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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Republican stronghold in Indiana slipping

Indiana has not contributed a single electoral college vote to the Democratic Party since 1964. For the last 36 years, Republicans have been able to claim victory in the state before the first voter closed the curtain and pulled the lever. \nBut the days of a Republican monopoly in Indiana might be numbered.\n"Republicans have won very few major party elections in the past 12 years," said Doug Davidoff, the communications director for the Indiana Democratic Party.\nIndiana's governor, one senator and the mayor of four of the state\'s five largest cities are now Democrats.\nIndiana has been an indicator state for years. If the Republican presidential nominee doesn't beat his opponent by double digits in Indiana, he will lose the national election. At least it's been that way since 1964. This trend could mean trouble for Republican nominee George W. Bush, since his lead in the state has dropped from 20 percent four months ago to less than 10 percent, according to a September poll conducted by Research 2000 and published in the Indianapolis Star.\nThat margin makes some Hoosiers question if Republicans still have the state secured for one of the tightest presidential elections this century.\nIndiana is still a conservative state filled with "conservative, cautious" people, said Brian Howey, a columnist whose report is published in 25 papers. The Democratic Party has been more successful recently because of the more conservative image that former governor Evan Bayh ushered in.\nBayh was one of the most conservative governors Indiana has had, and he created a new hybrid of Democrat who is fiscally conservative and less liberal on social issues, Howey said. The Democratic speaker of the state's House of Representative is pro-life, and Bayh supported the ban on partial birth abortions. Both are considered to be conservative stances.\n"(Bayh) created a party that mirrors his image," Howey said. "(The Democrats have) talked about issues that really matter, whereas the Republicans seem to be a broken record on tax cuts."\nDavidoff said Hoosiers identify with Democrats like Bayh and that the party is making headway in Indiana. He agreed Hoosiers are conservative, but he said the party\'s success indicates it has become more conservative, too. The party is well-organized throughout Indiana, and if it keeps nominating more conservative candidates then a Democrat will win Indiana in one of the next few elections, he said.\nRepublicans don't think political lines in the state have changed much because of the conservative Democrats.\n"I think it's still firmly Republican," said Lora Williams, executive director for the Indiana Republican state committee. Democrats have won local elections because of personal relationships, not party affiliation, she said.\n"You're more likely to know the mayor or know someone who is related to the mayor or who has baby-sat for the mayor," Williams said.\nIn state and national elections, candidates' personalities, not their ideologies, have attracted voters to Democrats for the past decade, Williams said. \nHoosiers' conservative, traditional lifestyle will deter them from voting for a Democratic president in the future, Williams said.\n"We haven't since 1964, so I doubt if we will any time soon," she said.\nNeither party admits any change in campaign plans this year. Devona Dollioli, deputy national spokesperson for the Gore-Lieberman campaign, made no indication that Indiana is a battleground state or that an upset is possible this year.\n"Indiana is certainly one state that we are hoping to win," she said. "Of course, we're campaigning hard in every state."\nRepublicans do not feel a sense of urgency for heavy campaigning in Indiana either, said Bob Hopkins, the regional spokesperson for the Bush-Cheney campaign. Indiana has voted Republican the last eight presidential elections and is enjoying a comfortable lead this year, Hopkins said. But he did note that Democrats have recently enjoyed success around the state.\n"We're certainly not taking anything for granted in Indiana," he said.\nWhile there has been a more moderate trend in recent voting, IU College Republicans president Anne Scuffham said Republicans are secure that the scales won't tip too far to the left. \n"You're not going to see a liberal Ted Kennedy elected from Indiana," Scuffham said." I would be shocked if Indiana helped to elect Gore ... I've been pretty much all over the state during this election season, and I haven't seen that support at all."\nIU College Democrats are hopeful about the upcoming presidential election, but they worry that Gore's views might not be exactly on the mark when it comes to Indiana voters, said Cassidy Cloyd, president of the College Democrats. \nThe presidential election is more secure for Republicans than local elections are, Cassidy said, but if a Democrat as conservative as some Hoosier politicians does run for president, the Republican winning streak in Indiana could be in danger.\n"I think Al Gore is a moderate Democrat, but maybe not moderate enough"

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