Star Endorsements In Indy Area House Races

The Star's endorsement doesn't have the weight it did during the heyday of the Pulliam media empire, but candidates still make an effort to get the newspaper's endorsement. There are several hotly-contested house races in the Indianapolis area following redistricting, and the Star has some interesting choices. In District 87, the Star picks Democrat Christina Hale over incumbent Republican Cindy Noe. The editors apparently don't think Noe did enough to criticize the Daniels administration's handling of child welfare issues. In District 92, the Star chooses Republican Tim Motsinger over Democrat Karlee Macer to take the seat now held by Phil Hinkle based on Motsinger's "depth of experience and better grasp of key issues." The Star favors Democrat Justin Moed over Republican A.J. Feeney-Ruiz to replace Mary Ann Sullivan, who chose to take on State Sen. Brent Waltz. I thought this would be a very competitive district, but Howey Politics rates it as a "Safe Democrat" seat. Finally, in District 100, which seems like it has been represented forever by John Day, the Star picks Republican Scott Keller over Democrat Dan Forestal. The Star likes Keller's "independence" and his support for raising taxes to finance a billion-dollar regional mass transit system. Keller is typically a very hard campaigner. Some folks have wondered why he has been blowing off neighborhood meetings and campaign forums attended by his Democratic opponent.