on pizza for his interns, Todd Young has tried so hard that you almost feel bad for how little people seem to like him, and Mike Sodrel has become a perennial punchline. Not exactly overwhelming.
If anything, the current GOP crop seems more geared toward softening the beachhead for the first post-redistricting cycle, as most of the candidates are doing little to indicate they'll have the institutional or grassroots support to raise much of a ruckus.
Don't misunderstand me: we're going to have to fight like hell to keep these seats. But the reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.
Former Republican congressman Mike Sodrel was supposed to hit the road and wind his way through 20 southern Indiana counties on Thursday, initiating his fifth Congressional campaign with the target being U.S. Rep. Baron Hill.
That's right, Millionaire Mike is back, and he's not taking the resounding electoral "no" he was handed in 2008 for an answer.
While pundits salivate over the spectacle of a fifth match-up against Congressman Baron Hill -- the good congressional representative has only registered one loss during the tough 2004 cycle -- it's worth noting that due to Hill's popularity and tireless work ethic, the real fun in this district may take place in the Republican primary.
In one corner we have the self-funding, mother-trucking behemoth that is Mike Sodrel, a man who has drifted more and more out of the mainstream as his desperate attempts have progressed from year to year. In th other, Carmelite Todd Young, a guy who despite racking up some early endorsements should view Sodrel's entry as a resounding dismissal of his candidacy by the GOP establishment.
Millionaire Mike Sodrel, we just can't quit you. At least, we can't do it until this whole "alleged illegal campaign work" issue is put to bed. Luckily, you've rediscovered the calling card of your short-lived political career: when in panic, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
Bud Bernitt vehemently denied charges filed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that cited illegal activities between his organization and former Republican Rep. Mike Sodrel.
"It's a blatant lie," said Bernitt, founder of Citizens for Truth.
[...]
The DCCC accused Bernitt of spending more than $10,000 on radio advertisements attacking Hill through the moniker of Citizens for Trust. That amount would require the organization to register with the election commission.
Bernitt denied spending more than the legal limit and said the complaint is about revenge.
"[Hill] is mad because I've been revealing his voting record," he said. Bernitt added he spent around $5,000 for ads for the 2006 election.
Little known fact about the Democratic National Congressional Committee: Unlike the cozy relationship between Bernitt and Sodrel, the folks over at DCCC headquarters tend to do whatever the hell they want. Even if Baron Hill knew about this complaint -- and to my knowledge, he has been a bit too busy representing the district in Washington to give two hoots about it -- his cries to not pursue it would have probably fallen on deaf ears.
And besides -- if Sodrel and his soft-money buddies didn't do anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about, right?
This story has been floating around for a few days now, but the damn Herald-Times doesn't allow us mere mortals to look at their reporting. Sure, I could have walked over and paid fifty cents for a paper copy, but I refuse to give them the benefit of victory with one of the worst business models of any paper in state.
Regardless, the rest of the free world is now reporting on what looks to be a set of serious allegations against the perennial 9th CD candidate.
The Federal Election Commission received the complaint, which also names the organizations Citizens for Truth and the Economic Freedom Fund.
"There is overwhelming evidence that Mike Sodrel engaged in a pattern of multiple violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act by illegally coordinating his attacks on Congressman Hill with the shady soft money groups Citizens for Truth and the Economic Freedom Fund," stated Jennifer Crider, communications director for the DCCC, in an e-mail.
The DCCC claims Sodrel, Citizens for Truth and the Economic Freedom Fund are guilty of accepting and making illegal in-kind contributions, failing to register as a political committee with the Election Commission and not reporting coordinated communications and expenditures.
"We're filing this complaint to hold Mike Sodrel and his soft money supporters accountable for attempting to skirt federal election law and deceive Indiana voters," Crider said.
The DCCC points to phone records showing dozens upon dozens of direct contacts between the soft money groups and Sodrel staffers, among other things. And with Sodrel having lost spectacularly -- and the rumor mill seeming to confirm his political ambitions are dead -- you have to assume the DCCC wouldn't pursue this without some pretty solid evidence behind them.
Quinn said Mike Sodrel has said he will not be running against Hill again. Sodrel was not available for comment Monday evening.
It's about time.
Elsewhere, some conservative guy who looks a lot like Wayne Rooney is apparently throwing his hat into the non-existent ring.
"I know it is early to be talking about a political campaign, but it is not too early to be concerned about the dangerous levels of deficit spending now being recommended by Congress and the Obama administration," Young, a former policy adviser to Sen. Dick Lugar, said in a prepared statement.
One wonders where he has been the last eight years...
This race has consistently hovered around ten points, with Baron Hill almost always above that magical 50% number. While I caution everyone against letting their guard down with only a few days to go, it is beginning to look like the 9th District may reelect Hill by his largest margin ever. So says WISH-TV sponsored survey.
Increasingly irrational Republicans are giddy at the prospect of Sarah Palin gathering together thousands of rabid GOPers in southern Indiana, citing for some strange reason that it will benefit Millionaire Mike Sodrel.
I'm giddy at the prospect that increasingly irrational Republicans have such little political sense that they think their marginalized ideological base will somehow carry them to victory this year.
Sarah Palin, by the way, wants to know the difference between a hockey mom and an albatross. The Wall Street Journal, of all sources, provides an answer:
The one candidate whose popularity has fallen is Gov. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee. Voters are less likely to see her in a positive light, and much more likely to report negative feelings.
Fifty-five percent of voters say Gov. Palin isn't qualified to be president if the need arises, up from 50% two weeks ago. And when given a list of possible concerns about Sen. McCain, voters were by far most likely to say they worry about Gov. Palin's qualification to be president.
Getting the base all riled up is useful for Palin's long-term political ambitions, but it isn't doing anything to move the polls in a substantial way for her, or the rest of the wayward Republican ticket.
If it makes them all feel better, more power to 'em. But there's something to be said about taking that first step toward recovering from an addiction.
Millionaire Mike's warmed-over Bush-era policy message is as stale as his stylistic choice of facial hair -- not that I'm one to talk -- and SurveyUSA brings us news that voters in the 9th District aren't impressed.
54% - Baron Hill (D) 39% - Mike Sodrel (R) 5% - Eric Schansberg (L) 2% - Undecided
Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released 3 weeks ago, nothing has changed. Hill and Sodrel have run against each other in three previous elections; in the last, two years ago, Schansberg also ran, making this year's race an exact rematch of 2006, when Hill Beat Sodrel by 5 points to re-take his seat.
Among early voters surveyed, Baron Hill leads by a 2-1 margin, and he enjoys a similar advantage among self-identified Independent voters. Heck, 20% of GOPers are crossing over this year to vote for Baron.
Baron and his campaign have been working tirelessly, but this thing isn't over yet, folks. Be sure to give the good Congressman your full support over these critical final weeks.
Another encouraging sign in this race, where it appears that Mike Sodrel's ridiculous stunts and well-worn rhetoric aren't winning too many fans.
The people of Indiana's 9th House District are well represented by Democrat Baron Hill. As a cautious, moderate lawmaker, he fits his constituency. Pleasant, steady and accessible, he's the kind of fellow Hoosiers should want looking after their interests in Washington.
[...]
Mr. Sodrel is bold and convivial, with a ready smile that belies the brute tactics he has used at times in past campaigns, exploiting hot button social issues. His 2008 campaign has been less provocative than past efforts.
[...]
We have differed with Mr. Hill at times, but he usually ends up on the progressive and reasonable side of issues. Mr. Sodrel's views are, we believe, outside the Southern Indiana mainstream. Mr. Hill is the better choice.
This, it should be noted, means much more than the en masse endorsement of an Indianapolis-based newspaper.
Baron was on fire at yesterday's Obama rally, and provided what I believe was the best warm-up speech of any candidate in attendance. (Sorry, Wilson.)
Last night brought together the candidates in the 9th CD for their first and only debate, an event somewhat overshadowed by Republican Mike Sodrel's assertion that he believes the sparring session would be best served by including -- wait for it -- lie detectors.
After the adults in the room said that wouldn't work and was rather silly, Sodrel moved forward with his appearance, but apparently not without bringing his special brand of wacky along for the ride.
9th District Republican Party Chairman Larry Shickles made the following statement regarding tonight's debate and the use of voice analysis equipment:
"Yesterday I hand delivered a letter to Congressman Hill's office asking for a direct response from him on two issues: 1) Organizing a debate in which polygraph equipment is used and/or 2) agreeing to the use of layered voice analysis equipment at tomorrow's debate in Jasper.
As of 5:00 p.m. today, I have not received a response from Congressman Hill or his staff. Unless I hear from him or his office tomorrow, (today) I will assume that they have no objection and will make arrangements for a taped copy of the debate to be analyzed with this equipment by a team of professionals. I am excited that we may be moving forward with this project for the citizens of Southern Indiana."
Someone really needs to introduce ol' Millionaire Mike to Cindy Sheehan. They would have a great time discussing their long-shot bids and irrational paranoia. Except with her, it is tragic and disheartening. With him, it's just plain weird.
The first and only meeting between Democratic Congressman Baron Hill, Libertarian Eric Schansberg, and Republican "Millionaire" Mike Sodrel is scheduled to begin in just under an hour, and there are no lie detectors to be seen.
Jasper will host a debate Tuesday night in Indiana's 9th district congressional race.
Baron Hill and Mike Sodrel will take part in the forum at the Jasper Arts Center on the Jasper campus of Vincennes University.
Only the first portion will be televised, and in most locales the event will be carried by your PBS affiliate. Be sure to tune in!
First came the news that Democratic challenger Mike Montagano's effort against Rep. Mark Souder is now part of the DCCC's oft-celebrated Red to Blue program. Then came the release of polling numbers showing the contest in this +16 PVI district down to a mere five points.
And what do we have today? Word from the Cook Political Report (via Politico) that the cash-strapped Republicans are pulling money out of competitive races elsewhere to defend Mark Souder.
If 2008 looks like 2006, a new wave of veteran Republicans will be out on the streets, and the colleagues they leave behind could find themselves with the smallest minority since the post-Watergate era.
"If you're a Republican in a less-than-outstanding district, you want to have taken a poll in the last two weeks no matter who you're running against," said David Wasserman, an analyst on House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
"The DCCC has made advertising decisions that have forced Republicans' hands," he continued, mentioning Terry's seat in Nebraska and one held by conservative Rep. Mark Souder in Indiana. "Republicans, in turn, need to spend in these districts. And $500,000 to the [National Republican Congressional Committee] is a whole lot more meaningful than $500,000 to the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]."
At face value, this isn't exactly the best of news. Obviously it would have been preferable to simply have Montagano run against the anemic fundraising machine that Souder has become known for. That being said, this move does send two positive messages.
First, this district is in play. While those on the right cling to their strategy of playing dumb, those in the know recognize that a Montagano victory is increasingly likely as the GOP brand continues to nosedive in Indiana and elsewhere. And with the rumor mill churning over the great numbers for the Obama campaign in the northeast corner of our state, Montagano will only be helped by the extremely active Campaign for Change in his area.
(Michelle Obama will be visiting Fort Wayne tomorrow, in case you think I'm making this stuff up.)
Secondly, keep in mind that this now spreads the NRCC even more thin in a state they are already struggling to compete in. Mike Sodrel is underperforming in the 9th, and Congressman Baron Hill is tearing up the campaign trail with great momentum. Will the NRCC be forced to pull out of the 9th CD to play defense in the 3rd? If they try and compete in both, will they even be able to get a message out above the inescapable din of presidential politics? Could we enter 2009 with a 6-3 advantage in the congressional delegation? Could Nels Ackerson make it 7-2?
A lot of questions, and not a lot of good answers for the GOP.
All logos and trademarks in this site
are property of their respective owner.
The comments are property of their posters, and
all other site content may be used for any purpose
without explicit permission
unless otherwise specified.
