From the Indy Star:
U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer will announce this morning he is not running for re-election.
Buyer will make his announcement at 11 a.m. at a news conference at University Hospital in Indianapolis. […]
Buyer has come under fire for a charitable scholarship organization he founded, The Frontier Foundation, which has raised money from groups and businesses with interests before the committees he serves on in Congress. The group has spent money on lavish golf outings, but so far has not given out any scholarships. Buyer has said he is waiting until the group had raised $1 million, in order to be self-sustaining.
This is at least a bit of a surprise to us — Buyer wasn’t on our open seat watch. Open seat fans shouldn’t expect too much fireworks from this race beyond the primary, though, as the district’s PVI is R+14. Bush won this district by 66-32 and 69-30 margins in 2000 and 2004, respectively, and McCain by 56-43 in ’08. That’s a pretty dramatic drop for the GOP, but they were up against the full onslaught of the Obama field campaign’s effort to squeeze out every possible Dem vote out in the Indianapolis ‘burbs.
(Hat-tip: Blue Indiana)
RaceTracker Wiki: IN-04
The Dems packed this seat with Republicans in 2002.
As a total political junkie, I have never heard of Steve Buyer in my life. Talk about a back-bencher!
Even though I am a Republican (still enjoy this site though), I’m happy to see him go.
In 2008 it could be different, but not this cycle. Even if economy improves..
Hopefully we run someone even if its a likely loss.
I’m generally a more moderate/pragmatic conservative.
Most of my dislike for Steve Buyer is that , at least the times I heard him speak, he came off as kind of an ass. A few too many cheap shots at the Democrats, the kind of stuff you would expect from a 2nd or 3rd tier talk radio host like Monica Crowley or someone of that nature.
Not sure who is on the Republican bench here. The Democratic nominee is probably going to be David Sanders, who has run for the seat and lost. But this race will almost definately be decided in the May primary
http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin…
Apparently, the reason given for this sudden announcement is that his wife has been diagnosed with terminal illness. Despite my dislike for the man politically, it goes without saying that we all wish the best for him and his family.
and chance Nels comes back for another race?
Has already filed.
I heard on Indiana Week in Review that the IN Secretary of State who’s thinking about challenging Evan Bayh is supposedly thinking about running here instead. That’d be a big blow to our chances against Bayh. I suppose he sees that IN Governor in 2012 is closed (Mike Pence) and that Bayh is probably too steep a hill to climb.
The scholarship fund thing has been in the news locally for months, and pretty much everyone in the state now knows how much of a dirtbag he is. Still, given the lean of the district I expected him to keep on stubbornly refusing to admit wrongdoing like he’s been doing for months and run again anyway. Something must’ve really snapped behind the scenes for him to be quitting now. Wonder if this means we’ll be seeing a top-tier Republican (or at least a teabagger) filing to replace him soon.
There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that we take this district as it’s currently drawn in this national climate, but being rid of Buyer is satisfying enough. At least the new guy won’t have his seniority, and will probably be a little bit less odious to boot.
http://www.courierpress.com/ne…