09.02.07
TRIBUNE-STAR: Candidates labor in campaigns during holiday

Day a traditional start to general election races

By Austin Arceo
Terre Haute Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — While Labor Day is a holiday for most, for political junkies, it’s the traditional start to fall election campaigning.

Candidates vying for Terre Haute offices will be busy today, as some participate in the traditional Labor Day parade and the Democratic Party’s annual bean dinner in Fairbanks Park. The weekend has traditionally meant the beginning of the general election campaign, which this year features municipal races.

“I think it’s something that the candidates are afraid not to do,” said James McDowell, a political science professor at Indiana State University. “I’m not sure how many new voters they actually attract.”

The weekend used to be more of a formal campaign start because of the national parties’ conventions for nominating presidential candidates were conducted in the summer, McDowell said. But some current hopefuls have been running for more than a year.

“We don’t keep ourselves to a compact calendar like we once did,” McDowell said.

Even local campaigns have moved to more of a year-round effort instead of starting a particular date, said Joe Etling, chairman of the Vigo County Democratic Party.

But the party will still be represented during the Labor Day festivities in Terre Haute.

“We will have entries, a number of our officeholders as well as candidates, involved in that parade,” Etling said.

U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a Democrat, also will be in town for a speaking engagement at the Labor Day dinner, Etling added.

The early September holiday is kind of a benchmark for the political race, and more activity will be seen for the rest of the season, said Bill Treadway, chairman of the Vigo County Republican Party.

The party’s entry in the parade will be near an entry for Greg Goode, according to Treadway. Goode is the Republican who announced his candidacy Aug. 1 for Indiana’s 8th congressional district, which encompasses Vigo County. Goode hopes to unseat Ellsworth if he wins the primary.

The parade is a place where candidates can mingle and talk to people “and express their views, answer their questions,” Treadway said.

Voters aren’t paying particularly close attention until a month or three weeks before the election, said councilman Todd Nation, D-4th, who is running unopposed to retain his seat.

Though he won’t attend the parade this year, he did ride his bike in the event when running for election four years ago.

“Two months before an election is probably still a little early for most voters at the local level, but you’ve got to start sometime,” Nation said, “and the Labor Day parade has traditionally been a place where candidates get out and try to have some visibility.”

The local parties and candidates also will stage additional events in the weeks leading up to the election as they strive to gain attention.

In addition to the parade, candidates will engage potential voters in a variety of activities, including forums, mailing information and walking door-to-door, Nation said.

Mayor Kevin Burke and Republican challenger Duke Bennett will debate each other on the issues 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Vigo County Public Library.

Unlike the forums during the primaries, the candidates will respond to each other’s statements instead of just speaking once per question.

The Vigo County League of Women Voters, a co-sponsor of the debate with the Tribune-Star, is also planning a forum for City Council candidates, although the number of candidates will likely prevent a debate format, said Peggy Evans of the League of Women Voters.

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