Former Seymour Mayor Bill Bailey jumped into the 9th CD race on Monday, challenging U.S. Rep. Todd Young.
Former Seymour Mayor Bill Bailey jumped into the 9th CD race on Monday, challenging U.S. Rep. Todd Young.
By BRIAN A. HOWEY

NASHVILLE, Ind. -  Former Democratic Seymour Mayor Bill Bailey announced he plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Todd Young in the 9th CD in 2014.

"Today congress is dysfunctional and unproductive," Bailey said Monday morning in Bloomington. "Congress is really the people we elect to represent us, and congress will continue to be dysfunctional as long as we re-elect those that have shown their inability to get anything done except argue. Members of Congress seem more interested and intent on finger pointing, political bickering and polarizing than governing."

Young, R-Bloomington, was elected in 2010 after defeating former congressman Mike Sodrel and Travis Hankins in a bitterly fought GOP primary, then raised around $1.9 million to defeat U.S. Rep. Baron Hill in the general election by 52-42% despite Hill's $2.1 million warchest. In 2012, Young won reelection by defeating Democrat Shelli Yoder 55-45%.

According to OpenSecrets.org, Young has raised $514,837 this for the 2014 cycle and has $364,971 cash on hand. In 2012, Cook Political Report released its updated figures on the Partisan Voter Index, which measures each congressional district's partisanship relative to the rest of the country. Indiana's 9th CD has a PVI of R+9, which is the 125th most Republican district in the country. In 2008,  John McCain (R), carried the district 53-47 percent over Barack Obama (D). In 2004, George W. Bush (R) won the district 62-38 percent over John Kerry (D).

Bailey served as mayor of Seymour from 1983 to 1990. He is a former member of the Indiana House and headed the Seymour Chamber of Commerce.

"My work experience as a business owner, a mayor, a state legislator and as the president of a small town chamber of commerce has been about solving problems, creating industrial parks and jobs, making partnerships and coalitions for healthy downtowns, building learning centers, and making lives and futures better," Bailey said. "We need a representative in congress who believes in term limits and not congressional stepping stones and ladders to higher office. We need someone who knows what it is like not to have health insurance for his family. We need someone who believes that people deserve the same equal treatment as corporations.  Like never before we need a congressional representative who isn’t owing to extremist factions and is willing to work across the political aisle to get things done – someone who will work for the futures of our children and grandchildren."

The 2014 Congressional campaign cycle is off to a relatively slow start with few competitive races on the horizon. U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks is being challenged by Republican insurance broker David Stockdale in the 5th CD primary.

U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Howe, will be challenged by Democrat Justin Kuhnle, a college student who ran in 2012. U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski could be challenged by Libertarian Curt Nisley, husband of Elkhart County Republican Chairwoman Mary Nisley.

In the 4th CD, U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita is being challenged by Libertarian Joe Bowman. In the 7th CD, U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis, has two Republicans - Brian Fecteau and Wayne Harmon - running.

The race that most anticipated - a potential primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Newburgh - has not materialized. Earlier this year, the Club For Growth targeted Bucshon to be "primaried" but no Republican challenger has surfaced. The 2012 Democratic nominee Dave Crooks has announced he will not seek a rematch.

Developing . . . .