Just 8 days remain in the roughest Indiana Senate primary in modern history and the candidates were busy today.  Richard Mourdock got more outside help while Dick Lugar hit the road.  Mourdock is happy to make it a referendum on Dick Lugar while Lugar is trying to change the subject.

Mourdock received his latest endorsement form a national group, this one from a political action committee in support of term limits.  Lugar’s pursuit of a 7th term makes him an easy target for them.  “It’s a class issue,” says Philip Blumel of the Term Limits America PAC.  “It’s an issue of people versus power.”

It adds to a long list of outside endorsements for Mourdock including one from Sarah Palin.  “I think it’s fascinating that we have John McCain on one side and Sarah Palin on the other,” he says.  “It really does define this as being that fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party.”

Lugar, meantime was in South Bend sticking to the issues.  In this case, his call for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.  “Because there’s a shortage of oil in this country,” said Lugar.  “We don’t produce enough in this country.  Canada is a friendly country offering us 20,000 new jobs, a $7 billion investment, 500 million barrels a day.  Of course it’s something we need to have.”

Lugar argues that Hoosiers will decide this race and his biggest endorsement is from Mitch Daniels, who appears in a second Lugar TV ad.  “We’re lucky to have Dick Lugar,” he says in the ad, “and we need to keep him.”

Mitch Daniels is not about to condemn Mourdock, however.  “They’re two good people,” he said today, “friends and allies both.”  Daniels says he will support the winner of the primary whether it’s Lugar or Mourdock.