Although former Sen. Dan Coats (R) gets most of the national
media attention in the race to replace retiring Sen. Evan Bayh
(D) in Indiana, this Daily
Kos/Research 2000 survey is actually the latest poll to show
former Rep. John Hostettler (R) running better against the
Democrats. Hostettler leads Rep. Brad Ellsworth by 6 points while
Coats is up by 1; Hostettler leads Rep. Baron Hill by 6 points
while Hill and Coats are tied.
An earlier Rasmussen poll showed Hostettler up 19 points against
Ellsworth while Coats was up by 14 (Rasmussen and Research 2000
make radically different assumptions about who will turn out).
And an earlier Rasmussen survey showed Hostettler running only
slightly behind Mike Pence in match-ups against Bayh himself.
What I haven’t seen is any poll of the Republican primary.
Hostettler’s better numbers in the general could reflect his
being a more recent elected official than Coats (Hostettler lost
to Ellsworth in 2006), or his position on the Iraq war
could be causing him to win over people who don’t usually vote
Republican. It would be interesting to see what the GOP primary
electorate thinks of all this. State Sen. Marlin Stutzman is also
in the race and is expected to be a factor. I predicted
Hostettler wouldn’t be a pushover in the general election on the
main site.
Heatpacker| 3.2.10 @ 2:35PM
Dan Coats is a nice guy, but he is one of those Republicans (a squishy conservative) for whom the Democrats publicly express their respect. He is the kind of Republican who loves reaching across the aisle and 'getting things done'. Unfortunately, this modus operandi is defunct in an era when the Democrat Party is controlled by the radical left. 'Getting things done' means that the left wins big, and the country slips farther down the slope toward Euro-statism. Hostettler is the kind of Republican that the country needs now - a 'Hell, no!' conservative who wants to turn back the gains that the left has made, and return this country to a more sane footing.
Pingback| 3.2.10 @ 6:25PM
The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Hostettler Outpolls Coats in … Video links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Kate| 3.3.10 @ 8:21AM
While I too think that Dan Coats is an intelligent man, I don’t think he’s the right choice for Senator from Indiana. He has established himself in Washington and did not move back to Indiana after his term had ended. He seems to have gotten Potomac Fever and has abandoned Indiana for Washington. To vote for Coats would seem like a step backward for Indiana despite what the National Republican Committee, National Republican Senate Committee or the Indiana Republicans wishes. He does not even own property in Indiana and is a full time resident of the Washington area. The last thing Indiana needs is another professional politician. We had that in an Indiana district with Tim Roemer in that he did not even own a house here in the district and owned a house around Washington only, which caused him not to seek re-election after this embarrassment, was revealed.
I plan to vote for Hostettler in May and will contribute to his campaign. NOT ONE PENNY will go to the National or State Republican Committees, since they don’t adequately vet candidates, but voters (WE) will ! Therefore, we need to look forward not backward as we decide who would best represent Hoosiers.
MattSwartz| 3.3.10 @ 3:11PM
Indiana Republicans ought to be able to see that an Engineer from Evansville would be better than a Lobbyist from North Carolina. Coats is a phony compared to Hostettler!
Pingback| 3.4.10 @ 11:03AM
Great American Barstools – 30 Unfinished Armless Sheaf High Back Barstool w/ Swivel – links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Blake | 3.10.10 @ 11:13PM
i hope hope Hostettler wins!