BRIAN HOWEY: Clowning around with Chocola, Mourdock

Chris Chocola is not a clown.

BRIAN HOWEY: Congressional ideology doesn’t put pork on grill

On New Year's Day, Indiana's four freshman members of the U.S. House voted against the so-called fiscal cliff deal. If the deal hadn't passed — and it did by a 257 to 167 margin — most middle class families would have seen their taxes go up somewhere in the $2,000- to $3,000-a-year range.

Lugar era ends after 36 years in Senate

INDIANAPOLIS | For the first time in a generation, U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., will not be seated at his desk in the ornate Senate chamber when a new Congress convenes on Thursday.

BRIAN HOWEY: Missing the indispensable Republican man

President Barack Obama’s re-election victory has been sliced and dissected relentlessly since Nov. 6, and as I analyzed earlier, part of it came down to the “female vote” and another centered on the various Republican demographic and personality dilemmas.

BRIAN HOWEY: Positives, negatives of campaign 2012

On Election Day, as I headed to my office to watch the returns, I stopped to pick up some Chinese carryout.

BRIAN HOWEY: Independent voters will decide Donnelly/Mourdock race

The increasingly competitive Indiana U.S. Senate race will see more national money pouring in. The Majority PAC, a Democratic super 527 group, made a $500,000 TV ad buy on behalf of Democratic nominee Joe Donnelly last week.

BRIAN HOWEY: Mourdock, Donnelly and the great divide

U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar — vanquished by age, longevity, barrel bottom congressional approval ratings and an aggressive opponent in Treasurer Richard Mourdock — seemed to be bridging a divided party when he took the stage shortly after 7 p.m. on Tuesday as the magnitude of the 61-39 percent land…

BRIAN HOWEY: Why I view a Lugar defeat with great reluctance

Last Monday, a steel girder rose 1,271 feet above New York City and was affixed to the Freedom Tower, making it the tallest building in the metropolis. It happened on a clear, crisp day, not unlike Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the twin towers, each a small city in and of themselv…

BRIAN HOWEY: Who benefits from the Santorum withdrawal?

The Indiana presidential primary has fizzled. When Rick Santorum pulled out of the race in Gettysburg, Pa., on Tuesday, it left Mitt Romney barreling toward the Republican presidential nomination with only a couple of gnats -- Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul -- buzzing around his head.

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BRIAN HOWEY: Dumbing down the complexities of energy

One of the most complex issues Americans face is energy — the cost of it and the national security threats it poses. With $4 a gallon gas, we feel the pinch of this issue every week.

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EDITORIAL: Let's discuss the real issues now

Early voting in Indiana begins less than a week from today, but the real issues in the U.S. Senate race have been hidden behind the goofy accusations leveled against the two Republican candidates.

BRIAN HOWEY: Why Indiana Dems are in bed with Mourdock

In the television age of Indiana politics, no incumbent U.S. senator has ever faced a credible challenge in a primary. Thus, Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock's challenge to U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar in the May 8 GOP primary is breaking new ground.

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DOUG ROSS: Pollsters offer insights on history being made

On Super Tuesday, I said hello to Romney on behalf of everyone in Northwest Indiana and the South Suburbs. OK, so it wasn't presidential candidate Mitt Romney. It was the tiny town of Romney, Ind., and I didn't even stop.

ANDREA NEAL: Like his voting record or not, Lugar is definition of Hoosier

To borrow a phrase from the late Potter Stewart, I may not be able to define the word Hoosier, but I know one when I see him. And Sen. Dick Lugar is the quintessential Hoosier.

BRIAN HOWEY: Pro-earmark doesn't mean pro-deficit

A cornerstone to Richard Mourdock's Republican primary challenge to U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar has been his vociferous opposition to congressional earmarks.

DOUG ROSS: Anti-Lugar mudslinging is hitting home this time

It hasn't been easy to find an effective political weapon to use against Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., whose mission for decades has been to help neutralize weapons of mass destruction. But Lugar's opponents might have found a way to penetrate his armor.