Election Time! IN 6th District

U.S. Congress - Indiana's 6th District

Incumbent: Mike Pence (R)
Challengers: Barry Welsh (D), George Holland (L)

The sixth district covers eastern Indiana including the cities of Richmond, Anderson and Muncie, the home of Ball St. University.

Mike Pence has served in Congress since 2000. He has risen to be a visible lead of the Republican Party - previously serving as chairman of the Republican Study Committee. As you'd expect, he shares many of the same values and positions which we've explored with other members of the GOP such as Buyer and Burton. While Pence was a vocal and visible opponent of the recent bailouts, he has also pushed for the abolition of online gambling and is an unwavering supporter of the war in Iraq.

Barry Welsh was defeated by Pence in 2006 and has received the Democrats' nomination to run again. Welsh is a former pastor, schoolteacher and radio personality (incidentally, Pence is also a former radio guy). He holds a pretty standard, "liberal" view on most of the issues. He calls for troops to come home from Iraq, but is careful to reinforce that he supports the troops. His key issues seem to be his stance for improved public education and views against privatization. His clever reminder is that we are a "RePUBLIC" not a "RePRIVATE". Cheesy.

George Holland is another example of why the Libertarian Party is not taken seriously by so many people. Holland has some valid and intellectual points, but will be written off as a crackpot, or at least a conspiracy theorist by the vast majority of Americans. He cannot be considered a legitimate candidate. While Holland and the LP are surely aware that their chances of winning are slim to none (under ideal conditions), they need to be reminded of that great Herm Edwards quote: "You play to win the game."

This kind of stinks again. For similar reasons...

Endorsement: Pence
Prediction: Pence (in a close one)