In keeping with my commitment, I am searching the nation for the top Conservative options in order to prevent RINOs from betraying their campaign conservative stances. In the past primaries, specifically Illinois, it was incredibly disappointing how Conservatism performed at the ballot. In neighboring state, Indiana, things look a little more hopeful. A common theme in this edition will be the opposition of incumbents who voted for Omnibus. Indiana is a red state and its districts change slightly once in a while. Nonetheless, I don’t see any blue seats flipping while the Blue Wave will likely target the 2nd and the 9th most heavily.
Last time each of Indiana's congressional districts flipped parties:#IN01 1930#IN02 2012#IN03 1994#IN04 1992#IN05 1982#IN06 1994#IN07 1974#IN08 2010#IN09 2010
— Eric Berman (@WIBC_EricBerman) March 6, 2018
Best Picks: Jonathan Lamb, Diego Morales, Steve Braun, Trey Hollingsworth, Richard Moss
Worst Picks: Luke Messer, Jackie Walorski, Larry Bucshon, Jim Baird
Best Race: District 4
Worst Race: US Senate
US Senate
Here we have a three way race between Mike Braun, Luke Messer, and Todd Rokita. Messer and Rokita are current Congressmen looking to upgrade to the less accountable Senate office. That being said recent events have made the vetting process rather easy for this race. Luke Messer is a complete and utter RINO, endorsed by RINO Rep. Susan Brooks. Messer voted for the Omnibus spending bill thus disqualifying him from consideration. Todd Rokita is far more fiscally responsible and has remained strong in the era of Trump. Rokita voted against Omnibus and measures that funded Planned Parenthood. Mike Braun is a current State Rep. and very wealthy outside of politics. In politics however, he isn’t that conservative. His voting record shows that he isn’t the most free market friendly; for instance, he voted against decreasing regulations on hair braiders and voted to increase regulations on car dealerships (probably a bill made in response to Tesla). I wrote an entire article on this race in particular. This race sucks because the only actual Conservative is Todd Rokita and he is a bumper sticker. I have a hard time seeing Mike Braun as the more favorable option. He has the smell of a RINO and is a cronyist. I don’t really like the options at-hand but my gut says Todd Rokita is the safest bet.
Conservative Pick: Todd Rokita
District 1
Democrats have a stranglehold on the 1st with David Visclosky running for reelection. The GOP has six potential challengers. John Meyer had a failed 2016 election run and perhaps that is reason enough to discard him. Roseann Ivanovich is an attorney running on business focused issues. However, she offers problems on her website, not solutions. And I am skeptical of candidates that focus on student debt. They usually aren’t that strong. In 2014, Mark Leyva lost to Visclosky, though he at least made it to election day unlike Meyers. What is really likable about Leyva is his detailed platform and stance on the US Constitution. I believe he would make a strong candidate. The other candidates aren’t formidable enough to go into detail on.
Conservative Pick: Mark Leyva
District 2
Jackie Walorski is seeking reelection as a Republican. She has an F Liberty Score and participated in the Omnibus Spending Bill. Mark Summe, is a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame, and is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering. He also isn’t running a serious campaign. Nontheless, a losing shot in the dark is a message to send to Walorski.
Conservative Pick: Mark Summe
District 3
The incumbent, Jim Banks is running unopposed.
District 4
With Todd Rokita looking to upgrade, he’s leaving a hole to be filled and this is a tight race to fill it. The biggest candidate in this race appears to be Steve Braun. Braun is running as the Conservative. He has a good standing with the NRA and the endorsement of Indiana Right To Life. Also running from the right is Diego Morales, businessman and political outsider. Morales is well educated and well versed in international affairs. In dealing with immigration, Morales speaks with personal experience as an immigrant from Guatemala remaining firm against amnesty for DACA. This was in sharp contrast to Jim Baird. Baird is a State Rep with underwhelming Conservative credentials voting against pro-life and pro-gun measures in 2017. RINO watch initiated on Baird. Enter Jared Thomas who looks to be the low funded grassroots option pledging to cap his campaign at $50000. Though claiming to be Christian his stance on abortion is incredibly weak and his stance on gun rights suggests that he would compromise them in face of crisis like Rick Scott. There are other candidates such as Tim Radice but I don’t think he stands much of a chance against the others. Nonetheless, everything about him indicates, he’s a principled candidate. This is a good race with the good problem of multiple good candidates.
Conservative Pick: Steve Braun or Diego Morales
District 5
Shamefully RINO Susan Brooks is unopposed.
District 6
While Todd Rokita abandoned his seat to pursue the Senate, likewise so did Luke Messor. This race is another feeding frenzy. The biggest name in the race is Greg Pence. You might recognize the last name because he is the older brother of the Vice President. Naturally, Greg Pence is snagging all of the major endorsements. Surprisingly this hasn’t gotten a whole lot of attention. The David facing off against this Goliath is Jonathan Lamb an entrepreneur and political outsider. Lamb is running independent of Trump focuing on Conservative values and policies. This approach is refreshing as Conservatives hate being caught in the middle of a Trump Establishment vs Big Government GOP battle. Lamb’s positions are that of a Constitutional Conservative. Greg Pence may be a fine Congressman, but it seems as though he’s running because of dynastical politics and not so much his own accord. Also, if he’s older than Pence, maybe he ought not run. Jonathan Lamb is a youthful face to add to the Conservative movement, and is a top pick.
Conservative Pick: Jonathan Lamb
District 7
District 7 is in the grasp of Democrats and the GOP is responding with little vigor in this race. Donald Eason Jr. seems like the best candidate in this race given his lack of history campaigning for this seat in the past along with his wholehearted small government stances.
District 8
Incumbent Larry Bucshon is a very fiscally irresponsible Republican. Unsurprisingly he voted for Omnibus and funded Planned Parenthood on multiple occasions. The good news is, he faces two challengers. Enter Rachel Covington. She doesn’t seem all that conservative, but she does offer unique solutions including tackling the national debt. I ultimately wouldn’t recommend her because by her own admission she’s a utilitarian, a philosophy that regards collective happiness over individual rights. Richard Moss is the other challenger, a more aggressive one at that. He is actively campaigning on Bucshon’s leftism. Moss is a Conservative and the best option against Bucshon.
Conservative Pick: Richard Moss
District 9
Trey Hollingsworth has been representing the 9th since only 2017. In this time he has remained fiscally conservative opposing Omnibus and other fiscally irresponsible debt deals. His opponent, James Dean Alspach was documented supporting universal healthcare at a debate sponsored by a pro-single payer organization. Hollingsworth didn’t attend that debate. Considering that Alspach is running from the left, Hollingsworth is a nobrainer for a second term.
Conservative Pick: Trey Hollingsworth
