State Rep. Jon Elrod ended weeks of speculation today by announcing that he is dropping his 7th District bid for Congress against Andre Carson in favor of seeking re-election to the House seat he won in an upset over long-time State Rep. Ed Mahern in 2006. Nobody filed to run in the May primary for his 97th District House seat. The Democrats nominated Mary Ann Sullivan to run in the 97th Districct. She has been actively campaigning for the seat. Marion Co. Republicans will also have to caucus to select a replacement for Elrod in the 7th District race. Will this decision hurt or help Elrod's political career?
Here is the text of Elrod's announcement today:
Today I announce my decision to forego my candidacy for Congress, and to seek re-election to the statehouse. Much has happened in the past eight months since I announced last November. Our campaign reached out to voters with a positive message, fresh ideas, and a vision of a government that works. We ran on issues: balanced budgets, fully funded social security, and an end to earmarks. Two elections have passed, and the voters have chosen the victor. In the meantime, none stepped forward to continue my efforts in the statehouse.
Whenever a public servant is at a crossroads, the question should always be: where can I do the most good? How can I most positively influence public policy? I have come to the conclusion that we need state legislators committed to eliminating the property tax, reforming education, and bringing jobs to Indianapolis. We need positive, common sense leadership. We must protect our neighborhoods from the blight of abandoned homes. We must fund our neighborhood development corporations. We will have those opportunities in the next two years in the Statehouse. As I weigh all of this, I feel compelled to seek re-election.
This decision was not made lightly- I take no pleasure in walking away from a fight. The easy path would be to stay in the race. I also know many supporters will be disappointed. But this is not about ego or ideology. The only question is how I can best serve Indianapolis. I am resolute that the greater good is in a hard-fought return to the statehouse, rather than a long-shot run for Congress . . .
And so, I pick up my worn-out shoes and turn fully to the task at hand. I promise a determined campaign focused on protecting and preserving the neighborhoods that make Indianapolis home. I will continue to fight for the abolition of the property tax. I will seek legislation empowering cities to more quickly combat abandoned houses. I will continue to seek bipartisan solutions for the problems we face. Together we can do better, and together we will do better
9 comments:
We are aghast here wondering who got to him? What did they have on him? Or, is this just a practical and sincere move that is his honest position? All the political intrigue abounds.
He realized that no Republican... NOT ONE... can win in the 7th district. Took him a while, but there you go. He wants to stay in politics, so he is going to try to keep his 97th seat. He has a better chance at that, even though he's getting a late start.
He is a losing candidate for either office especially after he thumbed his nose at the GLBT community not showing for the parade.
I bet Cat Ping is pissed. She worked hard enough to raise money for TV ads in the primary, and now the guy who won that election drops out.
It sounds to me like he realized that he won't be able to accomplish much if anything in Congress. I applaud him for putting the needs of his constituents before a fancier title.
Will Cat Ping be able to slide into this spot? Also, is there time to talk Sean Shepard into getting back into this race?
It's easy from where some people sit to take shots at Jon for his decision today. Personally, if I were in his shoes facing the circumstances as they are at this point in time, I would come to the same conclusion. He can be far more effective this year running for re-election to the seat he currently holds instead of running a race virtually no Republican candidate could win this year. It has been very refreshing having a young, progressive voice in the House Republican caucus. That caucus is better off if he is a member of it. I think there are a lot of Democrats who feel the same way about losing a principled person like David Orentlicher in the House Democratic caucus. Privately, many of them want Ed DeLaney to step aside to allow David a shot of returning.
AI, you're right. 2008 is going to shape up to be one of the worst years for the Republicans in decades. Why be on the ballot this year running Congress. Politics is mostly about timing. This year is a bad year to run as a Republican.
Jon Elrod might consider donating his first pair of worn out campaign shoes to Jenny Angleton's Fringe Fest exhibit of political art coming up soon. I think the art deadline is in July.
If not mistaken, the artists in her show get to keep upwards of 50% of selling price.
Elrod's shoes potentially could realize historic provenance one day. I would consider buying them simply for the fact that he's known for walking his district hard.
Hopefully Jon will continue to learn and grow from his door-to-door outreach.
Grass roots street level campaigning is to be well respected and supported.
Jenny Angleton recently produced another political art show in Fountain Square in support of the LPIN and local artists.
--Melyssa for HFFT
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