The Washington Post's excellent "Ohio River Ramble" series follows up on IN-08 today with a visit to Hostettler campaign headquarters, where they interviewed Karen Hammonds, Hostettler's office manager-slash-sister. Chris Cillizza and Jim VanDeHei also weighed in on the race on the radio.
In their report from the district in the paper today, the duo sum up the race thusly:
The political environment in Indiana is not doing Hostettler any favors, either. The GOP brand here has been badly scuffed, as much by local controversies as by furor surrounding President Bush and the Iraq war. Gov. Mitchell E. Daniels Jr., a Republican, infuriated many people by pushing to privatize the state's toll roads -- and turn them over to two foreign companies.
In past years, Hostettler has been helped by the opposition. Although Democrats have long regarded him as vulnerable, the party has never found the right person to carry the fight. The latest to try was Jon Jennings, a former scout for the Boston Celtics, who raised $1.5 million only to watch as Hostettler piled up his largest reelection margin.
Ellsworth, who has served as sheriff of the district's largest county since 1998, may be better positioned to exploit Hostettler's vulnerabilities. Democrats hope his social views -- he is opposed to abortion rights and same-sex marriage -- will insulate him from Republican attacks on wedge issues that have proven effective before. "People appreciate my conservative values," Ellsworth said.
Still, Ed Feigenbaum, editor of Indiana Legislative Insight, a political tipsheet, warns not to underestimate Hostettler's friends-and-family turnout operation. "There is a lot more behind the curtain than there appears," he said.
...Also: the Courier-Press reports on the scrubbing of the Vanderburgh County voter rolls:
About 4,000 registered voters in Vanderburgh County may be declared "inactive" if they don't vote Nov. 7, meaning they would be removed from voter rolls if they don't cast ballots by 2008.
Another 922 voters already have been removed from the rolls because they are deceased.
