Sodrel and Hill bring in millions for campaigns

Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-9th, has raised almost $500,000 more than his opponent, Democrat Baron Hill, in the hotly contested district, according to the latest filings from the Federal Elections Commission. \nAs of Sept. 30, Sodrel's campaign had raised $1.98 million, compared to $1.5 million raised by Hill.\nSo far, Hill has spent just less than $620,000 of the money he has raised, according to the FEC. The amount Sodrel has actually spent was not available.\nAssistant professor of political science Michael Ensley, who is currently working on a book that deals in part with House fundraising, said the extra money Sodrel has raised could be a worrisome sign from the first-term congressman's campaign.\n"Incumbents typically only raise and spend money when they are in danger of losing (which Sodrel is), and challengers only can raise money when they have a shot of winning," Ensley said in an e-mail.\nThe nonpartisan political Web site The Cook Political Report and the New York Times Web site currently call the race a "toss up."\nThis is the third time Sodrel and Hill have faced off for the 9th District seat. Hill served as the district's representative from 1998 until 2004 when Sodrel defeated him by fewer than 1,500 votes.\nBoth candidates have had high-profile guests stump for them in the months leading up to the election, including popular Illinois Senator Barrack Obama and former president Bill Clinton for Hill and President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush for Sodrel.\nSodrel has already surpassed the amount of money he raised in 2004, and Hill is poised to do the same.\nIn that election, Hill received about $1.6 million in contributions but spent about $10,000 more than that. Sodrel received $1.6 million as well but only spent $1.5 million, according to the FEC.\nWhen the two met in 2002, Hill received $1.1 million in contributions but spent about $44,000 more than he raised. Sodrel received $1.6 million in contributions, spending nearly all of it on his campaign.\n"This is certainly one of the most competitive races in the country with an incumbent running for re-election," Ensley said. "It is atypical\nto have both candidates raise that much money. However, given that Hill is a former Congressman, the 9th District is fairly well-balanced between the two parties, and this is a high-profile election. It is not surprising that both candidates have raised this much."\nHill's campaign has been especially critical of the amount of money his opponent has raised, running TV ads in recent weeks referring to him as "Millionaire Mike Sodrel."\n"We're getting into the home stretch now," Hill told the IU College Democrats at an Oct. 9 meeting at the Indiana Memorial Union. "I don't know if we're going to win or lose it. The money coming in is unbelievable. It's not going to be easy, but we're going to do it by outworking him."\nLibertarian 9th District candidate and IU-Southeast economics professor Eric Schansberg has raised significantly less than Hill and Sodrel. FEC filings show he had raised $14,500 as of Sept. 30, with $1,000 coming out of his own pocket and the rest coming from individual contributions. Last week, however, he said that number is now closer to $20,000.\nThough Hill and Sodrel have run ads in many different markets and media outlets, Schansberg has focused more than half of his spending on more affordable radio ads.\n"TV is far too expensive," he said. "We were told we'd need to move into six figures before even thinking about TV."\nWhile both candidates will surpass the amount of money they have raised in their past meetings, their war chests are still in the middle of the road compared to other close Hoosier House races.\nThe Cook Political Report currently calls races in the 2nd and 8th districts "toss ups" as well.\nRep. Christopher Chocola, R-2nd, has received $2.7 million in campaign contributions, while his Democratic opponent, Joseph Donnelly, has raised $1.1 million.\nMeanwhile, in Indiana's "Bloody Eighth," known for its history of close elections, Rep. John Hostettler, R-8th, has only received $450,000 in campaign contributions. Democratic challenger Brad Ellsworth has received $1.4 million in campaign contributions.