BREAKING: Donnelly opens double-digit lead in final Howey Indiana poll

[Talleyrand]

Since we are giving prefered delegations, I would prefer Stutzman and Pence were I one of the state's residents.

I would prefer some combination of Ellsworth, Donnelly, and Hill.

[Miles]

I think Lugar and Donnelly would be a good Senate delegation.

[tmthforu94]

As the Hoosier on here, the best delegation (while also actually being realistic) would be Stutzman and Lugar. However, say Lugar retired, I would throw Skillman in there. And should I be forced to take a Democrat, it'd be Ellsworth for certain.

So either:
Stutzman and Lugar
Stutzman and Skilmman
Ellsworth and Skillman

So many great options, and we're going to be stuck with Donnelly and Coats for at least four years. Lovely.

[Frodo]

As the Hoosier on here, the best delegation (while also actually being realistic) would be Stutzman and Lugar. However, say Lugar retired, I would throw Skillman in there. And should I be forced to take a Democrat, it'd be Ellsworth for certain.

So either:
Stutzman and Lugar
Stutzman and Skilmman
Ellsworth and Skillman

So many great options, and we're going to be stuck with Donnelly and Coats for at least four years. Lovely.

Why do you prefer Brad Ellsworth over Joe Donnelly? 

[HappyWarrior]

Goddammmit Tea party. Delaware, Colorado, Nevada, Indiana.... how can anyone think this group of inbreds are GOOD for the GOP?

This is why I love duke :-D

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

As the Hoosier on here, the best delegation (while also actually being realistic) would be Stutzman and Lugar. However, say Lugar retired, I would throw Skillman in there. And should I be forced to take a Democrat, it'd be Ellsworth for certain.

So either:
Stutzman and Lugar
Stutzman and Skilmman
Ellsworth and Skillman

So many great options, and we're going to be stuck with Donnelly and Coats for at least four years. Lovely.

My feeling on a Lugar retirement scenario would be, if it happened early enough in the cycle, that Pence would switch over to the Senate and Skillman would run for Governor. Either way, really would have been fine by me though.

[tmthforu94]

Well, Skillman was originally going to run for Governor, but got pushed out when Pence wanted to run. The plan was for Lugar to retire midway through his term, and Pence had promised to give Skillman the seat.

Should Lugar have retired, I'm pretty confident Skillman would have let Pence take the Governorship and she would have ran for Senate. She's a good team player.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Goddammmit Tea party. Delaware, Colorado, Nevada, Indiana.... how can anyone think this group of inbreds are GOOD for the GOP?

Broad brush, much.

Considering "the service" they are providing, I can't say I disapprove of their existance or their actions. I do disapprove of their lack of strategy and poor choice of candidates. Rather than jumping in at the last minute to influence a primary, they should have been seeking out quality challengers.

I am sorry, but I just can't bring myself to shed tears over that fact that a career, establishment politician can't just walk into DC anymore, but now has to earn it first. Oh the horror!!! As I said previously, you are blaming the wrong people here in many cases. Rather than blame the challenger who won, why not blame the incumbent or establishment guy who lost. Every single one of those candidates lost because of some flaw or mistkae they made. Lowden had Chickens for Healthcare and collapsed much like Mourdoch, Norton was boring and viewed as puppet, Castle didn't even bother to campaign hardly and Lugar had become disconnected with his own base who no longer trusted him.

Plus it is unfair to say campaign destroying gaffe/poor candidate=Tea Party. Ever seen New York? The establishment has a long history of crappy candidates as well. The only reason such is more prevalent amongst the TP is that they lack insider connections and political operators that can cover up their defficiencies, because they are not the incumbents, obviously.

And if you think it is over, you got another thing coming. Starting next year, you are going to have first hand experience in your own state, most likely. As long as people are pissed at Washington and their is a trust gap between the GOP leadership and the base, this will continue indefinately.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Well, Skillman was originally going to run for Governor, but got pushed out when Pence wanted to run. The plan was for Lugar to retire midway through his term, and Pence had promised to give Skillman the seat.

Should Lugar have retired, I'm pretty confident Skillman would have let Pence take the Governorship and she would have ran for Senate. She's a good team player.

Do you think Pence would try for this seat in 2018 against Donnelly? If his numbers are high, he would be the obvious choice and the one most likely to be able to beat him.

[tmthforu94]

Well, Skillman was originally going to run for Governor, but got pushed out when Pence wanted to run. The plan was for Lugar to retire midway through his term, and Pence had promised to give Skillman the seat.

Should Lugar have retired, I'm pretty confident Skillman would have let Pence take the Governorship and she would have ran for Senate. She's a good team player.

Do you think Pence would try for this seat in 2018 against Donnelly? If his numbers are high, he would be the obvious choice and the one most likely to be able to beat him.

I think he may decide to stay as Governor and potentially run for President in 2020 - it all depends on wins this Presidential election, as well as 2016.

We have a ton of candidates who will be eying Coats seat in 2016 (I don't think he'll run for reelection), as well as Donnelly. To name a few: Stutzman, Rodkita, Young, Walorski, Skillman, Ellsperman, Zoehller, and Bosma.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

My only concern is that he not become entrenched like Bayh did.

[tmthforu94]

My only concern is that he not become entrenched like Bayh did.

It may actually be in Donnelly's better interests for Romney to win. That way, he can work with him on a couple issues, then in 2018, tout that bi-partisanship. If Obama's elected, he'll likely continue to support Obama's agenda, and considering how unpopular Obama is in Indiana, that'll drag him down if he's faced with a serious, competent opponent.