Profile of the 6th Congressional District candidates

Part two of our series will run in Monday’s publication of the IDS and will feature the remaining Republican and Democratic candidates.

From the Ohio River in the south to the Ball State University campus in the north, nestled in the eastern plains of Indiana lies the 6th Congressional District.

It encompasses a tradition of Indiana politics that speaks to Hoosiers of a time removed from the pages of history and a time when the state was a robust manufacturing powerhouse of the Midwest.

Today, the district encompasses the communities of Muncie, Richmond, New Castle and Columbus to name a few.

With a diverse selection of educational opportunities as well as high-paying manufacturing jobs, this traditionally center-right district showcases Hoosier politics with the hospitality one has come to expect from residents of the area.    

At least seven men have staked their political career on the campaign to represent this All-American district in the 113th Congress beginning in 2013.    

Since 2003, the 6th district has been home to Republican U.S. Representative Mike Pence. In May, Pence announced his candidacy for governor of Indiana.

Left without an incumbent, several residents of the 6th district are vying to replace Pence in the 2012 elections.

Because this is the first election since the district’s boundaries were reapportioned, there is speculation that the district will move even further to the political right and solidify the Republicans’ hold in the region for years to come.  

In this two-part series of “Meet the Candidates,” the IDS spoke to those who have thrown their hat into the 2012 election.

We profile the candidates of the major political parties to see where they stand on the  issues of the day.    

The Republicans are Travis Hankins, Don Bates, Jr., Luke Messer, John Hatter and TJ Thompson.

Travis Hankins
Campaign website:
www.travishankins.com

Ran for U.S. House in 9th district in 2010

Real estate developer in Columbus, Ind.

Travis Hankins has structured his Congressional campaign around fighting for the right to life, securing national borders, increasing domestic oil production and balancing the federal budget.

Hankins also made it a key point of his campaign to fight for term limits for members of Congress.

“As a Congressman of the 6th district, I will fight to pass term limits,” Hankins said. “I believe the biggest threat facing our nation today are lifetime professional politicians who care more about themselves and the future of their career rather than the American people and the future of our country.”       

TJ Thompson
Campaign website:
www.tjthompson.com

Ran against Pence for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District in the 2010 Republican primary.

2001 graduate of Shelbyville High School.

Spent the past 10 years operating his family’s small business.

“I am completely different from anybody who has been elected in quite a while. The core message is to break from the tradition that hasn’t worked,” Thompson said. “We elect the same people year after year.”

The economy and the national budget remain essential, he said, but drawing traditionally national issues like gay marriage and abortion to the state level is equally important, if not more so.

“When Congress focuses on the issues that they do need to focus on, a lot more things can get done,” he said.    

The Democrats are Jim Crone and Lane Siekman.

Jim Crone
Campaign website:
www.croneforcongress.com

Sociology professor at Hanover College.

Chairman of Jefferson County Democratic Party.

As a sociology professor at Hanover College, Jim Crone has spent the past thirty years teaching students about society’s biggest problems.  

He said his campaign illustrates his pragmatism towards his political rivals when it becomes necessary.

“We need to get things done in our country and the only way you can get things done is to compromise,” Crone said.

“I’m not the emotional type to yell and scream. I don’t like at all those polarizing tendencies,” Crone said.  “We need to stay more calm and try and work through our problems.”