Indiana GOP's 'safe' (U.S. House) seats up for grabs

When presidential election returns are reported every four years, Indiana is among the first states to reliably and resoundingly fall into the red Republican column.

But beneath the presidential level, Indiana is a fiercely competitive state between Democrats and Republicans. And that's particularly relevant this year when a trifecta of House races in the state could hold the key to whether the GOP will keep majority control in the House or Democrats will eke out at least the net gain of 15 seats they need to seize the majority they lost in 1994.

Poll suggests tight race in seventh district
wthr ^ | Oct 20, 2006 | Sandra Chapman

Posted on 10/20/2006 6:43:58 AM EDT by digger48

Indianapolis - A year ago Julia Carson was bidding farewell to Rosa Parks, an African American pioneer she believes paved the way for her by refusing to give up her seat. Now with a decade of political service in Congress, it's Carson fighting to stay put.

"I am a very optimistic person," she said. "I don't believe in failure."

In an exclusive WTHR People's Agenda Poll, Carson is trailing Republican Eric Dickerson.

Of the 468 voters polled in the Seventh Congressional District, 45 percent say they would vote for Eric Dickerson. Carson polls 42 percent. Four-percent would chose someone else and nine percent just aren't sure.

Incumbent Democrat Julia Carson is not letting those numbers bother her, saying "I was born down in the polls. People didn't think that I would ever, ever have the unmitigated gall to be a member of the United States Congress."

Republican challenger Eric Dickerson says the numbers substantiate his efforts. "It's just another confirmation," he said, "that our campaign is very, very serious and we do intend to win this race."

Despite a 4-point margin of error, and Carson's history of proving polls wrong, her camp isn't about to dismiss the results. Numbers that also show her approval rating on the slide.

42 percent of the respondents approve of Carson's job performance, while 49-percent disapprove. Another 9-percent couldn't say one way or the other.

Those numbers did not escape Dickerson's notice. "If I were an incumbent and had ten years of service and were hearing nearly half the people are not satisfied with my performance I would take it very, very seriously."

Dickerson isn't getting too excited. He says a lot can happen in just 20 days.

Julia Carson, who has been in this position before, outlined her plans for the rest of the campaign. "We will remind the voters of what we have done and what we will continue to try to accomplish." she said.

A total of 85 percent of those polled live inside the Indianapolis city limits, which has traditionally been Julia Carson's base.

Both camps see Center Township as the proving ground and, as Dickerson put it, if you can't get 50 percent of the vote out of Center Township, you can't win the 7th.

TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Indiana; Click to Add Topic
KEYWORDS: BAGLADY; LEFTISTLOON; Click to Add Keyword

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Here's one the Dems always consider safe.
She always does seem to find 20-30% of her vote total in the final hours of counting every election.

gotta go to work, just throwing a littler sunshine your way.

BTW, this channel had 2 more Foley stories this AM, no mention of Hoekstra suspending Dem staffer for intel leaks

1 posted on 10/20/2006 6:43:59 AM EDT by digger48
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McDowell of Indiana State said the Republicans, by featuring Pelosi in attack ads, have made sure Indianans "know who she is now. She's a liberal grandmother from San Francisco who's going to raise your taxes and take away your Bible. It's making some impact.''

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Here's a tried and true strategy - REMIND THE VOTERS OF WHAT THE LEFTWING EXTREMIST DEMOCRATS REALLY STAND FOR!

Here's our new Speaker...

Nancy Pelosi (D – California) will likely be the new Speaker of the House. (that's 3rd in line to the Presidency)
• Pelosi voted against every Republican tax cut.
• Pelosi voted for the largest tax increase in history.
• Pelosi voted 19 times against eliminating the death tax.
• Pelosi voted five times for raising gasoline taxes
• Pelosi is so pro-high taxes she was one of only 27 members to vote against tax relief for poor neighborhoods in the inner city (presumably including her constituents in San Francisco ).
• Pelosi voted against the historic Welfare Reform Bill and later voted against its reauthorization.
• Pelosi voted against protecting the right to say "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Pelosi voted against requiring that voters be identified so we could ensure only legal citizens are voting.
• Pelosi voted against requiring English on ballots.
• Pelosi refused to side with homeowners against the Kelo decision that allows cities to seize private property for profitable ventures, even though 365 members voted to stop cities from taking private property.
• Pelosi has voted at least 12 times against the death penalty.
• Pelosi was one of only 67 House members to vote against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
• Pelosi has voted at least eight times against banning partial-birth abortion, at least three times against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Laci's law), and scored a perfect 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.
• Pelosi voted against a bill that would "[b]ar the transportation of a minor girl across state lines to obtain an abortion without the consent of a parent, guardian or judge."
• Pelosi voted at least 31 times for using local or federal taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
• Pelosi voted against building a fence on the border to protect America from terrorists.
• Before 9/11, Pelosi repeatedly voted to cut intelligence (in 1993 by $500 million) and after 9/11 she has still voted to cut intelligence (in 2004 she voted to withhold 25 percent of intelligence funds).
• When you ask why we were not more prepared for 9/11, remember that six months before Sept. 11, 2001, Pelosi voted to decrease proposed defense spending by $65 billion.
• The next time you think about North Korean nuclear tests and North Korean efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile to reach the United States , remember that in 2002, Pelosi voted for an amendment to the FY 2003 Defense authorization that would block FY 2003 funding for space-based missile defense programs.
• Pelosi led a faction of 124 House Democrats who voted against final passage of the Patriot Act's reauthorization.
• Pelosi voted against the $87-billion Iraq/Afghanistan supplemental that included extra money for body armor for our soldiers.
• Pelosi voted against creation of Homeland Security Department.
• Pelosi was one of only 33 members to vote against prohibiting U.S. citizens and companies from conducting any financial transaction with countries that have been identified by the State Department as active sponsors of terrorism.
• In 2004, Pelosi voted against House passage of the intelligence overhaul bill, which reorganized 15 intelligence agencies under one Director of National Intelligence.

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