Russert eloquently spoke at the Indiana Chamber’s Annual Awards Dinner in 2004, bringing in the largest recorded attendance to date. Furthermore, he’s highly praised by those on our staff who had the opportunity to meet him. This BizVoice article from our 2004 September/October edition also provides some background into his life and his motivations.

The Chamber is grateful for Mr. Russert’s association with us and believes he will be remembered fondly by journalists, politicos, et al.

National candidates garner most of the media attention during presidential election years. This has been especially true as the 2008 election season heats up with the intense battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.  Another truism, though less publicized by the mass media, is that all politics begin at the local and state levels.

Many of the laws and regulations that affect Hoosier businesses and individuals are debated and enacted locally and by the Indiana General Assembly. The Indiana Chamber’s Let’s Talk Politics publication has been bridging the knowledge gap on political candidates and the election process for more than 35 years.

Let’s Talk Politics is a comprehensive yet efficient guide to both state and federal elections. Numerous Indiana schools utilize this publication to educate their students on all aspects of Indiana elections. Businesses and civic groups also utilize it to remind employees of the importance of voting.

Knowledge of political candidates and the election process is vital to the health of our democracy. Order Let’s Talk Politics now to stay informed. 
 

The Cook Political Report

An early look at the 2008 general election proves interesting — John McCain and Barack Obama in a very close race and other Republican candidates having an uphill struggle.

Among the nuggets from Cook is the fact that a party seeking a third consecutive term in the White House only succeeds about 20% of the time.

Barry Fadem is the man. He’s president of the organization trying to persaude state legislatures to implement a popular election of the president. His question: "Why are all the other elections in this country based on the popular vote except for the most important one – the presidency?"

Supporters say the goal is to spread the wealth among candidate campaigning, similar to what Indiana experienced this spring for the first time in 40 years. Critics counter that rural areas will suffer, with candidates focusing on the big cities with the higher vote totals.

Stateline.org has the most interesting story. What’s your preference: the tradition of the Electoral College or time for a change?

On a side note, the chairman of the National Popular Vote effort is a scientist best known for inventing scratch-off lottery tickets. If only I would have come up with that idea!

The latter sums up Tuesday for Indiana Business for Responsive Government (IBRG) , the political action arm of the Indiana Chamber. IBRG is in the business of electing state legislators focused on a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda. It endorsed 16 candidates (nine in the House and seven in the Senate). All 16 were winners.

Among the highlights:
* IBRG was part of a coalition supporting challenger Wes Culver (R-Goshen) against incumbent John Ulmer, also of Goshen, in House District 49. Culver earned a most impressive 70.7% of the vote

* IBRG was active in the re-election effort of Dan Leonard (R-Huntington), who collected more than 58% of the vote in handily defeating two challengers in House District 50

* An open-seat Senate race saw IBRG help Republican Jean Leising (a former state senator from Oldenburg) collect more than 48% of the vote in a four-way battle in District 42

IBRG bases its endorsements on legislator voting records (as documented in the Legislative Vote Analysis) and candidate interviews. There won’t be too much time for pats on the back, however, as the general election awaits – as does the effort to elect legislators ready to work for an economic climate that rewards Indiana companies and their employees.

UPDATE: Indiana political blog Hoosier Access has also taken note of IBRG’s success, heralding the PAC as the big winner on election night.