V20, N17 Thursday Dec. 4, 2014 Hoosier Democrats losing courthouses County strongholds are narrowing after 3 dismal election cycles By BRIAN A. HOWEY NASHVILLE, Ind. – Jim Oliver had been the prosecutor of Brown County for 16 years, and Sheriff Rick Followell was seeking reelection. Both were washed out of office in the No- vember election. “They had a D beside their name,” said Nashville Town Board President Bob Kirlin. “It was a bad year to be a Democrat.” Brown County is somewhat of a swing county with its mixture of locals, those working at Indiana Barack Obama speaks to a spellbound crowd at Roberts Stadium in Evansville on April 22, University, Columbus or Indianapolis. 2008. He would lose the Indiana primary two weeks later, win the state in November, and set in But beyond the hills of Brown, the motion a devastating sequence for Indiana Democrats. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey) Indiana Democratic Party is facing a as LaPorte County, the local Democratic ticket saw straight precipitous decline at the local level. Democrats did fine in ticket voting fall from the 5,000 range to 2,700 and they Indianapolis and Monroe County where they swept the lo- lost two county council seats, a county commissioner and cal county slate. But in other Democratic strongholds, such Continued on page 4 Dem’s permanent erosion By RUSS STILWELL BOONVILLE – What a difference an election makes. Make that the last three Hoosier elections that saw the Republican political straw crush the camel’s back in Southwest Indiana. Democrats got blistered in 2010, dis- figured in 2012 and by the time “There are many in the black 2014 came about, it really didn’t matter anymore. The show was community who feel like they ove r. have no voice, particularly in the I have lived in Southwest Indiana all of my life and have Democratic Party, and they have been active in every congres- sional, state and local race in been shut out because Joe Hog- my area for a very long time. sett represents the status quo.” Congressional races in our re- gion were won and lost by both - Rev. Charles Harrison, who parties on a rotating basis for is filing a mayoral committee nearly a decade. The “Bloody Page 2 8th” Congressional District was a like Obama and they didn’t like his rollercoaster of winners and losers for policies. Attitudes changed during the years. We had five different congress- second year of the Obama presidency men from 1972-82. and they were felt at the ballot box in The districts were drawn by 2010 and beyond. And it was felt from Republicans in the 1970-80’s and by the White House to the courthouse. Democrats in the remaining years The Republicans were united through 2010. Why the swings and so in their message while Democrats many changes? Why so solidly Repub- ran away from the president and his lican today? And why have nearly all policies. They didn’t defend his record. is a non-partisan newslet- the legislative districts changed from The outcome was obvious. The Re- ter based in Indianapolis and solid Democrat to safe Republican? publicans took over Southern Indiana Nashville, Ind. It was founded If you were a Democratic in such a way that it is not likely to in 1994 in Fort Wayne. candidate in 1974 you won. Simple as change for decades, or until another that. It was the Watergate landslide; national event occurs similar to Water- It is published by 1976 was different, but when Ford gate. WWWHowey Media, LLC pardoned Nixon, it helped Democrats. This top-down disgust with 405 Massachusetts Ave., It returned to normal in 1978 and the the national Democrats and the Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN Reagan sweep in 1980, where Repub- President continued through the 2012 46204 lican U.S. Rep. Joel Deckard prevailed. and 2014 elections. It was felt at the 1982? Who really won that national, state and local level. election? Democrat Frank McClos- From my perspective, it’s Brian A. Howey, Publisher key, after a six-month recount, was kind of hard to imagine why the vot- Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington declared the winner by a four-vote ers continued this pattern in 2014. Jack E. Howey, Editor margin by the Democrat-controlled I think that Ed Rendell, the former Mary Lou Howey, Editor U.S. Congress. McCloskey, the former governor of Pennsylvania, summed it mayor of Bloomington, continued to up best: “Democrats did a piss-poor Maureen Hayden, Statehouse win until the Republican wave hit in job in messaging from top to bottom.” Matthew Butler, Daily Wire 1994. That’s when Newt Gingrich took Instead of defending the President’s his party to the majority. John Hostet- record of economic policies that just Subscriptions tler won competitive elections in the might have saved our financial and HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 Democrat-drawn map until the popu- labor markets, Democrats let the lar Vanderburgh County Sheriff Brad Republicans browbeat them on hot HPI Weekly, $350 Ellsworth won in 2006 by 20-some button issues. Ray Volpe, Account Manager points. Again in 2008, Democrats were Any casual observer of 317.602.3620 on the rise with the Obama machine politics and policy would know that email: [email protected] and Democrats prevailed at the con- our economic climate under Obama gressional, Statehouse and local level. was immensely better than when he And then the worst year for took office. Unemployment down from Contact HPI Democrats in nearly a century hit In- double digits to 6 percent. Millions of www.howeypolitics.com diana and virtually every other region jobs created. The automobile industry [email protected] of the nation in 2010. Heart surgeon went from the brink of disaster to one Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 Larry Bucshon won the 8th District of unparalleled growth. Washington: 202.256.5822 seat. Republican state legislative and Our interest rates and the local candidates won. They won with price of gasoline were at historic Business Office: 317.602.3620 Democrat-drawn maps. And they won lows. The stock market, our 401K’s big! Change was coming and it was and our financial markets were at © 2014, Howey Politics Indiana. not the change that Obama promised all-time highs. And we had ended two All rights reserved. Photocopy- and that so many had hoped for. unpopular wars that began under a ing, Internet forwarding, fax- In 2008 and through much Republican administration. There was of 2009, the “hope and change” of a lot to talk about. But as Rendell so ing or reproducing in any form, the Obama presidency prevailed. But succinctly noted, “we did a piss-poor whole or part, is a violation of with the partisan Democrat passage job” of defending or messaging. We federal law without permission of the Affordable Care Act that hope turned our backs to issues worth from the publisher. and change became desperateness talking about and let the hot button and all-out disgust. Folks did not issues and Obama bashing prevail. Page 3 This is one’s person prospective on what has numbers rendered these counties and the legislative seats changed reliable Democrat voters to reliable Republican to non-competitive status. voters in Southern Indiana. And this change will likely When I was defeated in my reelection bid in 2010, continue for a very long time. my internal polling three weeks before the election showed For a long time Democrats were elected regularly that I could be in trouble. My election numbers were great at the state and local level in most of the Southern Indiana but my reelect was troubling. Nearly 67% of the voters counties. In some counties, it was a rarity to even have thought I was doing a good job, they trusted me to do one elected Republican. Today, most of these counties the right thing and liked me by similar margins. And my have Republican control at the county level and the voters negatives were single digit. In political terms, these were cast their votes for Republican legislative candidates as numbers “to die” for. But it didn’t make any difference. well. As we say in the south, “How come?” But voters were prepared to not vote for me and Because these mostly white, typically conservative that is exactly what they did. It is nearly impossible to voters identify with the Republicans on hot-button is- change attitudes. Polls don’t take a swim through the river sues. And they changed their voting habits to match their of pent up “feelings.” They deliver raw numbers. The pent- conservative beliefs. If you go to a bar, up feelings of the voters prevailed all a union hall, other places where politics across the south, and it continues today. come up in our Southern Indiana counties, A couple of months after the you will find similar general attitudes. disastrous 2010 elections, Howey Politics They hate Obama, are likely Indiana asked me for my thoughts. I pro-life, distrust foreigners, don’t believe said that it would be nearly impossible in welfare, complain about high taxes, de- for the House R’s to keep 60 seats and spise immigration reform and let you know that there was not enough political tal- that the color of Obama’s skin has nothing ent in the state to keep them all. I went to do with their observations. Really? on to say the river counties (that would How do you compete against be the Ohio River) and Southern Indiana those odds? And these are not just Repub- would have several competitive seats licans.