Representatives run again

Two local representatives have announced their candidacies for re-election this November.

State Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, and U.S. Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, announced their intentions to run for re-election last week.

Young was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for District 9, including much of Southern Indiana, in 2010 after defeating incumbent Democrat Baron Hill.

“Many of you have been waiting for the 2012 election season so that we can finish what we started in 2010,” Young wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page. “This election year will be a contest between two distinct visions for America. We have our work cut out for us, but I know that you’re as prepared as I am for the challenge.”

Welch, on the other hand, has been a member of the Indiana General Assembly representing District 60, which makes up most of Monroe County, since she was first elected in 1998.

“The citizens of District 60 expect their state representative to be an independent voice for them and to carry their concerns and issues to the Indiana General Assembly,” Welch said in a prepared statement. “I have demonstrated that independence and mindfulness of what’s important to the citizens of District 60.”

They both must win their parties’ primary elections in May before advancing to the general election in November.

In the congressional race, the Democratic primary is already shaping up to be a contested race.

At least three Democrats have already filed for the District 9 seat: retired Marine and Vietnam War veteran John Tillford, former member of Rep. Lee Hamilton’s staff Robert Winningham and former adviser to President Barack Obama Gen. Jonathan George.

— Charles Scudder