August state tax revenue figures are out and, for a change, they’re not bad.

Revenues were up $72 million from a year ago and $51 million about the most recent revenue forecast.  They are still $2 million below the forecast that was used to create the current state budget.  State budget director Adam Horst cautions that, while encouraging,

The Labor Day weekend edition of Indiana Week in Review will include discussion of the following topics:

• Brad Ellsworth cited as  a symbol of Democratic struggles
• Brad Ellsworth accuses Dan Coats of lying
• Todd Young headquarters vandalized
• Negative ads in the 9th District
• Franked mail criticized in a legislative race
• Dick Lugar pushes Mitch Daniels for President

The Carmel Clay Schools issued a news release today announcing that Social Studies teacher Jesse Trueblood will be on the ballot for Congress this fall.  The release includes an endorsment from a principal.

What?

Trueblood teaches political science and collected signatures to get on the ballot as an independent candidate, something that students could learn from.  Ok.  But why the endorsement?  Is this a slap at incumbent Dan Burton?

The U.S. Senate race in Indiana moved to a new level today as Democrat Brad Ellsworth accused Republican Dan Coats of lying.

It took six days to produce it, but Brad Ellsworth’s first Indianapolis reaction to a Dan Coats negative ad is pointed. “The ad that was taken out by opponent, Dan Coats, is flat out false,” said Ellsworth. “If you wanna be stronger, it lies about my record and, I think, hypocritical.”

The ad, which only airs in Indianapolis, questions an Ellsworth vote. “My opponent voted to close Guantanamo and move terrorists to the U.S. where they could have the same legal rights as Americans,” says Coats on camera.

Ellsworth says that’s not his record. “I voted that before anything.. they could close Guantanamo Bay that they had to provide us with a plan,” he said, “and I would review that plan and then make a decision based on that.”

At issue is a procedural vote that the two sides interpret differently. But the Coats campaign stands by the ad and in Fort Wayne earlier this week the candidate hammered home the point made in it. “I think that’s wrong,” said Coats on Tuesday. “It’s a bad judgement on the part of my opponent. He was there in Congress at the time and I think he needs to be accountable for it.”

Ellsworth calls it a Washington game. “Lying to instill fear to win an election is what people hate about politicians and I won’t play it,” he said.

And, Ellsworth said, there are no plans to produce a rebuttal ad.

That’s the headline on an article in TIME this week that focuses on the President’s effect on mid term races.  It uses the Joe Donnelly/Jackie Walorski race as an example where Obama carried a Congressional District in 2008 (in this case Indiana’s 2nd) and is now seen as a drag on the Democratic candidate there. 

First, the Washington Post cited Brad Ellsworth as an example of Democratic candidate struggles this year and now TIME chooses Donnelly.  Is Indiana a Red State once again?

Here’s a link to the article:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2015629-1,00.html

State Representative Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) is up for re-election in November.  One of her constituents is also her Republican opponent, David Blank, and he doesn’t like what he sees in his mailbox.  He says Summers has sent him half a dozen mailings with the postage paid by the House of Representatives.  It’s known as franked mail.

“Vanessa Summers this year is sending out all types of mailers months after the session specifically as campaign material but you’re paying for it,” says Blank.  “I’m paying for it. We’re all paying for it.”

Summers sees nothing to hide and, in fact, she is playing within the rules.  House policy allows members to send out 5 full sized mailings during a two year term.  They can also send out 3 post cards and a newsletter.  Summers takes full advantage of the privilege.

“And it’s just to keep informed with my constituents because how else do they know what’s going on at the Statehouse if I don’t send them information on issues,” says Summers.

Blank says it’s not fair. “I think anyone who is not an incumbent is automatically at a disadvantage because of that franked mail purpose.”  Rep. Summers sees no problem saying, “Every legislator does it.”

Last year the Indiana House spent a little over $3 million dollars on mail.  The figures for this year aren’t available but the last of the franked mail has gone out. House rules prohibit mailings after July 30th in an election year.

Staff members for both the Republicans and the Democrats approve every piece of mail that goes out.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Brad Ellsworth released his tax returns this afternoon in the effort the get GOP candidate Dan Coats to do the same.  The returns cover years 2006-2009 and, at first glance, are unremarkable.

Ellsworth promised to release his tax forms in an August 3rd news conference when he called on Republican Dan Coats to do the same.   At the time, the Coats campaign said that any necessary financial information was enclosed in a personal financial disclosure form previously released.

A pair of GOP Congressional challengers (Jackie Walorski in the 2nd District and Todd Young in the 9th) hit the ad with their first fall ads today.

Walorski, who has already been the subject of negative ads from Rep. Joe Donnelly, has a biographical ad on that shows she still needs to introduce herself to voters. 

Young is attacking Rep. Baron Hill’s voting record in relaxed fashion with an on camera appearance that softens the message.  Meantime, the 9th District race may be more rough and tumble than first expected.  Young’s Bloomington headquarters was vandalized Sunday in an obvious attempt to interrupt the work going on there.  I’ll have a full report on 24 Hour News 8 this evening.

On C-Span this weekend Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) was asked about his advice to Governor Mitch Daniels regarding the 2012 race for President.

He said, “I have encouraged him to run. I think that he would be an outstanding candidate and a great President but he will have to make that very fateful decision himself. “

Dan Coats came out swinging with his first ad of the fall campaign. Coats ran nothing but warm and fuzzy ads in the primary campaign.  One look at his new ad, however, will remove any doubt that this will be a rough and tumble race between now and November.

The ad begins with Coats on camera saying, “I became Ambassador to Germany the day before 9/11.” He plays up his foreign policy experience and questions the judgement of Democrat Brad Ellsworth. “My opponent voted to close Guantanamo and move terrorists to the U.S. where they could have the same legal rights as Americans,” he says in the ad. “As your Senator I’ll fight the move.”

The Ellsworth campaign immediately pointed out that King and Spalding, the Washington law firm Coats worked for until he joined the Senate race, represents some Guantanamo detainees. “I think it’s the height of hypocrisy,” says Ellsworth campaign spokesperson Liz Farrar. “This is a man who worked for a lobby firm that’s currently working on getting not one, not two, but six Gitmo detainees released.”

Coats campaign manager Cam Savage says Coats had nothing to do with 6 cases cited. He says Ellsworth is avoiding the real issues. “This is the kind of ad that lets voters know there is a difference of opinion on a very important national security issue,” says Savage.

The ad is on only in Indianapolis as Coats continues to preserve resources for later in the race. Ellsworth, meantime, is off the air and his campaign won’t say when his ads will resume.

In a curious move the Ellsworth campaign released an internal poll today that shows Coats with a double digit lead. The purpose of the release was to show that support for the Republican is soft. But the poll also shows that only 56-percent of voters recognize Ellsworth’s name.

That would explain why Dan Coats is trying to define him now before Ellsworth can define himself.