CNN 100: Indiana's 8th leaning GOP
Editor's Note: In the final 100 days before Election Day, CNN has been profiling one race at random each day from among the nation's top 100 House races, which we've dubbed "The CNN 100." Read the full list here.
Today's featured district is:
IN 08: Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) is running for Senate in Indiana leaving an open seat.
Primary: May 4, 2010
Days until the election: 11
Indiana's 8th congressional district comes with voters who definitely lean to the more conservative side of the political spectrum, and in a year when conservatives are making a come-back, this one is a key for the GOP. Since the district's representative, Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a Democrat, has decided to run for the state's open Senate seat, this seat is up for grabs, and it's looking more and more like Republicans will take this seat on November 2.
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Senate candidates leave out current jobs in first campaign ads
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/07/06/art.ellsworth.blunt.2shot.gi.jpg caption=" Reps. Brad Ellsworth (left) and Roy Blunt (right) both released their first TV ads of the campaign season on Tuesday."]Washington (CNN) - What do Republican Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri and Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana have in common?
These two Senate candidates released their first campaign television commercials Tuesday, yet neither mentioned that they are currently members of Congress.
In his commercial, Blunt talks about his family history, saying "my mom and dad were dairy farmers. My grandmothers were one room school teachers. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college. I became a high school teacher and later a university president."
Lawmakers hope to be playmakers in charity game
Washington (CNN) - They were key players in Sunday's health care vote. Now a group of Washington lawmakers hope to be just as pivotal on the basketball court as they face off Wednesday night in an annual charity game against Georgetown University Law Center faculty.
Among the members of the 12-man congressional "Hill's Angels" team are Democratic Reps. Michael Arcuri of New York, John Boccieri of Ohio, Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, Frank Kratovil of Maryland, and Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, whose votes were heavily courted in the run-up to the late Sunday night vote.
House Democrats hold an overwhelming majority on the team, but the roster does include two Republicans, Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake and South Dakota Sen. John Thune. Thune co-chairs the squad with Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.
The lawmakers narrowly defeated the Georgetown professors 48 to 42 in last year's game, in which Flake, Kratovil, and Thune were top scorers.
Proceeds from the 23rd annual "Home Court" match-up benefit a D.C.-area homeless program.
Update: Ellsworth confirms Senate bid
Washington (CNN) - Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana announced Friday that he's decided to make a bid for the seat now held by retiring Sen. Evan Bayh, a fellow Democrat. The two-term congressman confirmed reports of his decision during a listening tour stop in Evansville, Indiana.
"After many conversations with Hoosiers this week, and with the love and support of my family, I have decided to run for the U.S. Senate," Ellsworth said in a statement.
Bayh delivered a major blow Monday to the Democratic Party, when he announced that he would not run for a third term this November.
Ellsworth, first elected in 2006, represents Indiana's eighth congressional district, which is located in the southwest part of the state. The former county sheriff won 61 percent of the vote in his first election, and grabbed 65 percent in his 2008 re-election. Ellsworth, 51, is telegenic and has a moderate voting record that will help him in a swing state like Indiana.
"The best years of my life are the more than two decades I spent in the local Sheriff's department," said Ellsworth in his statement. "Sheriff is a job that comes down to protecting families from harm, helping folks solve their problems or resolve their disputes, and just being willing to put your fellow citizens' best interests ahead of your own. When I look at the U.S. Senate these days, I sure think they could use more folks with those same qualities. And that's something I hope I could bring to the U.S. Senate – an independent voice to help Indiana through these tough economic times, and get things done for everyday folks who are really struggling."
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Ellsworth to run for Bayh's senate seat
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/19/art.ellsworth.jpg caption="Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana will announce Friday that he's decided to make a bid for the seat now held by retiring Sen. Evan Bayh."]Washington (CNN) - Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana will announce Friday that he's decided to make a bid for the seat now held by retiring Sen. Evan Bayh, a Democratic party source tells CNN.
Bayh delivered a major blow Monday to the Democratic Party, when he announced that he would not run for a third term this November.
Ellsworth, first elected in 2006, represents Indiana's eighth congressional district, which is located in the southwest part of the state. The former county sheriff won 61 percent of the vote in his first election, and grabbed 65 percent in his 2008 re-election. Ellsworth, 51, is telegenic and has a moderate voting record that will help him in a swing state like Indiana.
Ellsworth's announcement that he will run for Bayh's seat appears to be major coup for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which was hunting for a strong candidate to defend the seat. The move could also put the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in a bind, as they will most likely now have to defend an another open seat in the House of Representatives. Ellsworth's district went for John McCain by 4 points in the 2008 presidential election and President Bush won the district by 24 points in 2004.
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