Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Sodrel Candidacy Good News For GOP In 9th District

Former Rep. Mike Sodrel's (R) decision to seek a rematch against Rep. Baron Hill (D) in Indiana's 9th congressional district is good news for the GOP. Sodrel has run tight races against Hill in each of their three previous match-ups. The Louisville Courier-Journal quotes from Sodrel's announcement today:

Sodrel, 61, a Republican, made the announcement at a news conference in New Albany attended by about 150 supporters.

“I’m not a globalist who thinks nationally. I’m a nationalist who things globally,” Sodrel said.He said he is staking out a position focused on national security and protecting the nation’s borders.

He also said taxes should be reformed to encourage production instead of consumption. He said people are tired of having their jobs outsourced and that tax reform should help protect jobs.

“A nation that cannot manufacture the things it needs to defend itself will become defenseless,” Sodrel said.

Sodrel had his best showing in his 2004 run against Hill, which he won. President Bush was on the ballot for re-election, and Bush handily carried the 9th District over Sen. John Kerry. The prospect of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as the 2008 presidential nominee was just too attractive for Sodrel to ignore. Any GOP nominee will likely stomp Clinton in this very conservative, slightly Republican district.

A potential downside in next year's campaign for Sodrel are the criminal woes his past political advisor Glenn Murphy, Jr. is facing. Murphy has been accused by another young man of performing oral sex on him while the man slept. Murphy admits the sexual act occurred but insists it was consensual. This is problematic for Sodrel in the sense that he has adopted a decidedly anti-gay platform, often pounding the need for a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. If a special prosecutor decides to press charges against Murphy, the case could go to trial in the midst of next year's campaign. That could prove embarrassing to Sodrel. Perhaps he will lay off his gay bashing theme in this campaign.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps he will lay off his gay bashing theme in this campaign.

Dream on!

Anonymous said...

You're kidding, right?

Sodrel is a joke in DC and in Indiana.