Blue Indiana has the scoop:
This morning, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named Third Congressional District Candidate Mike Montagano to its Red to Blue Program. Candidates named to this program are considered to be amongst the top candidates across the country, having skillfully demonstrated that they stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress.
“Mike Montagano’s appointment to the Red to Blue program is further proof that Hoosiers are tired of the economic mess we’re in and are clamoring for change. He is set to unseat Mark Souder and deliver results for the Third District,” said Dan Parker, Chair of the Indiana Democratic Party.
Souder, an anonymous GOP wingnut with a thin record of legislative accomplishments, gave the NRCC some heartburn in 2006, when he won by a 54-46 margin in this R+16 district — but only after the NRCC stepped in with several hundred thousand dollars worth in attack ads against Democratic candidate Tom Hayhurst.
Democrat Mike Montagano has been up on the airwaves in this district for the past couple of months, and internal polling from a few weeks ago showed him cutting Souder’s lead from 27 points to 13. Given the conservative tilt of this district, Montagano still faces an uphill battle against Souder, but this is a timely boost for the Democrat.