With all eyes on the presidential race, Hoosiers might be missing the sparks flying on their own battlefield. Indiana's race to Washington has heated up -- with the nine Congressional races bringing in millions of dollars in contributions and breaking from long-standing election trends.
Indiana's Congressional candidates already have collected more than $7 million in donations. Although the figure is well short of 2006's $18 million take-in, candidates still haven't hit the most lucrative period of fundraising -- the nine months preceding the election.
To date, three candidates have broken the $1 million mark, with another two on the brink. All of the top fundraisers so far are in districts with generally uncontested races. Rep. Pete Visclosky, for example, has brought in $1.13 million, compared to challenger Mark Leyva's $1,550.
"It might seem counter-intuitive for these candidates to be raising the most money," said James McCann, professor of political science at Purdue University. "But fundraising can be a very proactive step in order to ensure that the race remains uncontested."
Despite Visclosky's hefty contributions, the congressman relinquished his top fundraising position to Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th, who has brought in just $5,205 more than Visclosky. Together with incumbent Joe Donnelly, D-2nd, the Democrats are the only candidates who have broken the $1 million mark.
This notion marks a stark shift from previous elections, when Republicans regularly brought in more donations. In the 2002 congressional races, Republican contributions accounted for about 60 percent of all funds. In 2004, they accounted for about 53 percent of donations.
This year marks the first time Democrats have overtaken the GOP, claiming 65 percent of total donations so far.
According to McCann, some of the change can be attributed to more aggressive local fundraising by the Democrats.
"Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the Republicans' ground game was stronger nationally, meaning they were better hooked up to the folks on the front porches," McCann said. "But Democrats have been making major inroads with the typical 'Ma and Pa' donors."
McCann also pointed out that although Indiana has voted for a Republican president for decades, there's much more variety on local levels.
In addition to garnering more donations, Democrats also have put up challengers to two Republican incumbents -- those in the third and fourth districts. In both races, the fundraising between the parties is tight.
"If fundraising stays in this mold and things become competitive in seemingly safe Republican-leaning districts, it's a bad sign for all Republican candidates," McCann said. "And if they're picking up seats in Indiana, the implication is that they're picking up seats in a lot of other states too."
If Democrats manage to expand their majority in Congress -- with the help of states like Indiana -- the government could be more active, McCann said. A wider margin of majority would enable Democrats to pass more policy and take more action.
"We tend to look at the presidential race, but Congress is such a huge player," McCann said.
