I-70 and US 41
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Underused U.S. 41 north of Evansville |
INDIANAPOLIS - Voters in three local Indiana House districts will have a choice to make when they head to the polls for the May 4 primary.
House District 78 has a contested Republican race pitting 23-year veteran Vaneta Becker, a Realtor, against Jon Fulton, an engineer.
The district picks up a slice of the East Side of Vanderburgh County, all of southern Warrick County and the southwestern tip of Spencer County.
Becker has a lot of money to spend in the race - her campaign committee had $87,200 in cash as of the close of the last reporting period. But Becker said her main task so far is letting Republicans she's served with for years know that she has opposition.
"Most people didn't know that I had an opponent until I told them," Becker said. "My goal is to make people go out to the polls."
But she's making the rounds to Kiwanis club meetings, Farm Bureau gathering and Lincoln Day dinners.
She said that for people she's talked to, the governor's race and national issues - such as the war in Iraq and the national economy - are foremost on their minds.
But she said that the top state issues, righting the $1 billion budget shortfall and drafting the next two-year budget and creating jobs, will be difficult tasks.
"That's why I supported a lot of the economic development initiatives," she said. "It is important that Indiana move forward."
"We've been successful in Southwestern Indiana in countering brain drain," she added. "But we are an oasis in the state."
Becker said she thinks lawmakers may need to tweak the recently passed law that requires children up to age 8 to ride in booster seats to allow for flexibility for nonprimary caregivers who may be driving the children.
Fulton said he's been running a mostly low-key campaign out of the eye of the media, but said he's been busy spreading his platform by word of mouth.
"I want to present Republican voters with a fiscally and socially conservative choice," he said. "It's very limited in scope, but most people have an opinion one way or another of the incumbent. We don't have funds to do the fancy stuff."
His campaign had $13,583 on hand at the end of the last reporting period.
Fulton said he thinks the main difference between himself and Becker is that "she thinks the government can solve people's problems."
"At best, the government can present a level playing field and let them solve their own problems," he said.
He said he would vote for less business regulation and statewide permitting standards to trigger job growth.
When out talking to people, Fulton said he's hearing a lot of concerns about property taxes and education.
HOUSE DISTRICT 76
This district covers most of Posey County and the southwestern corner of Vanderburgh County. In it, David Gibson and Jim Tomes, two Republicans, are squaring off to run again Democrat Trent Van Haaften.
Haaften was appointed to take over Jonathan Weinzapfel's seat after voters elected Weinzapfel Evansville's mayor.
Gibson, a Casino Aztar employee from Evansville, said he's mostly been talking to friends and acquaintances about his candidacy. Gibson has not had fund-raisers for the campaign but as of the last reporting period, had spent $311 of his own money.
Tomes, a truck driver from Wadesville, had $3,503 cash on hand at the end of the latest reporting period.
Gibson said he was working on putting together his yard signs and had just sent out about 600 mailers. He's also been attending some party dinners and breakfasts.
"I hope to win," Gibson said. "I've gotten a lot of positive response from a lot of people from my calling list. I'm just using my feet and mouth."
He said people aren't bringing up any one issue, but he's been talking about getting the state's budget in order.
"I just need to find out where the money is going," he said. "I don't want to cut spending but we've got to cut something somewhere."
He also said if elected he would concentrate on trying to bring more businesses into Indiana and would support expanding the state's mandatory seat belt law to cover adults who drive vehicles registered as trucks.
Tomes said he's done his best to blanket the district with his yard signs and show up at every Lincoln Day dinner and event he hears about.
"We haven't been out in the neighborhoods and knocking on doors, but I plan to do that after the primary," Tomes said. "Folks identify with just the average taxpayer running for office."
He said he's mostly hearing from people who say the state government has overreached its bounds and is meddling too much in personal choice.
"Mostly folks are despondent because they feel like they're losing their freedoms and their liberties," he said. Tomes said he'd oppose mandatory seat belt usage because he thinks those choices should be left up to individuals. And he'd vote against optional statewide full-day kindergarten.
"People are tired of being tapped on the wallet for every feel-good program that comes along," he said. And he said he'd fight against raising taxes to right the budget. He said economic development will happen once Indiana's finances are more stable.
"Right now we're flat broke," he said. "What companies would want to come to a state that's standing there with its pockets inside out?"
HOUSE DISTRICT 63
Democratic primary voters will also get to weigh in on a contested Indiana House race in District 63, which is made up of most of Daviess County and parts of Pike, Dubois and Martin counties. Incumbent Dave Crooks, who has served in the House since 1997, said he's doing his best to make all the party functions but hasn't branched out to campaigning door to door, in part due to job demands. Crooks owns and operates a local radio station.
Crooks' opponent is Ross Cook, a carpenter from Stendal who is working on his degree in mechanical engineering.
Crooks' campaign had $9,485 at the end of the reporting period and Crooks said he plans to run some radio and newspaper ads before the primary.
He said his main concerns in returning to the Statehouse are continuing recent progress on getting the Evansville to Indianapolis leg of Interstate 69 built. And he's hearing a lot from people about the need for good jobs.
Crooks said the state economy is progressing some, which may help cover some of the state's budget shortfall.
"The budget is still going to be really difficult," he said. "Are we going to be forced to raise taxes next year? I think everything's on the table next year."
He said lawmakers may need to consider raising the gas tax to get I-69 going on a strong note. And he said he'd back expanding Indiana's seat belt laws to people in trucks because it's safer and would entitle the state to more federal funds.
His opponent, Cook said he recently ran ads in the local papers and is trying to meet as many people as possible, but has been somewhat hampered by a recent illness and death in the family.
Cook hasn't filed a required campaign finance report that was due April 16.
He said he's mostly hearing about increases in property taxes. He said he'd try to look at spending cuts first to address the budget shortfall.
And he said most voters he's heard from oppose expanding seat belt laws to cover those in trucks.
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Please visit our friends working for commonsense on I-69:
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