GOP takes firm grasp in state

Republicans clutched Indiana's representation in the U.S. government Tuesday with an eagle's talon.\nOf the nine U.S. Congressional seats in the Hoosier state, seven were snatched by Grand Old Partiers. \nIU College Republicans President Angel Rivera said he was cautiously elated by the tightened stronghold.\n"It's very exciting, but at the same time it's also a little concerning," he said. "We're going to have the enormous project of rebuilding Indiana's economy. We're going to do it because we said we can, but it's still a tough job."\nIn the two other high-profile races in Indiana, Democrats and Republicans split the bill, with Democrat Evan Bayh retaining his U.S. Senate seat and Republican Mitch Daniels making a move on the Governor's mansion. So with the Democrats' 16-year gubernatorial reign snapped, Bayh, Carson and Visclosky represent a shrinking minority -- Hoosier Democrats in Washington.\nIn the race for Capitol Hill, only Peter J. Visclosky from the 1st District and Julia Carson from the 7th District claimed victories for Democrats.\nBut those races were economically foregone conclusions. According to www.opensecrets.org, the Visclosky campaign raised more than $1.1 million -- 60 times the amount raised by the Republican challenger, Mark Leyva. Similarly, Carson campaigned on a budget of more than $500,000, compared to just $19,000 raised by Republican Andrew Horning. And despite the enormous disadvantage in funding, Horning still managed to garner 44 percent of the vote.\nBut two races did not follow the money trail. In the 8th District, Democratic challenger Jon Jennings outperformed Republican John Hostettler nearly three times as much in fund-raising for the campaign, with a $1.1 million to $415,000 edge. Regardless, the incumbent easily dismissed Jennings by eight percentage points. And Republican Mike Sodrel, who squeaked by the incumbent Baron Hill in the 9th District -- which includes Bloomington -- by a fraction of a percent, trailed Hill in funding by $300,000, according to the Web site. Hill's loss handed the Republicans another house seat, opening the six-to-three hole into a seven-to-two canyon.\n"I think right now what the Democratic party needs to do is evaluate what happened, and maybe reframe our message so it's getting out to Hoosiers," said IU College Democrats President Mandy Carmichael. "But I think the party is probably going to go through a lot of changes because of the results of this election."\nCarmichael said one sign of optimism comes at the local level, as Democrats claimed almost every Monroe County race.\n"The county candidates did an amazing job," she said. "It saved the evening."\nBut Republicans, who also took control of the Indiana General Assembly Tuesday night, face a period of dominance in Indiana politics.\n"There's no such thing as good government," Rivera said. "But in my own biased opinion, Republican government is better government."\n-- Contact senior writer Rick Newkirk at renewkir@indiana.edu.