Nancy Pelosi Is Ready to Be Voice of the Majority

The New York Times
By KATE ZERNIKE

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 — As Representative Nancy Pelosi faced the cameras Wednesday morning, after the Democrats had taken a majority in the House and put her on the brink of becoming the first female speaker, she spoke so softly at first that some reporters insisted they could not hear her.

“I’m not in charge of the technical arrangements,” Ms. Pelosi said quietly, fiddling with the microphone.

Then suddenly, she was commanding: “But I could use my mother-of-five voice!”

It is a line Ms. Pelosi uses often, and a voice she may have to rely on frequently as she tries to ensure that the new Democratic majority lasts more than two years.

As speaker, she would be second in line to the presidency — the closest a woman in elective office has come to the White House. And while she has been a leader in Congress for years, and the target of Republican attacks, many Americans still do not know who she is. Her new job places her on a more visible stage, with much greater stakes.

Ms. Pelosi, 66, who has been a San Francisco congresswoman for 20 years, became minority leader and then guided her caucus to victory by enforcing remarkable party discipline. She curbed the demands of those who share her often-caricatured liberal values, while making a place for the party’s conservatives, for whom San Francisco is sometimes as distant as the moon.

Read more on the Speaker - Elect at the New York Times.com

Democrats take control

INDIANAPOLIS - Democrats secured a majority with at least 51 seats in the Indiana House on Tuesday, winning key races that included House District 69, where David Cheatham of North Vernon unseated incumbent Billy Bright, a first-term Republican.

Unofficial totals show that Democrats unseated three other Republicans as well: Reps. Troy Woodruff in Vincennes, John Smith in Kokomo and Steve Heim in Culver.

But the Democrats also appear to have lost one of their own in Indianapolis, where unofficial but still incomplete totals showed Rep. Ed Mahern narrowly losing to Republican Jon Elrod.

Two other House races also remained close. Unofficial results show incumbent Rep. Tim Harris, R-Marion, topped Democrat Larry Hile, but the margin was just 16 votes.

Also, incumbent Don Lehe, R-Brookston, beat Democrat Myron Sutton, but by only 26 votes, according to unofficial results.

Some of those races might be recounted.

In Southern Indiana, Democrat Steve Stemler of Jeffersonville won in House District 71, and Reps. Bill Cochran, D-New Albany, Paul Robertson, D-Depauw, and Jerry Denbo, D-French Lick, won contests that were not close.

“It was a tidal wave out there” for Democrats, Bright said last night. “But I gave it all I had. That was all I could do.”

Read more on the state house races at the Courier - Journal online.

Incumbents dominate southern districts

By Harold J. Adams
hjadams@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Incumbents or their parties held sway in at least four of the five contested state Senate races in southeastern Indiana yesterday, with a fifth race up in the air.

Democrats Jim Lewis of Charlestown, Connie Sipes of New Albany and Richard Young of Milltown appeared to be holding on to their seats, as did Republican Johnny Nugent of Lawrenceburg.

But in District 41, Republican Greg Walker, who unseated Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton in the GOP primary, was in a race against Democrat Terry Coriden that was too close to call.

Libertarian Kenn Gividen also ran.

Before losing to Walker, a Columbus accountant, Garton had held the seat for 36 years and had been in the Senate leadership since 1980.

Lewis, a 75-year-old retired homebuilder, was re-elected easily over perennial Republican candidate Floyd Coates in District 45, earning a seventh consecutive term. Coates, the 62-year-old president of American Plastic Molding Corp. in Scottsburg, has come up short in six previous runs for public office.

The Republican challenger had campaigned on making English the official language of Indiana, repealing retirement benefits for state lawmakers, and having lawmakers' pay set by referendum.

Lewis said he wants to press for health-care coverage for the 860,000 uninsured residents of the state, to provide property-tax relief and to deliver a solid budget plan.

In District 46, Sipes won a third full term by defeating New Albany Republican Ryan Bergman. Sipes, a 57-year-old retired elementary school principal who was first appointed to the Senate in 1997, has said she wants to fight to strengthen property rights through the legislature.

Bergman, a 44-year-old UPS pilot, had favored the elimination of property taxes. This was his third unsuccessful run for public office, having previously lost twice to Rep. Bill Cochran, D-New Albany.

Read more on the State House Races at the Courier-Journal.com

Mills squeaks into sheriff's office by 434 votes

By Alex Davis
alexdavis@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

In a wild race that had both parties congratulating their candidates, Democrat Darrell Mills appeared to narrowly defeat Republican Frank Loop last night to become the next Floyd County sheriff.

Democrats haven't held the county's top law-enforcement post for 16 years, and for a while last night county GOP leaders thought the streak would continue.

Loop, now chief of the sheriff's department, was hugged and photographed by fellow Republicans at the Calumet Club in New Albany after early unofficial results gave him a win.

Across town at a Knights of Columbus Hall, the mood was more somber, and even Mills conceded it didn't look good. But when the Democrats announced that the county clerk's office had released final numbers showing Mills with a 434-vote victory, the crowd erupted with shouts and cheers.

Mills, a patrolman with the sheriff's office, said he was confident the numbers were accurate.

"It's just hard for it to sink in," he said. "It's a very traumatic thing to go through."

For more on the race, read the Courier-Journal.

Hill gets revenge, defeats Sodrel

By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener
lstedman@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

INDIANAPOLIS -- Voters in Indiana's 9th District ousted Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel after just one term yesterday, returning former Democratic congressman Baron Hill to office.

Sodrel conceded at 10:25 p.m. when totals showed he was down by about 3,000 votes with 87 percent of precincts reporting.

Unofficial totals showed Hill with 48.6 percent of the vote, Sodrel with 46.9 percent and Libertarian Eric Schansberg with 4.4 percent.

"The people of the 9th District are going to get the change they deserve," Hill said last night at a celebration party in Seymour. "I want to thank the people … for giving me a second chance."

The win is sweet revenge for Hill, who served three terms before Sodrel knocked him from the seat in 2004 by fewer than 1,500 votes.

That thin margin meant national Republicans and Democrats keyed on the race early this year, and the pair waged a bitter battle.

Read more on the Congressional Victory at the Courier - Journal.

Democratic candidates featured in News - Tribune

From the Floyd County Democratic Party

Yesterday, the New Albany News - Tribune featured several of our candidates for next Tuesday's election. Each of them have a strong background for the position they seek and offer Floyd County Voters the best choice for our future, families and communities. Their profiles are listed below:

Floyd County Council District 4: Jeff Fessel
Floyd County Council District 2: Larry McAllister
Floyd County Council District 3: Steve Mennemeyer
Floyd County Commissioner: Randall T. "Randy" Stumler
Floyd County Assessor: Brenda Egge
Floyd County Clerk: Linda Moeller
NA Township Board: Lodema Applegate
NA Township Board: Patricia "Patty" Walker
NA Township Assessor: Barbara J. Sillings

9th District candidates spar in Jasper

By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener
lstedman@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

JASPER — Candidates in the 9th Congressional District disagreed last night on the minimum wage, health insurance and Social Security in their last debate before Tuesday's election.

Incumbent Republican Mike Sodrel, Democrat Baron Hill, Libertarian Eric Schansberg and write-in candidate Donald Mantooth met on stage at the Jasper Arts Center for a 90-minute debate, including an hour that was televised throughout the district.

Hill and Sodrel are locked in a battle that observers say is too close to call.

Sodrel told an audience of about 600 that he supports eliminating the federal minimum wage, saying the issue should be a state one.

"I frankly do not believe a federal minimum wage can be fair to workers across the United States," he said. "I can tell you from living in Washington, D.C. -- your money (there) is worth about 40 cents on the dollar."

But Hill, who served six years in Congress before Sodrel defeated him two years ago, said he supports an increase in the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over two years.

"It's one of the fundamental differences between me and Congressman Sodrel," Hill said. A wage increase "is not a complete solution, but it's offering some hope to people that they can raise the income for their families."

Read more on the debate at the Courier-Journal.com

Driven by competition

By Lesley Stedman Weidenbener
lstedman@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Those who know him well say they understand what drives Baron Hill: a remarkably strong competitive streak.

It's why he set and still holds the Indiana high school record for the 100-yard dash, and why he was voted a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. It's what got him into Democratic politics more than two decades ago.

And now it has him in the thick of a campaign to win back the 9th Congressional District seat he lost two years ago to Republican Mike Sodrel.

So when Hill made a campaign stop last month at WonderLab, an interactive science museum in Bloomington, it was no surprise that he took a long look at a two-story climbing maze designed for kids, kicked off his shoes and crawled in.

He squeezed and scrambled his way to the top, winning the respect of the kids in the maze and adults outside. As usual, he just had to prove to himself he could do it.

"Baron is one of the most competitive people I've ever seen," said state Rep. Dennie Oxley, D-English, whose legislative district shares eight counties with the 9th District. "It's a huge part of who he is. It's a big reason that he decided to run again. And it's what has put him into a position to win this year."

Hill already has won this seat three times, first in 1998, when longtime 9th District congressman Lee Hamilton retired.

But he lost once too, in 2004, when a big year for Republicans and a barrage of nasty attacks on Hill's character led voters to oust him in favor of Sodrel, a conservative Republican and Southern Indiana businessman.

The two are now facing off again, in a race that also includes Libertarian Eric Schansberg. Analysts and pollsters call the contest a tossup, but Hill says voters tell him they made a mistake two years ago and want to send him back to Washington.

On the campaign trail, he tells voters that he is the candidate who represents change, will provide an independent voice for the 9th District and won't be a rubber stamp for the Bush administration.

He wants to get the troops out of Iraq faster by imposing guidelines and deadlines on the country's new government. He wants to implement more of the recommendations from the federal 9/11 Commission. And he wants Congress to work harder to balance the federal budget, even if that means scaling back some tax cuts given to wealthy Americans.

"People we see out on the campaign trail want a change, and Baron is the only candidate who can provide it," said former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, who is traveling with Hill.

Read more about Baron Hill at the Louisville Courier-Journal.

9th District Debate to air on C-Span

From the Floyd County Democratic Party

C-Span (Channel 12 Cable) has announced that it will air live the last debate for the Indiana 9th Congressional District between Democrat Baron Hill and Republican Mike Sodrel. The debate will begin at 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

All Democrats are encouraged to watch the debate and see the true difference between these two candidates and why Baron Hill is the best choice for our district. Democrats are also planning several rallies in connection with the event in Jasper, Indiana, and are encourage supporters to attend.

For more information please click on C-SPAN.

Party lines clear in Senate race

By ERIC SCOTT CAMPBELL
newsroom@newsandtribune.com

— While the incumbent state senator employs the lessons of nearly a decade in office, her challenger in the 46th District is channeling a Republican buzzword from his youth.
You never know where Reaganomics will rear its head.

As the structure of property tax system is debated in Indiana, GOP candidate Ryan Bergman recommends a cut to the bare bones.

“It’s been proven that when you lower taxes, revenue increases because people have more money to spend,” Bergman said. “So you don’t have to replace it with another tax. I guess you could call it Reaganomics, which was a bad word until it started to work.”

Though Sen. Connie Sipes wants a property-tax overhaul herself, she sees need for formal revenue streams.

“I want to support something that will be stable. That’s the big thing with property tax, it’s something government can rely on,” Sipes said. As far as turning to income tax or sales tax, “I’m just going to have to look at what the combination is, the impact it has on people. I’m certainly thinking its time to reform. At one time, property represented wealth, and I don’t think it does that anymore.”

Sipes, a former school principal, has sought to expand her Senate expertise beyond education issues.

“I think every year that I’m there I become more assertive,” Sipes said. “There’s definitely some pieces of legislation that I’m very eager to push. … I’ve broadened my scope a little.”

Read more on the Senate Race from the News - Tribune.