Three opposing Hill in 9th District primary

By DAVID A. MANN
David.Mann@newsandtribune.com

April 05, 2008 07:03 pm

— Three Democrats are challenging incumbent Rep. Baron Hill for the party’s nomination for Indiana’s 9th congressional district seat.
Republican Mike Sodrel is unopposed for his party’s nomination.
Hill began his stint in congress in 1998. He was defeated by Sodrel in 2004, but won the seat back in 2006.
Since then, he feels like he and Democrat colleagues have made progress in making changes that voters wanted, he said in a questionnaire interview with The Evening News and The Tribune. He cites increases in minimum wage, cuts in student loan interest rates and higher fuel efficiency standards as some of his major accomplishments over the last term.
“Like most Americans, I am frustrated that Congress has not accomplished more.”
Economic worries are among priorities for the next session, he said. Americans are not being offered any relief for skyrocketing property taxes and increases in healthcare and gas costs.
Jasper resident John R. Bottorff is one of Hill’s primary challengers.
Bottorff said he’s seeking the office because “The direction our nation
has continued to follow has been one of misguided foreign policy.”
He wants to bring the Iraqi War to an end. And hold the Bush administration accountable for its actions.
He believes war funding is the most important issue facing the body.
“Any financing made available to the military must be used explicitly for removing our troops from Iraq with safety and expediency in mind,” he said.
He feels he can bring a fresh perspective because he’s not a career politician.
Candidates Gretchen Clearwater and Lendell B. Terry did not submit responses to questionnaires by deadline. They each ran against Hill during the 2006 primary and both were soundly defeated by more than 40,000 votes.
Clearwater has a Web site that lists various issue positions. She believes the Iraq War “was based on a series of deliberate lies.” She would oppose unwarranted acts of aggression against Iran or Syria. And she believes war spending has contributed to the weaken U.S. economy.
She would support legislation to expand the GI Bill of Rights to include full college tuition, job training, lifetime healthcare and low interest loans to purchase a home for those who serve in the military.
Civil liberties, reigning in presidential power and universal government provided-healthcare are also listed among other issues.
Indiana’s primary is May 6.