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HILLARY, JLT BREAK THE GLASS CEILING: Hillary Clinton pulled out a narrow victory in the Indiana primary in tandem with a razor thin win for Jill Long Thompson in the gubernatorial primary - the two women crashing through Indiana’s glass ceiling..jpg)
In 192 years, Indiana had never nominated a female for govenor. With 99 percent reporting and Clinton ahead 51-49 percent. Her final victory came in with a tiny 22,000 vote plurality, or 50.9 to 49.1 percent, CNN projected Clinton the winner at 1:10 a.m. In an election where the invigorated youth vote was to be potent, it was the 69 percent of senior citizens who voted for Clinton. The race teetered on slow returns coming from Lake County. The Indiana victory for Clinton was tempered by a 56-42 percent loss to Obama in North Carolina. More importantly, Clinton and Obama will split the delegates at 50/50. Clinton trails Obama in delegates 1,787 to 1,637 and there were reports that more super delegates were preparing to endorse Obama.
CLINTON, BAYH DECLARE VICTORY AS DRAMA UNFOLDS: U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Evan Bayh claimed victory Tuesday night even though her lead had dwindled to a mere 17,000 votes (Brian A. Howey, HPI). Clinton jubilantly quoted Barack Obama: "He said I would win Pennsylvania, he would win the North Carolina, and Indiana would be the tiebreaker. Well, tonight we’ve come from behind, wev’e broken the tie and it’s full speed on to the White House." A charged up Bayh introduced Clinton at the Murat Center in what will be one of the highlights of his political career. Clinton wouldn’t have won Indiana without him. CNN finally projected Clinton the winner at 1:10 a.m. "I want to thank Indiana for your hospitality and your vote of confidence," Clinton said with former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea standing behind her." She called Bayh "an oustanding leader. He has worked tirelessly on this campaign." Bayh told the story of Clinton meeting a 100-year-old woman in Terre Haute - his family home - who had a sign that said, "You go, girl!" Clinton carried white Hoosier women 61-39 percent and white males 58-41 percent. Obama carried both black males and females 92-8 percent. The Clinton campaign said that what drove Hillary’s strong support – especially among downscale voters, suburban and rural voters, churchgoers, gun-owners and those who are affected by the recession? Gas tax summer holiday – making oil companies pay the gas tax instead of American families through a tax on oil company windfall profits. Tough stance on NAFTA and other trade issues. The only candidate – Democrat or Republican – with a health care plan that covers every American. Support for cutting middle-class taxes. Obama conceded Indiana at 9:13 p.m. , congratulating U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton for her "victory in the great state of Indiana." Exit polling shows that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright issue mattered to 72 percent of Clinton’s supporters." Salving Obama’s wounds was a big victory in North Carolina. Obama is expected to win the 2nd and 7th CDs. Clinton has won the 8th, 9th. Still hanging in the balance is the 1st. Obama had begun his campaign trying to "transcend race" in American politics. But by the time he got to Indiana, the Clinton campaign was tagging him with the "elitist" label and then out-flanked him on the summer gas tax holiday. Bayh provided the organizational assets that allowed her to catch up with the high-tech Obama campaign. Obama tried to embrace Hoosiers, playing basketball with them and visiting their living rooms and cafeterias. But what had been known as some of the most Republican country in the nation, the Clintons cleaned up with Bill leading the way. Obama even had a picnic in Noblesville, the deeply conservative Hamilton County seat. The Howey-Gauge Poll predicted that Republicans could determine the winner.
CLAY PREDICTED EYES WOULD BE ON GARY: Shortly before 11 p.m., the Northwest Times of Indiana election blog posted a video dated April 10 featuring a fiery oratory from Gary Mayor Rudy Clay, promising all eyes will be turned on Lake County come election day (Howey Politics Indiana). "On May 6th, when you’re looking at CNN, around 6:15 p.m., there is going to go that big map," Clay said to cheers and applause, "and they’re going to say that Barack Obama’s opponent is leading by one point, but Gary Indiana’s vote hasn’t come in yet." On CNN just before 1 a.m., Gary Mayor Clay said, "We are counting the ballots methodically. This is the biggest voter turnour we’ve ever had in the history of this county. The early voters were overwhelming and we’re still counting those absentee ballots." Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott was the face of Lake County on CNN, calling the delays a "shame" and acknowledging Lake County’s troubled election history of the past. "It’s way too late for this," McDermott said about 11:30 p.m. "I hope they hurry up. The entire world is watching us and it’s not very flattering for Lake County." In the 1999 and 2003 East Chicago mayoral elections, there was so much fraud surrounding absentee ballots that the Indiana Supreme Court threw out the 2003 election and ordered a new one. That ended the tenure of long-time East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick and paved the way for Clay to assume the Lake County Democratic chair.
SEN. CLINTON LOANS HERSELF $6M: CNN is reporting this morning that Sen. Clinton has loaned herself $6.4 million to keep her presidential campaign going into West Virgnia, Kentucky and Oregon. Obama outspend Clinton 3-to-1 in Indiana.
McCAIN GOT ONLY 77 PERCENT IN INDIANA: Not only did thousands of Republicans crossover to vote in the Indiana Democratic primary, presumptive nominee John McCain polled only 77 percent or 317,000 votes in the Indiana primary. Mike Huckabee took 10 percent, Ron Paul had 8 percent, and Mitt Romney 5 percent. Almost 100,000 Hoosier Republicans did not vote for McCain (Howey Politics Indiana).
VISCLOSKY UNSWAYED: Superdelegates may pick the nominee, but they are not bound by the popular vote (Times of Northwest Indiana). For example, one of Northwest Indiana’s superdelegates, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, said he would not publicly endorse a candidate no matter who won Tuesday. "He will certainly consider the results of the district and the state, but it’s part of the equation," Visclosky spokesman Jacob Ritvo said. "He doesn’t feel bound by it."
ALL EYES ON DONNELLY, ELLSWORTH: U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly could be the likely Indiana super delegate to declare for Obama, though he has yet to do so (Howey Politics Indiana). Obama carried St. Joseph and Elkhart counties. On Sunday at the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner, Donnelly watched Obama demonstrators and expressed his admiration for their quest for "change." Donnelly said that his wife and children were for Obama. Former congressman Tim Roemer has been an ardent supporter of Obama. U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth had hinted that he would likely support whoever won his district. Clinton carried every county in the 8th CD, including Vanderburgh County 20,325 to 19,031,
WEINZAPFEL COMMENTS: As Obama’s chances to snatch victory from apparent defeat in Indiana hung in the balance late Tuesday night, Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel appeared on CNN’s "Larry King Live" to assess the situation. "The polling I had seen showed Sen. Clinton up by five points or so heading into the last weekend," said Weinzapfel, who endorsed and campaigned with Obama. "I thought Sen. Obama did a great job, built some momentum over the last four or five days, repudiated Rev. (Jeremiah) Wright, got an endorsement from Congressman Baron Hill, (former national Democratic Chairman) Joe Andrews’ switch (from Clinton to Obama) and then of course, that opportunity to fixate on a specific issue with the gas tax," Weinzapfel told King. "I think (Obama) got a lot of traction heading up into the election. "I think if it was up to the Obama campaign, they could have used a couple more days and made sure that this is a clear-cut victory. But we’re still hopeful that results in Lake County are going to put Sen. Obama over the top."
HOWARD COUNTY BACKED CLINTON: Howey Politics Indiana’s bellwether - Kokomo and Howard County - backed Hillary Clinton 55-44 percent. Howard County voters had backed the winning gubernatorial, congressional and legislative winners in the last four election cycles.
Indiana Governor
THOMPSON DECLARES A LATE NIGHT VICTORY: In a historic election for Hoosier Democrats, early this morning Jill Long Thompson was declared the winner of the Democratic nomination for Governor of Indiana (Howey Politics Indiana). Long Thompson will hold a media availability at 10 a.m. in Fort Wayne to discuss the next phase of the campaign. She will also hold a news conference in Indianapolis on Wednesday afternoon. Thompson had her rally on her home turf of Fort Wayne and not Indianapolis where the Democratic Party establishment had lined up against her. Campaign sources told HPI last week that Thompson would probably try to move personnel on to the state committee which is controlled by the Bayh organization. Long-time Thompson ally Shawn Mulholland was a name that came out. At the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner where Thompson was politely received, she paid homage to former Sen. Birch Bayh, which was seen as an olive branch to the Bayh-Dan Parker wing of the party. Thompson race with Jim Schellinger was buffeted by an influx of Republican voters, which the Howey-Gauge Poll on April 29 noted might support Schellinger. By mid-evening, the two were neck-and-neck and awaiting Lake County results. Thompson’s win was by about 5,400 votes. Schellinger and Jill Long Thompson were both addressing their supporters at 11 tonight, neither declaring victory or conceding defeat. "I would have been here sooner, but I was a little preoccupied," Thompson said at Fort Wayne. "I think this is going to be a victory celebration." With about 86 percent of the vote in, only about 6,000 votes separated the two Democrats. Thompson’s communication consultant Chris Sautter has a national reputation for handling recounts, including the epic "Bloody 8th" CD deadlock between Rick McIntyre and Frank McCloskey in 1984-5. Late results from Lake County, the state’s second-largest in population, put Long Thompson over the top, unofficial tallies show. Thompson had the support of Lake County Sheriff Roy Dominguez. Up until midnight, the Schellinger campaign thought it would find a victory margin in Lake County. Sautter told HPI this morning that there didn’t appear to be any basis for a recount. Both candidates were predicting wins late into the night. "It’s going to be a great night for us," Schellinger told supporters shortly after 10 p.m. "We’re going to pull this thing out. We’re going to win this thing." Television coverage of Long Thompson making a similar speech in Fort Wayne played in the background as Schellinger addressed the crowd a Pat Flynn’s Public House, a bar on the north side of the state capital. "The night is unfolding as we always thought it would," said Long Thompson spokesman Jeff Harris. "It’s extremely tight. But considering we were out-spent 3-1, we’re extremely pleased with the numbers."
PRIMARY VOTE RECORD SMASHED: Indiana’s presidential primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama drew so many voters that some precincts ran out of Democratic ballots (Associated Press). Almost 1.7 million votes were cast in the Democratic and Republican races Tuesday, according to unofficial tallies by The Associated Press. That smashed the 1992 primary turnout of just over one million voters. A high number of Republican crossover votes sent several counties scrambling to print extra ballots. A judge ordered some polls in northwestern Indiana’s Porter County to stay open an additional hour after several precincts ran out of Democratic ballots. Other ballot shortages were reported in Howard, Jackson and Hancock counties as voters turned out in droves for the presidential race. Local voting officials printed substitute ballots that were to be counted by hand. The ballot shortages occurred as voters embraced Indiana’s first meaningful presidential primary in 40 years. In counties across the state where most precincts were counted early, thousands more votes were cast than during the state’s record primary turnout in 1992.
Congress
VICTORIES FOR CARSON AND BURTON: Indiana voters renewed the Burton-Carson show, with both incumbents Rep. Dan Burton and Andre Carson winning. McGoff lost to Burton by only 52-45 percent despite being vastly outspent. GOP crossover to the Clinton-Obama race probably cost McGoff much needed support (Howey Politics Indiana). Both incumbents fed off the Clinton-Obama race. Carson linked himself to the Obama campaign as the two traded endorsements and then the young congressman found himself addressing 21,000 supporters Monday night, declaring the Carson and Obama campaigns were one. Carson certainly benefited from Obama’s long Marion County coattails. Dr. Woodrow "Woody" Myers, a former state health commissioner who spent more than $1.6 million campaigning, came in second with 24 percent of the vote. State Rep. David Orentlicher had 21 percent, and state Rep. Carolene Mays had about 7 percent. Carson, who received thousands of dollars from national and local political contributors, faced two well-funded opponents, both of whom used their own money to fuel a fierce race for the party slot. Orentlicher donated more than $300,000 to his effort; Myers, $1.6 million (Indianapolis Star). Together, they shattered records for spending in the race, reporting a total of $2.3 million in mid-April before a massive final push in TV commercials, mailers and get-out-the-vote efforts. "We fought a tough one," Carson said in his victory speech. "We were divided, but now it’s time to come together because we have another fight ahead of us." He welcomed supporters of the other candidates. He said many people underestimated his campaign. Marion County Democratic Chairman Michael O’Connor said Sen. Barack Obama’s support of Carson struck a popular chord. O’Connor said both Carson and Obama represent change. "I think you have two new-generation candidates, and they were able to capture young voters and that change element," he said.
BURTON SAYS THIS ISN’T LAST RACE: Former Marion County Coroner John McGoff waged a furious campaign against the veteran congressman for the 5th District nomination — but in the end, it was not enough (McFeely, Indianapolis Star). Burton won by a 52 to 45 percent margin — his lowest percentage of votes in 26 years. "We ran against a very, very tough opponent," Burton said. "It was a difficult race." He will seek his 14th term in Congress in the fall against Democrat Mary Etta Ruley, Gas City. Burton, who will turn 70 in June, said he has no intention in making this his last race. "I don’t think I am ready to hang it up just yet," he said. "I’m in pretty good shape." The race, like many others, might have been swayed by thousands of Republican voters who crossed political lines and voted in the Democratic primary, either to vote for or against Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama. They also might have been foot-soldiers for Rush Limbaugh, who was urging his listeners to participate in "operation chaos" to prolong the Democratic presidential campaign. But who did they hurt? "I think the crossover will be one of those variables we’ll never be able to measure," McGoff said. Burton said he thought the crossover votes hurt him. "Most of them were conservative voters who I believe would have supported me," said Burton, who has served since 1982.
HILL-SODREL REMATCH CUES UP: U.S. Rep. Baron Hill cruised to an easy victory last night against three Democratic challengers, setting up his fourth consecutive battle with Republican Mike Sodrel for the 9th Congressional District seat (Louisville Courier-Journal). With 95 percent of precincts reporting in unofficial returns, Hill was leading with 68 percent of the vote over John Bottorff of Jasper, Gretchen Clearwater of Bloomington and Lendall Terry of Versailles. Hill — who is seeking a fifth term in Congress and his second in a row after losing in 2004 to Sodrel — was in Washington yesterday for House votes. He issued a statement about last night’s results: "Serving the people of Southern Indiana in Congress is a distinct honor and privilege. As I have said many times, this Congress has garnered some significant accomplishments, but there is unarguably still work to be done. And, I want to return to Congress to continue fighting for Hoosier families." Sodrel, a trucking company executive from New Albany, was unopposed in the Republican primary. Still, he spent the day visiting precincts throughout the district. "We didn’t want people to think we were lazy or taking them for granted," Sodrel said. Hill will begin the general election campaign with about three times as much cash on hand as Sodrel. According to finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Hill had more than $990,000 as of April 16, the end of the last reporting period. Sodrel had about $308,000.
PUCKETT WILL CHALLENGE DONNELLY: Luke Puckett will try to unseat U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly in the fall after sailing to an easy victory in Tuesday’s Republican Congressional primary (South Bend Tribune). With 83 percent of precincts reporting, Puckett had secured 48 percent of the vote. Culver resident Joseph Roush earned 36 percent of the Republican vote, and South Bend attorney Tony Zirkle brought in 16 percent. Puckett focused on Donnelly, D-Granger, during both his campaign and his acceptance speech Tuesday night, criticizing the first-term congressman and the Washington establishment. “What our current leadership in Washington lacks is the vision, the courage and the leadership to demand common-sense solutions to the challenges facing us today,” said Puckett, a Goshen businessman.
Indiana General Assembly
TWO HOUSE INCUMBENTS LOSE: State Reps. John Ulmer and Gregg Simms, who was appointed to his seat, were the only two primary casualities in the House. Charles Moseley handily defeated Simms 54-29 percent. Simms was the third person to hold HD10 after Duane Cheney resigned last year. In HD49, Goshen businessman Wes Culver easily defeted Ulmer 40 to 24 percent after an array of state organizations supported Culver. When Ulmer advertised on the Christian radio station WFRN-FM, the station ran ads critical of Ulmer, saying it had to accept the ads.
RANDOLPH WINS SENATE NOMINATION: Former state Sen. Lonnie Randolph won the seven-Democrat showdown to replace East Chicago state Sen. Sam Smith, election results showed Wednesday morning (Times of Northwest Indiana). In the end, Randolph’s 5,914 votes beat out his closest competitor, Gary School Board member Michael Scott Sr., by 222 votes with 22 percent of the vote. Randolph left the Senate in 1998 to become a city judge. He and Scott touted their experience, while Diane Smith had the support of her husband, who replaced Randolph in the Senate a decade ago. Randolph will face Republican Carl L. Dahlin Jr. in November. "I am tired, my bunions are hurting and if I saw a bed right now I would go right to sleep," Randolph said (Post-Tribune). The 2nd District, which had belonged to an East Chicago candidate since the 1980s, pitted three candidates with prominent political names. Smith entered the race after her husband, Sam, announced he wouldn’t run to hold the seat. Randolph had represented the 2nd District until he stepped down in 1998 to become East Chicago City Judge, and Scott is in the middle of his fourth term on the Gary School Board. With Smith, Randolph and Louis Vasquez splitting the vote in East Chicago, Scott was counting on strong support in Gary to win. In the 6th District, where he lives and his nephew Ronier Scott is city councilman, Scott said he bested his closest opponent by a 3-1 margin. The number of voting precincts are almost equally divided between Gary and East Chicago, with a handful of precincts in Hammond, Merrillville, Griffith, Highland, Schererville and St. John filling out the remainder.
LEISING WINS IN SD44: Former Sen. Jean Leising defeated Jeff Sponsel by 3,600 votes for a 48-29 percent win in the Senate seat vacated by the retiring Bob Jackman. In SD 12, where Sen. Marvin Riegsecker is retiring, Carlin Yoder defeated Jim Erb and Joe Guerrero. Yoder won won with 61 percent to 27 percent for Erb.
KENLEY, LUBBERS, GARD, LAWSON WIN: Four Republican state senators appeared late Tuesday to have weathered the recent property tax uproar that produced rare opposition for them in their party’s primary (Indianapolis Star). State Sens. Luke Kenley, Beverly J. Gard, Connie Lawson and Teresa S. Lubbers each held big leads over opponents who had hoped to seize on voter angst about property taxes, which doubled and tripled in some parts of the state in the past year. But all four senators helped play a role in tax reforms that placed caps on property tax bills, created referendums for many public building projects, eliminated the majority of township assessors and provided relief for the working poor, renters and senior citizen homeowners — paid for largely by increasing the state sales tax to 7 percent from 6 percent. Few people were more intimately involved with the reforms than Kenley, R-Noblesville, who shepherded the reform package through the Senate. On Tuesday, Kenley was leading opponent Ken Geesaman with 85 percent of the vote, with most of the precincts reporting. It was his first primary opposition in his 16 years in office. "I worked so hard on the property tax bill, and it feels really gratifying to me to feel that the people at least approved of my effort, if not every point and letter of what I did," Kenley said. Leaving nothing to chance, Kenley campaigned hard, going door to door and sending out a series of mailers over a four-week period. "We ran a strong campaign and showed people we wanted the job," he said.
LEONARD WITHSTANDS CHALLENGE: Huntington Republican Rep. Dan Leonard’s plan to pull out all the stops to beat his two primary opponents ended in success Tuesday night (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). Unofficial final results showed Leonard with 58 percent of the vote compared with 23 percent for former Huntington mayor Terry Abbett and 18 percent for newcomer Gary Snyder. Leonard, 59, is seeking his fourth term in House District 50, which covers parts of Huntington and Whitley counties. A big issue in his race was property taxes. He helped pass a property tax relief package in March, although taxpayers haven’t yet seen the promised cuts. His opponents were hoping to use that and a general anti-incumbent sentiment to oust Leonard. But the veteran legislator didn’t take the race for granted, going door to door, making phone calls to core Republicans and spending thousands of dollars on direct mail and other advertising. Abbett, 60, was the most experienced of the challengers, having served one term on Huntington County Council, one term as a Huntington County commissioners and two terms as Huntington mayor. But his ailing health had become an issue in the race. Snyder, 39, had lived in the district for just over a year. He decried the property tax problem but had no specific suggestions to fix it. He also wanted to curb state spending and criticized tax incentives for the movie industry and salary increases for state lawmakers.
RUPPEL WINS COMFORTABLY: Rep. Bill Ruppel, R-North Manchester, made it through the first of two challenges Tuesday night when he defeated fellow Republicans Michael Ridenour and Bill Dixon in the House District 22 primary (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). Unofficial results show Ruppel garnered 56 percent of the votes compared with 25 percent for Ridenour and 19 percent for Dixon. On the Democratic side, Larry Rensberger, of rural Syracuse, prevailed with 66 percent of the vote to 34 percent for Allen “Big Al” Dunnagan, of Wabash.
SOLIDAY WINS EASY VICTORY: Incumbent Republican Ed Soliday came in with a strong win in his bid to keep his seat (Post-Tribune). Soliday held off challenger Shawn Olson with 60.5 percent of the vote. Olson received 39.5, with 58 percent of the precincts reporting. "I’m proud of the people of Porter County," Soliday said. "They weren’t fooled by the special-interest groups." Soliday had been attacked in recent weeks in pamphlets sent out to voters, saying he had voted for wheel and other taxes, all of which he denied because there were no such votes during his tenure.
LEHE WINS EASILY: State Rep. Don Lehe, R-Brookston, and Democrat Myron M. Sutton will compete for Indiana House District 15 in the November general election (Post-Tribune). The race will be a rematch from 2006, when Lehe beat Sutton by fewer than 30 votes. Both the Democratic and Republican primaries for Indiana House District 15 were contested. Lehe faced two Republicans, Richard H. Niemeyer and Lon P. Childress. Sutton and John Anthony Malan competed in the Democratic primary.
VANDENBURPH HOLDS ON TO HER SEAT: Incumbent District 19 State Rep. Rochelle "Shelli" VanDenburgh trounced her Democratic opponent Dennis Meeks 3 to 1 in an unofficial vote tally in Tuesday’s primary (Post-Tribune). VanDenburgh said she won 2 to 1 in Portage and 3 to 1 in Crown Point, Hebron, Lowell, and Cedar Lake. Crown Point Democratic Party vice chairman George Patrick said VanDenburgh’s unofficial count without absentee ballots was 3,485. He had no numbers for Meeks, who could not be reached for comment. "In my mind I’m already running our fall race," VanDenburgh said at party headquarters in Crown Point. "Whoever my opponent is, he’ll have to work hard. I’m looking forward to getting the next one over and getting back to the Statehouse. It’s important to retain the seat for the Democrats so we stay in the majority of the House." At Republican headquarters at Buddy and Pal’s in Crown Point, Lake County Republican Party Chairman John Curley said no totals were available, but that by 9 p.m. Andrew Webster led his opponent Bill Johnson by 50 votes. "He’s squeaking by in Lake and Porter counties," Curley said.
POND WINS PRIMARY CHALLENGE: The longest-serving member of the House Republican caucus weathered a spirited primary challenge Tuesday night in her quest for a 16th term (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven, received 60 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Real estate agent Denny Worman earned 23 percent, while Allen County Treasurer Bob Lee had only 17 percent. All three were running in House District 85, which serves parts of Allen and DeKalb counties. Several other incumbents in northeast Indiana also appeared to be in control of their re-election bids. Pond, a retired teacher, has been in the House since 1978. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from Ball State University and a master’s degree in science from Indiana University. If re-elected in November, Pond hopes to work on legislation limiting the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, including requiring all new rules or regulations to be based on scientific evidence and go to before an environmental board. Lee, 49, has been the county treasurer for 10 years but is prohibited by law from running again. That’s why he decided to challenge Pond, a popular incumbent.
NIEZGODSKI, DEMBOWSKI WIN: Two local House Democrats have fended off challengers in their primaries, with one facing a challenger in the fall (South Bend Tribune). Democratic House District 7 Rep. David Niezgodski won with 73 percent of the vote in the St. Joseph County district, defeating Anthony “Tony” Underly, who garnered 27 percent of the vote. Niezgodski said he is encouraged by his results and some of the results statewide, noting, “I hope to see a stronger majority come November in the state House.” He said he has campaigned on a strong message of supporting working men and women, and for lowering property taxes. Niezgodski said property tax relief for residents was one of the things legislators accomplished during the last session, and that there is more work to be done. “I’m looking forward to going back to the people’s House and accomplishing a great deal more,” Niezgodski said. Democratic incumbent Sen. Jim Arnold, captured 51 percent of the vote in St. Joseph County, compared to challengers Debra Birkholz with 39 percent and Maxine Spenner with 9 percent. Whoever wins Senate District 8 will face Republican Allen L. Stevens Jr. in the general election. Democratic incumbent Rep. Democrat Nancy Dembowski defeated Plymouth resident Ernest Rowe in the District 17 race. Dembowski will face Republican Mark MacKillop in the general election.
Counties
DUPEY WINS: Incumbent Lake County Commissioner Fran DuPey, 68, hung on Tuesday in the face of spirited challenges for the Democratic nod in the county commissioner 3rd District race. With about 99 percent of the precincts tallied, DuPey appeared to have bested challengers Richard Novak and Oscar Sanchez to win the party’s nomination to run for a fourth term as one of the county’s executive officials. She had recorded 14,673 votes by early Wednesday (Times of Northwest Indiana). Novak, 56, a retired East Chicago police officer, North Township Board member and director of the East Chicago Marina, won support from East Chicago and Hammond precinct committeemen, who represent a majority of the 3rd District’s party activists. But Novak couldn’t shake off criticism that he was too close to East Chicago Mayor George Pabey. Oscar Sanchez, an executive assistant to Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez, ran with the sheriff’s political support.
COMMISSIONER ROSS DEFEATED IN ST. JOE: Dave Thomas credits the “sound fiscal management part of my platform’’ for his decisive win over incumbent 2nd District Commissioner Steve Ross in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election (South Bend Tribune). Unofficial returns show Thomas with 8,888 votes and Ross with 7,921. Thomas will face Republican Rich Ziegler in the Nov. 4 election. He was unopposed in the Republican primary and received 1,966 votes.
LONG LINES AT WAYNE COUNTY VOTE CENTERS: It took Larry Corman 45 minutes to vote Tuesday and by the end of the day he was one of the lucky ones (Richmond Palladium-Item). Lines for Tuesday’s Indiana primary election in Wayne County stretched to more than 100 strong at several vote centers, mostly in Richmond, leaving voters standing in line for up to 90 minutes. But many, like Corman, were not upset. "I was glad to see it," said the 58-year-old Richmond man. "It shows that people actually care and have something to vote for." Corman queued up at the Kuhlman Center in Richmond on Tuesday morning in a line like none other he had seen in his years of voting. "I’ve never seen a crowd like this for a primary or in the general election," Corman said. Kuhlman’s line totaled almost 200 later in the day. It was a common sight throughout Election Day. "People are standing in line everywhere," said Wayne County Clerk Sue Anne Lower late Tuesday morning. "But we understand that there are lines all over the state."
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