It is almost October and while there are rumors that Jill Long Thompson will restart her television advertising soon (with an ad featuring a matador and a Crocodile Dundee character–obvious references to the Spanish/Australian consortium that leased the Indiana Toll Road) the absence of ads in some other races is noteworthy.

Where are the ads in the Attorney General race, or the Superintendent of Public Instruction race (not counting piggyback ads with Mitch Daniels)?  How about Congress (pick a district, any district)?  State Representative?

They may be on the way soon but, right now, I can’t believe how many car ads are on TV.

The latest television ad from Governor Mitch Daniels about protecting children is under fire from a public defender in CHINS (Child in Need of Services) cases.

Chris Worden wrote a letter to Sharon Pierce of The Villages (she appears in the ad.)   Worden says Pierce violates IRS rules by appearing in the ad because she works for a not-for-profit.  He asks Pierce to call on Daniels to pull the ad.

The letter is being distributed by the Jill Long Thompson campaign.  When asked about it the Daniels campaign had no comment.

Last night’s debate among the candidates for governor in Merrillville lasted an hour but I think I can sum it up quicker.

Call this a translation for those who lack the ability to spot political nuance.

Mitch Daniels:  “I’m doin’ stuff.  You don’t like some of it and I understand, but my heart is in the right place.  If you re-elect me, I will do more stuff and maybe sell it better.”

Jill Long Thompson:  “All the stuff he’s doing is misguided.  I’ll do different stuff.  I can’t tell you what it will be but I’m not him.  You’re not supposed to like him.”

Andy Horning:  “I’m not a politician.  Sure, I’ve run for mayor, governor, Congress, and now governor again, but if you have no prospect for winning, you’re not really a politician.  I am glib.”

Things to watch for in tonight’s Jill Long Thompson/Mitch Daniels debate:

-Will Long Thompson get under the governor’s skin?

-Will Daniels talk down to Long Thompson?

-Will Andy Horning get in the way?

-Will Long Thompson wear her trademark blue blazer?

-Will the governor wear a suit and tie?

-Will Horning shave?

-Will there be any news made?

Jill Long Thompson made a deal this afternoon with a new media consultant who will create ads for the remainder of the campaign for governor.  Washington-based Chris Sautter is no longer serving as media consultant to the Long Thompson campaign.  His new title is senior advisor.

That explains the absence of Long Thompson ads on the air the last few days.

Campaign Manager Travis Lowe won’t reveal the name of the new media consultant nor the timing for new ads.  Said Lowe, “We’re going in a different direction.”

Details on 24 Hour News 8 at 6.

As Jill Long Thompson and her staff do all they can to quash rumors of money trouble, consider this:   Her two day tour of the state to call for the release of the governor’s travel records is a road trip.  She is traveling by car even though this is the sort of activity usually conducted in an airplane, as a ”flyaround.”

The Democratic candidate for governor is married to a pilot who did the flying for her on one such flyaround.

Yet Long Thompson is driving now and taking two days to do so, even holding her Indianapolis event yesterday at the late (for the media) hour of 4 pm, a news conference where she denied money problems. 

As former state Republican Chairman Rex Early likes to say, “Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?”

A volunteer for the Jill Long Thompson campaign recently found an interesting fact on the state’s website (the one that looks a little more like a candidate website than it used to with a photo of Mitch Daniels on his motorcycle at the top.)

On the side of the homepage is a list of frequently asked questions and number one on the list is:  How do I file for unemployment?

That’s where it stops looking like a candidate website.

Jill Long Thompson’s campaign canceled TV ads set to air today and over the weekend.  Ads are still scheduled to run next week.

The spokesman for the Democratic candidate for governor says that the move is strategic, not a question of money.  Jeff Harris says a new ad will begin next week.

I just witnessed Mitch Daniels conducting an interview with WBBM from Chicago.  The Republican governor seeking re-election did his best in a 30 hour visit to the Twin Cities to maximize his media exposure.  Satellite interviews arranged by the Republican National Committee and meetings with Indiana media were part of it. 

Its the sort of activity that makes you wonder why Democrat Jill Long Thompson passed up the DNC in Denver.

Our story on the governor’s visit will air at 10 pm on MyNDY and at 11pm on WISH.

Democrat for Governor Jill Long Thompson held a news conference this afternoon and made no mention of Evan Bayh and his running mate chances.  That might be the only room in town where you could avoid such talk.

On the way out, politicos and reporters were consumed with the buzz about  a reported rally scheduled in Indiana yet denied by the Obama campaign.

The short answer on the Bayh front is:  no news so far.

 Meantime, Long Thompson says she wants to wait before changing the state constitution to include the property tax caps proposed by Mitch Daniels and adopted by the legislature this year.

She says she needs time to see how they work.

But then, you’re wondering about Bayh, aren’t you?