Thursday,April 2, 1998 • Volume 4, Number 18 Page 1of8 Blankenbaker ready THE to fight fire with fire Looks to fend off Hofmeister, take it to Carson HOWEY HPR Forecast The 1Oth CD race -both in the Republican primary and the fall's general election - is likely to get quite turbulent as the GOP put U.S. Rep.Julia Carson in its sights . POLITICAL INDIANAPOLIS - To talk••• to Virginia Blankenbaker can be an illumirlating experience. She is petite, friendly, and carries herself with an air of common sense and fairness. :And the 1996 nominee in the 10th CD finds herself on the REPORT edge o{ a cauldron.She is bracing for an advertising blitz from pri­ mary dpponent Gary Hofmeister, who has a personal fortune and the The Howey Political Report is published 40 times a year by NewsLink, Inc. Founded in 1994, The Howey Political Report is consultancy of Ralph Reed. She fears Hofmeister will go negative and an independent, non-partisan newsletter analyzing the political she say~ she is prepared to fight fire with fire, if need be. process in Indiana .. :There is the pledge - Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment - Brian A. Howey that shb asked Hofmeister and Marvin Scott to sign in the primary. editor and publisher Scott a$ked her to stop by his office to sign it, then stood her up. Then last week, she came face to face with Reed at the The Howey Political Report Office: 317-254-1533 POBox20877 Fax: 317-254-2405 Washington Township Lincoln Day Dinner. "I asked him if he illdiall<tfl\.'tl.>, :w 46~~~ [email protected] believed in Ruiia1d Reagan'b 11th Commandment;' Biankenbaker explained, "and he said, ~bsolutely:" Washington office: 202-775-3242 Her own polls show her with a substantial 49-14-12 percent Daytime number: 317-254-2400,Ext.273 lead over Scott and Hofmeister in late February. If Hofmeister NewsLink Home Page: http://www.inoffice.com/hpr mounts a challenge with an April TV blitz and she survives, that sequen~e may pale in comparison to what a fall campaign against Subsaiptions: $250 annually via fax or first class mail. Call subsaiption office at 317-254-1533. U.S. Rep. Julia Carson will bring. !Blankenbaker believes the AFL-CIO is pouring soft money © 1998, The Howey Political Report. All rights reserved. into the Democratic Party that will be used against a 10th CD chal­ Photocopying, faxing or reproducing in any form, in whole or in lenger. She acknowledges that the Term Limits special interest cam­ part, is a violation offederal law and is ~prohibited without consent of the publisher. paign may do the same. for her. And there are the issues - sticky issues - that can be used against Carson. Like the WTHR-TV story late last year that revealed Continued on pages 2 & 3 ccQUOTE"OF THE WEEK INSIDE F E A T U R E S "I can assure all Republicans in Jerry's House District • Bo~ Lang: Starr's asteroid protection page2 that you won~t find a more capable and loyal mem­ • Play of the Week: Rusthoven on the air page3 ber of the House Republican caucus ... " • Horse Race: Mannweiler, Keeler butt in pages 4-5 • Ccmgress Watch: Quayle working to 2000 pages6-7 - Rep. J hn Keeler, In end nlng maverick Rep. • Ccilumnists: Smith and Howey pages Jerry Bales> In the Bloomington Herald-Times Thursday,April 2, 199fl Page 2 of 8 lhlibr an . I I l1I11tr 1g I JD[·· ..·:rl Jfow 10 PRmcr THE EAR11H FRoM AP0$1eu 0 COLliSiON Willi,~ f-OJ~ET OR ASnROID •• , 1 1 : L'.JU---l!ILllL<.JJJJU1Lut CIRCLE Hit 11~L0Bf wm-1 ADff1[1J~CTIDN RilNG OF s1:J1B 'OENAS H~OM l<ENI STARR~ OFFiC.llit .. llT!!,. i1w l~liu::=,,._,,_·__ _....!lllmlJllL-'lJui.m.u The '96 camp.i1ig,n and the house demoli­ TICKJc~l~ tion issue have sparlu:d a debate by both tliedty had to tear down a dUapidated prop1:~rty ~epu~licans ~~d ~olit~i:al o~se rv·e~s \':'ho believe o T A - --P E Carson owned and that the congresswomall there is a dotio1e ... a11.ua1.ru1 al p1ay1 . .nfncm1- IUl~ll'~ 1lt .l( :11Gi;'.'1D• refused to fully reimburse th1f: dty. American candidate:;., :!:ome belie:ve,dlon't get "Her record is up for grabs;' Blankrn - the same kind of scrntiny as other candidates. HPR Publisher Brian H01wey baker explained. "She's extremely vulJilL.er.J I: k ,:in Harvey's report on 1~1,l'"l['HR-TV repres,ented the has been named news 1edito1r not paying for the demolition of her slum prl1p­ first time that Carson 1, 1 ~as placed under that ofNlllVO Newsweeklyi01 1 erty in her own neighborhood.I couldr't ha•e. kind of scrutiny. ~ndianapolis. liowey will mod­ gotten away with that. She jusit thumbed her .This time, BJc111l<c:nbaker is talking as if erate a debate among the nose:' the Carson record is (,111r game - aH of it."Her three Rep,ublican U.S. !i,enatE! In the WTHR report, Carson told health will be an issrn'," 3lankenbaker insisted. camlidates before the l~1diana reporter Roger Harvey that she was "sche mi11g "It's hard work in Cor rrr~ss; there are relation­ Ct.ristiam (oalition at (a1lvary to get a better deal" on the home demolit wn ships to pursue. You ! t,,; 'i'e to be energized in the Tabernacle (hurch at 7 Ji.m. that cost the city more than $7,000 to r1ze. process:' · M1~nday,April 13.0n Saturday, Carson ended up paying several thoman"~ dol­ Carson reported to Congr,ess late in 1997 April 18, Howey wm be the lars less. after heart surgery. manikenbaker said that the keynote llllncheon speaker The day after the report air,ed, WTHil. impact of the congre:! :s woman's health "will before the Indiana Dem~aattic TV tried to catch up with Carson at m11i!kra11'f!, show, when the time 1comes:' Eclitorial Association's ;p ring Day ceremony in Indianapolis and. was w.1vt:J m1eeting in NashvilleJl~e lu~1- off by the congresswoman. Carson m11J1m on nlnnke1111baiker salvo cheon is at noon at Th~! In 1996,GOP ki:ngmaker Kieith Hulen HPR contacted Carson's office twice Seasons Resort. Finall11i, c1n warned Blankenbaker not to uiticiz1; C1rsm1 Tuesday to give the rn:ngresswoman an opportu­ Election Night Howey· ~1111 pro­ personally, fearing that it would only s,f:rvie l.1:i nity to respond to Hl::rnkenbaker's attack. vide commentary for WI BC-~1M motivate Carson's die-hard core com:tit·11;tllcjr. Neither call was retUl'11rnd. in Indianapolis from 1 to 11 p.m. Blankenbaker's '96 campaign did try to te1ke on Carson's record as Center Township tru:;t4;:ie,but RNCC wl!! brget ('i!!fson 0 the message was complicated and Carson pre·· The eventual If! ' r ublican nQminee in the Continued o~n page 3 vailed by a 90,869 to 69',248 margin. Continued on page 3 ----·-..··-----==- Page 3 of 8 Thursday,April 2, 1998 PLAY of the week. TICKER Peter Rusthoven,for being the first Republican Senate candidate to hit the air­ T A p E waves. It's a radio ad campaign and reveals that even the most well-heeled candidate does­ n't have enough money to run TV until later this month. But it's a start . !hi House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues his love/hate rela­ tionship with Hoosier 10th CD will get a boost from the National Add to the mix the swirling allegations Republicans when he address­ Republican Congressional Committee, the of President Clinton's sex scandal, and it's easy es the State Republican dinner House GO P's campaign arm. "It is a targeted to see Virginia Blankenbaker may have a turbu­ on April 29 in Indianapolis. seat, arid we think we have a genuine shot at it;' lent six months ahead. Said Chairman Mike McDaniel, said Mary Crawford, NRCC communications "We're thrilled to have Newt di~ector. "That's a seat we think w1 can pick up Clinton sex scandal comments Gingrich as our guest for the spring dinner." Indiana because Julia Carson is out of sync with voters Blankenbak~r agrees with Carson on one in that district. She's too far left:' ' Democrats responded in their point - the public is tired of hearing about weekly Newswire, "So are we, The NRCC is zeroing in on Carson's vote President Clinton's sex scandals."But I do Mike, so are we. We can't against the bill that proponents say would believe integrity cot,lnts;' Blankenbaker said. "I wait." reduce regulatory burdens on small business. do believe that poliljical people need to be held The committee also released a statement recent­ to a higher standard and what I'm hearing is Indiana Republicans have ly that calls Carson more liberal than 77 percent that integrity counts:' scheduled three public hear­ of her House colleagues. Is Blankenbaker discussing the sex scan­ ings that will help develop In early March, Rep.John Linder,NRCC dals as she campaigns this spring around the their 1998. s~ate platform. The chairman, challenged Carson-rt~ ve,te against l 0th C:J? "No;' she said, "I talk aoout Medicare hearings will be from 4-7 p.m. President Clinton's budget, which the GOP said and Social Securi .' April 2 at the Evansville would break the balanced budget agreement. Why not? Marriott;4-7 p.m.April 8 at The Democratic Congressional "It's being · vestigated;' she said.