Richard Lugar, no stranger to reading political tea leaves, undoubtedly knew for weeks that defeat was coming Tuesday night in his primary fight for re-election against a more-conservative-than-thou opponent. A statement Lugar released just hours after his loss of titantic proportions indicates that the six-term incumbent saw the reality even before he knew Richard Mourdock was to be his opponent this May.
Before tea partiers revel too much and before we as a state move on to the now quite compelling fall election between Mourdock and Democrat Joe Donnelly, we owe Sen. Lugar the courtesy of considering his comments about the state of politics, political money and intransigence that ever more control Washington, D.C. You who align with the tea party especially owe Lugar, whom you say you respect, the courtesy to consider his points.
Consider, please, three excerpts from Lugar’s comments. (We are publishing the entire statement online at www.tribstar.com. In the left navigation list, go to Opinion, then look for Flashpoint.)
‘Purification exercise’
... Analysts will speculate about whether our campaign strategies were wise. Much of this will be based on conjecture by pundits who don’t fully appreciate the choices we had to make based on resource limits, polling data, and other factors. The truth is that the headwinds in this race were abundantly apparent long before Richard Mourdock announced his candidacy. ... I knew that I would face an extremely strong anti-incumbent mood following a recession. ... I also knew ... I was a likely target of Club for Growth, FreedomWorks and other Super Pacs dedicated to defeating at least one Republican as a purification exercise to enhance their influence over other Republican legislators. ...
‘Unrelenting partisan mindset’
... If Mr. Mourdock is elected, I want him to be a good Senator. But that will require him to revise his stated goal of bringing more partisanship to Washington. He and I share many positions, but his embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance and my experience of what brings results for Hoosiers in the Senate. In effect, what he has promised in this campaign is reflexive votes for a rejectionist orthodoxy and rigid opposition to the actions and proposals of the other party. ... He has pledged his support to groups whose prime mission is to cleanse the Republican party of those who stray from orthodoxy as they see it.
... [H]e will find that unless he modifies his approach, he will achieve little as a legislator. Worse, he will help delay solutions that are totally beyond the capacity of partisan majorities to achieve. The most consequential of these is stabilizing and reversing the Federal debt in an era when millions of baby boomers are retiring. There is little likelihood that either party will be able to impose their favored budget solutions on the other without some degree of compromise. ...
‘Independent views, constructive compromise’
... Partisans at both ends of the political spectrum are dominating the political debate in our country. And partisan groups, including outside groups that spent millions against me in this race, are determined to see that this continues. They have worked to make it as difficult as possible for a legislator of either party to hold independent views or engage in constructive compromise. If that attitude prevails in American politics, our government will remain mired in the dysfunction we have witnessed during the last several years. And I believe that if this attitude expands in the Republican Party, we will be relegated to minority status. Parties don’t succeed for long if they stop appealing to voters who may disagree with them on some issues. ...
Some have portrayed Lugar’s election night statement as harsh toward Mourdock. In fact, Lugar was being direct, on point, instructive, accurate — even helpful, if Mourdock and the forces that propel him would but listen.
The Mourdock camp also needs to understand that he was nominated by just 9 percent of Indiana’s registered voters (roughly 400,000 of 4.4 million registrants), which is not the mandate tea partiers may interpret from Tuesday’s results, especially if the 262,000 who voted for Lugar were to vote for Donnelly in the fall. To win, Mourdock will need to turn at least some of those Lugar voters — which surely included Democrats and independents. And take the wrong nonpartisan position, Mr. Mourdock, and the tea party also will, ironically, come and take you away.
Election 2012
EDITORIAL: Sen. Lugar’s compelling message
We would be wise to ponder his words
- Election 2012
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Indiana House leader pledges no abuse of super-majority power
Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma promised not to exploit the super power of the Republicans’ new super-majority status in the Statehouse, saying he hopes Democrats will be “partners” in passing legislation to benefit Hoosiers.
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Vigo ballots saw lengthy list of presidential candidates
While most voters on Tuesday knew the names of Democrat President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, there was a long list of other presidential candidates on the Indiana ballot.
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Pence promises to go forward with education overhaul, tax cut pledge
Indiana Gov.-elect Mike Pence said he’ll make job creation “job one” when he takes office in January and promised to abide by his campaign’s “Roadmap for Indiana” plan, which includes support for education reforms that voters seemed to reject and a tax cut that legislative leaders oppose.
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Anderson tops Mason: GOP candidate unseats incumbent Dem Commissioner Paul Mason
Republican Brad Anderson pulled off the lone upset at the county level Tuesday, defeating long-time Democrat incumbent Paul Mason for the District 3 seat for Vigo County Commissioner.
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Clay County election 2012
A massive turnout by Clay County voters had general election participation nearing 60 percent by the final unofficial count.
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Parke County election 2012
A majority of Parke County voters selected Mitt Romney as their president by a vote of 4,228 to President Barack Obama’s 2,106 votes, while the governor’s race went to Mike Pence with 3,366 votes to John Gregg’s 2,818 votes.
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Vigo sees strong voter turnout for presidential election
Vigo County saw a strong voter turnout — 52.5 percent — in Tuesday’s 2012 general election, but that total fell short of the nearly 56 percent voter turnout in the presidential election four years ago.
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Vermillion County election 2012
Voter turnout in Vermillion County Tuesday was 59 percent Tuesday as more than 6,750 voters cast ballots in 17 precincts.
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Obama wins re-election
President Barack Obama won re-election Tuesday night despite a fierce challenge from Republican Mitt Romney as well as the weak economy and high unemployment that encumbered his first term and crimped the middle class dreams of millions.
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Incumbent Anderson retains seat
Democratic incumbent Judith Anderson won a fourth term for Vigo County Commissioner District 2 in a race that was close with a first-time challenging candidate.
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Congressman Bucshon retains seat in House
Indiana Congressman Larry Bucshon, a Republican, held off a tough election challenge to retain his 8th District U.S. House seat.
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Dems sweep Council At-Large seats
Democrats swept all three Vigo County Council At-Large seats Tuesday, returning two incumbents plus adding a newcomer to the body.
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Crockett wins to take over Vigo clerk’s office
In the Vigo County clerk’s race, Democrat Dave Crockett defeated Republican Mike Morris by a vote of 21,025 to 16,857.
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Challenger Ritz knocks off Bennett in state superintendent race
Democrat challenger Glenda Ritz pulled off a stunning upset Tuesday night, beating incumbent Republican Tony Bennett in the unexpectedly tight race for Indiana superintendent of public instruction.
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Donnelly gives Democrats Indiana Senate victory
Democrat Joe Donnelly triumphed Tuesday in one of the nation’s most tumultuous Senate races, capitalizing on fallout over his tea party-backed opponent’s comment that a pregnancy resulting from rape is “something God intended” to capture a seat that just a year ago looked to be a lock for Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar.
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Heaton wins re-election in Indiana House District 46
In House District 46, incumbent Republican Bob Heaton won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat James Mann II, who ran for elected office for the first time.
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Longtime Rep. Borders loses re-election bid
Indiana State Rep. Bruce Borders, a long-time Republican representative from Greene County, apparently lost his re-election bid Tuesday by a razor-thin margin to Democrat Rep. Kreg Battles, also a member of the Indiana House.
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Phone system glitch slows vote counting in Vigo Courthouse
A phone system problem at the Vigo County Courthouse has slowed down vote counting tonight.
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SLIDESHOW: General Election 2012
Photos by Tribune-Star photographers Bob Poynter, Joe Garza and Jim Avelis. Check back for more photos.
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Vigo County seeing strong voter turnout
Voter turnout appears strong in Vigo County as election 2012 reaches its climax.
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Indiana voters can buy alcohol after voting this year
This Election Day marks the first presidential election year in several decades where Indiana voters can buy alcohol after casting their votes.
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What Indiana voters have to say about 2012 races
Across Indiana, thousands of people are casting votes for dozens of races, including the White House, Senate, Congress and the General Assembly. Here’s what they’re saying about why they cast their votes:
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Voting machine problems delay some Indiana voters
Voting machine problems have caused delays and long lines in Hamilton County, a heavily populated Indianapolis suburb that’s a Republican stronghold.
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Indiana race could be showdown over school changes
The campaign to lead Indiana’s education department is being watched as a referendum on school policies pushed by conservatives across the country.
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Congressional, State Representative debates set for October
The League of Women Voters of Knox County (Vincennes) will host two live televised debates in Vincennes in October.
The first debate will be Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. EDT between the candidates for Indiana House of Representatives, District 45, Rep. Kreg Battles and Rep. Bruce Borders.
The second debate will be Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. featuring the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 8th District, Congressman Larry Bucshon, Dave Crooks, and Bart Gadau. This Congressional debate will be co-hosted by the League of Women Voters of Vigo County (Terre Haute). -
AG candidate spells out concerns
Indiana’s sex offender registry, consumer protection and protecting children from abuse while improving the state’s Child Protective Services agency are among the top issues for Indianapolis attorney Kay Fleming, Democatic candidate for Indiana Attorney General.
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Dates set for Indiana Senate, governor debates
Two debates have been scheduled for next month between the candidates for Indiana’s U.S. Senate election, although organizers are still calling them tentative as final details are worked out.
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Lieutenant governor candidates debate farm issues today
The three candidates for Indiana's lieutenant governor are meeting to debate farm issues.
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Candidates agree to three gubernatorial debates
Indiana’s three gubernatorial candidates have committed to three televised debates this fall through the Indiana Debate Commission.
Candidates include Democrat John Gregg, Republican Mike Pence and Libertarian Rupert Boneham. -
Gregg introduces State Sen. Vi Simpson as choice for lieutenant governor
Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg this afternoon introduced State Sen. Vi Simpson, D-Ellettsville, as his running mate for the 2012 election.
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