Candidates downplay party labels in campaigns
The "unbranding" of the Indiana candidates is a clear political strategy as more voters tend to shed their party affiliation and identify themselves as independents.
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MORRIS: Are you paying attention to election season?
The problem with the Indianapolis mayoral campaign and most others is, by the time the election gets here, after all the negative commercials and nasty exchanges, we are so disgusted with the whole process, we don’t care who wins.
Poll: Ballard leading Kennedy in mayoral race
The WISH-TV/Franklin College poll shows Ballard favored by 44 percent of voters, while 33 percent favored Kennedy.
RUSTHOVEN: Kennedy verges on criminal accusations
Indianapolis residents cannot turn on a TV or radio without hearing Melina Kennedy ads telling voters that Mayor Greg Ballard “gave $300 million in city contracts to his political contributors.”
Mayoral race draws gifts from outside city, state
About a third of the money that flowed to Indianapolis mayoral candidates Greg Ballard and Melina Kennedy in the most recent fundraising cycle came from donors not eligible to vote in the election.
Republicans plan early strategy to win back Indiana
Indiana Republicans took their first presidential loss in 40 years when Barack Obama carried the state. To return the state to the GOP column and nail it there, national Republicans say they plan to treat Indiana as if it were a long-standing battleground state.
‘Survivor’ all-star Boneham to run for governor
“Survivor” fan favorite Rupert Boneham announced Saturday in Indianapolis that he’s seeking to become the Libertarian Party’s gubernatorial nominee in next year’s election, saying in a statement that, “It’s time for a change in Indiana.”
Ballard, Kennedy add more than $1M in campaign funds
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Democratic challenger Melina Kennedy each raised more than $1 million in the most recent seven-month reporting period and are neck-in-neck in the amount of campaign money they have on hand.
HETRICK: Four things considered at the mayoral ballot box
Four stories to consider at the mayoral ballot box in November.
Control of City-County Council hangs in balance
Several close City-County Council races this fall are expected to make the battle over which party controls Indianapolis’ legislative body fiercely competitive.
White’s request for Bayh investigation rejected
A prosecutor has turned down embattled Republican Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White's request for an independent investigation of his vote fraud allegations against former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh.
2 GOP challengers topped Burton in 3rd-quarter fundraising
Campaign finance reports show former U.S. Attorney Susan Brooks and former congressman David McIntosh each raised more than $300,000 in the third quarter. Burton raised $269,000.
Kennedy’s persistence put to test
Supporters and detractors of Melina Kennedy agree on this description of her: a persistently hard worker. Whether that trait is enough to make the 42-year-old Democrat an effective leader of the nation’s 12th-largest city is an open question.
Tea party sees Lugar as best target in Senate
The tea party movement’s best remaining hope in 2012 for picking off an incumbent Republican in the Senate has boiled down to one state, Indiana, where six-term Sen. Richard Lugar still faces a challenge from the right.
Lugar raises $840K for Senate re-election bid
Sen. Richard Lugar has $3.8 million in the bank as he fights the tea party-backed Richard Mourdock to remain the Republican contender for his seat.
Election spending to exceed $6B thanks to Indiana lawyer
Indiana attorney James Bopp Jr. has spent 30 years fighting limits on campaign spending, and next year’s political landscape could be transformed by his labor.
In ‘jobs’ elections, foreign goods cause trouble
In an election cycle focused on jobs, campaign material made by foreign workers tends to become political kryptonite.
Angling to be VP: Republicans run without campaigning
More than a year from Election Day, all sorts of Republicans, including Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, are making a point of keeping themselves in the national spotlight, stoking speculation that they are potential running mates for the eventual GOP presidential nominee.
Candidates’ pledges keeps the campaign rhetoric flowing
Melina Kennedy, the Democrat taking on Mayor Greg Ballard in the November election, has made some campaign promises of her own. And some in Ballard’s camp have questioned whether she’ll be able to bring those to fruition.
Ballard fulfilled some pledges; others fell by wayside
The Republican mayor says he curbed crime, made government transparent, and pushed for property tax reform. His Democratic challenger says Ballard didn’t make good on repealing an income tax increase, hiring hundreds of police officers, or making education a top priority.