Dr. John McGoff To Seek Rematch Against Dan Burton

Indiana's 5th District U.S. Rep. Dan Burton can count on a tough primary battle once again in his newly-drawn district. Former Marion Co. Coroner Dr. John McGoff is announcing his candidacy for the 2012 primary race today. This will be the third attempt for McGoff. Will the third time be the charm? It took Mike Pence three attempts before he won his 6th District seat, and State Treasurer Richard Mourdock lost a congressional and statewide race before he finally won his state office. The new district includes more of Marion County where McGoff ran strong in his two previous bids, and it has shed some of the northern rural counties where Burton ran very strong. Burton also has a demonstrated weakness of support in Hamilton County, which is where the largest chunk of Republican primary votes will be cast. McGoff captured 45% of the primary vote in 2008 in a small field of candidates, and Burton has been held to less than 50% of the vote in the last two primaries. Burton won the 2010 primary race with a strong field of five candidates with only 29% of the vote. The second-place finisher from the 2010 race, Luke Messer, is running this time in the open 6th District. Here's McGoff's announcement statement:

Dr. John McGoff will announce his candidacy for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District seat on Wednesday. He is challenging Dan Burton who has held the seat since 1983. McGoff, an emergency physician in Indianapolis and brigadier general in the Air Guard, is making his third run at the incumbent Congressman.


“When I first ran in 2008, I knew it would take more than one election cycle to defeat an incumbent Congressman,” McGoff reports. “Despite being outspent almost five to one, I surprised many people by getting 45% of the votes. I knew that the voters wanted a change. They never had an alternative to Burton. In 2010, with five other candidates in the race the anti-incumbent vote was split. But when all the votes were counted, seven out of ten people voted against Burton. It’s clear that voters are dissatisfied with his leadership.”

The 5th District demographics are different this time around because of redistricting. Several of the northern counties, including Huntington, Wabash, and Miami, which were Burton strongholds during the last two primaries have been sliced out of the newly formed 5th District.

“We like the dynamics of the 2012 primary. Marion and Hamilton counties still make up the bulk of the 5th District,” McGoff points out, “In both 2008 and 2010 our campaign did extremely well in these counties. During this primary we plan on building on our previous success.”

“Our country is going through one of the most difficult times in its history and we are still a long way from being out of trouble,” McGoff says. “Jobs have not returned to central Indiana. Families are still struggling. Just when we think we have turned a corner, we experience another setback. Today, it’s ridiculously high gas prices. Our economy is so fragile that we need leaders in Washington with fresh ideas that produce results.”

“In 2008, I made the decision to run because I didn’t believe that my daughter would have the same opportunities for a bright future as I had,” McGoff remembers. “Today, she’s a teenager and I’m even more worried for her future. With my family’s support, I’m entering the 2012 primary so that the 5th District voters will have a choice; a candidate who is highly qualified and has no political obligations to the Washington elite.”