Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
WASHINGTON – Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd, faced his toughest re-election contest ever but pulled out a solid victory Tuesday with evidence of ticket-splitting by voters who supported Democrat Barack Obama.
He beat Democrat Michael Montagano with 55 percent of the vote in a race that involved harsh accusations from both sides and that may have cost $3 million. Montagano got 40 percent of the vote, and Libertarian William Larsen received 5 percent with a handful of precincts in Allen County not tallied.
Although northeast Indiana is typically a reliable Republican region, Souder found himself outspent and outmaneuvered by Montagano, 27, a first-time candidate who relied heavily on TV advertising and avoided the news media and sidestepped questions on several major issues.
In addition, Souder’s vote last month for Congress’ financial rescue plan was deeply unpopular.
Immediately after that vote, Souder said, polls showed his support plummeting among Republicans. But those voters didn’t switch their allegiance to Montagano, which was key to Souder’s victory.
Of all the races he has run every two years since 1994, Souder said, “this took the most out of me.”
Montagano raised nearly as much money as Souder, and supporters poured more than $600,000 into a race that drew national attention as Democrats sought to unseat incumbent Republicans who had been considered safe re-election bets as recently as a year ago.
Polls that showed the two candidates nearly tied, but Montagano couldn’t convince enough voters to back him, even though many voters said Souder had disappointed them over one issue or another.
Calling Souder the “lesser of two evils,” lifelong independent Tom Heiny said Montagano’s ads left a bad taste in his mouth.
“He’s too young and smart-alecky,” Heiny said of Montagano.
The race drew national interest – and national money – after Montagano’s initial fund-raising was exceptionally strong.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee plowed more than $600,000 into TV commercials and mailed fliers that portrayed Souder as steering money to an Elkhart orthopedics firm in which he owned stock and then profiting from the sale of the stock.
Souder said the ad was particularly frustrating because the money highlighted in the commercial was for the University of Notre Dame, not the orthopedics company.
In the last week of the race, however, the DCCC pulled out of the Souder-Montagano race and concentrated its spending in races in which a Democrat appeared more likely to beat a GOP incumbent.
National Republicans, who had far less money this election than the Democrats, responded with about $300,000 in ads that said Montagano is unprepared and had broken federal campaign laws.
Souder said he was not happy that the campaign took that turn.
“I just don’t know how anybody’s reputation survives $1 million worth of advertising. It discouraged me more than any race I ever had,” he said. “I agree (that he ran negative ads). Because what shows up in polling is that negative ads stick.
“Negative ads from both sides – Republican and Democrat – it’s a question of whether any kind of public trust and public confidence can survive, because the only way to win elections is to run negatives,” he said.
Fort Wayne voter Milton Shuey voted for Souder and was glad he won.
“He’s done a pretty good job,” he said. Besides, Shuey said, “all I know about his opponent is what Souder said in his ads – which obviously was not complimentary.”
Souder won in Allen and Elkhart counties, home of two-thirds of the region’s registered voters. He won 52 percent in Allen County against Montagano’s 43 percent; in Elkhart County, Montagano’s home base, Souder took 60 percent of the vote to Montagano’s 36 percent.
“The fact that Souder pulled it out after a widely contested race suggests a lot of ticket-splitting,” said Purdue University political scientist James McCann.
Souder said his polling and the comparison of his vote totals with those of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels showed evidence of ticket splitting.
One ticket-splitter, Fort Wayne resident Dan Cutaia, said he voted for Obama and Daniels. But when it came to the congressional race, “I voted for the Libertarian.”
He said he respects Souder’s intellect but doesn’t share his values, and he found Montagano “a bit pandering” to extreme conservatives. So he voted for Libertarian Larsen “as a protest vote.”
sylviasmith@jg.net
