Eric Schansberg for Congress

if it was decided on votes per dollar...

2008-12-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

According to a piece on the C-J website, Hill and Sodrel combined for Indiana’s most expensive congressional race this fall with a combined $4.7 million.

Of that, the Democrats spent $3.6 million ($2.2 from Hill; $1.4 from the DCCC). Sodrel spent $1.1 million with no help from the national party this time.

In 2006, they spent more than $8.2 million. Hill spent $1.8 million while Sodrel spent $2.7 million. The DCCC only spent about $700K while the RNCC spent more than $3 million.

Last time, I spent $25,000; this time, it was $30,000.

crunching some numbers from 11/4

2008-11-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

We ended up with exactly 12,000 votes-- after getting 9,920 in 2006. Unfortunately, with 93,000 more voters this time (from 221K to 314K), that translated into a lower percentage: 3.8% this year vs. 4.5% in 2006.

Going into the campaign season, we thought this was a strong possibility: more voters, but a lower percentage-- given the higher voter turnout during presidential elections (especially this year). Beyond that, and to generalize, these voters are characterized by the relative excitement they have for the presidential election and the relative ignorance they have about the down-ticket offices.

As for specific counties, I'm a bit surprised that we received fewer votes in six of the 20 counties. (I thought they'd vote for me again in 2008 if they voted for me in 2006, but perhaps memories are short?) We increased our vote percentage in four counties (Dearborn, Floyd, Ripley and especially Switzerland). Jackson and Brown were still our two best counties. Washington moved up to 3rd. Switzerland, with a significant radio campaign, moved from 18th to 4th. Perry and Spencer became our bottom two. (We got very little media coverage there and didn't purchase much media.)

Many people have asked whether I'm disappointed. Yes and no. I'm not disappointed with the way in which we ran the experiment. We did everything we could given the resources we had. We worked very hard and as far as I know, we worked smart. But of course, we were disappointed in the results. We wanted to win. If not win, then we wanted to hit double-digits and make a far bigger splash. But it is what it is.

Perhaps I turned off a lot of people with one of our TV ads. Perhaps people were somehow more prone to the (lame) "wasted vote" idea. Less media coverage of the race. Only one debate. Far less negativity from the other two. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. We'll never know. But I think the biggest thing, by far, is the limited extent to which people pay attention to politics. As I've often said, we're fortunate to live in a country where we don't need to pay much attention to politics-- and people take advantage of that. The problem, of course, is that we allow all sorts of shenanigans to go on.

What does the future hold for the 9th District, for the Libertarian Party, and for freedom? Stay tuned...

IDS election coverage

2008-11-05T09:55:00.001-08:00

Nice coverage in a good overview article from Zina Kumok in the Indiana Daily Student...

A fight between two long-time rivals ended in a landslide Tuesday....

Sodrel conceded the race at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“I’m grateful to my family, friends and great volunteers that have supported me in this race,” Sodrel said in a statement. “I have known victory, and I have known defeat. I am at peace with the outcome.”

Hill said in a press release that he was grateful to be chosen again.

“It is with deep and heartfelt gratitude that I thank the people of southern Indiana for allowing me to continue serving in Congress,” Hill said in the statement.

Schansberg, an economics professor at IU-Southeast New Albany, said he thought campaigning in a presidential year made the race more difficult for him. While voters seem worried about the economy, Schansberg said a lack of overwhelming support made him doubt their true concern.

“People say they want change, but they have an economics professor in a time when that kind of expertise would seem to be pretty welcome,” Schansberg said. “It’s odd people don’t vote for that more often.”

Hill’s vote against Congress’ $300 billion bailout, Schansberg said, was a key factor in his victory. Despite getting his issues out there, Schansberg said he expected a higher percentage of support.

“It’s a platform to talk about things that don’t get talked about if I wasn’t in there,” Schansberg said. “I’m not disappointed in the sense we did everything we could do. I am disappointed in the numbers.”...

Schansberg provides post-election comments

2008-11-04T19:17:00.001-08:00

November 4, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Schansberg provides post-election comments

After the networks declared Baron Hill the winner of the 9^th Congressional District in Indiana, Dr. Eric Schansberg congratulated Rep. Hill on his victory—and thanked Mike Sodrel for running a clean campaign and his willingness to debate.

From the results available at 10:00 (with 77% of precincts reporting), Schansberg had earned 4% of the vote, finishing third to Hill who won with 56% and Sodrel who received 40%. This was the second race for Schansberg. This was the fourth race between Sodrel and Hill—and the third victory for Hill.

Dr. Schansberg commented: “We increased our number of votes by quite a bit. It’s always difficult for a third-party candidate. But it’s especially difficult in presidential election years, when people are excited about the presidential race but often don’t know much about the down-ticket races.”

Dr. Schansberg continued: “The campaign was a platform to talk about things the other candidates could not or would not. And the campaign was an experiment as well. What would happen if a highly-credible candidate worked hard? People say they want change; we wanted to give them that opportunity. We did everything we could do—with the resources we had. Unfortunately, we were still not able to get enough above the radar to make a huge difference in the race. We learned a lot and look forward to using this effort to help build the Libertarian party and to promote freedom—as well as a much smaller and much better federal government.”

some Indiana debates on C-SPAN

2008-11-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Click here for the link...

enjoy! eric

IDS overview of the 9th District race

2008-10-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

Everything is good in this article by the IDS' Peter Stevenson except his reference to Hill leaning left on Iraq. If his position is "leaning left", then we'll be in Iraq for a very long time.

Hill has done nothing substantive to get us out of Iraq. Period.

second hour of the debate on Indiana-9 this weekend

2008-10-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday at 8pm

AND

Sunday: the 1st hour will be re-run at 8pm-- with the 2nd hour at 9 pm

wow...the campaign is really catching fire!

2008-10-31T13:18:00.001-07:00

Click here to see the news account...

Schansberg announces Election Day plans

2008-10-31T11:06:00.001-07:00

October 31, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Schansberg announces Election Day plans

On Friday, Dr. Eric Schansberg, the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress in Indiana's 9^th District, announced his campaign stops and plans for November 4^th.

Freetown Community Center 6:00 – 6:15 AM

Brownstown Courthouse 6:30 – 7:00 AM

Seymour High School 7:15 – 7:45 AM

North Vernon The Lord's Chapel 8:00 – 8:30 AM

Scottsburg Middle School 9:00 – 9:30 AM

Jeffersonville vote at Wilson Elementary 10:00 AM

Work/Teach IUS 10:30 – 3:00 PM

Campaign throughout So. Indiana 3:00 – 6:00 PM

Starting at 6:00, Eric and his wife will host a party in their home for supporters. Members of the media are welcome to attend as well.

October 31, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Schansberg announces Election Day plans

On Friday, Dr. Eric Schansberg, the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress in Indiana's 9^th District, announced his campaign stops and plans for November 4^th.

Freetown Community Center 6:00 – 6:15 AM

Brownstown Courthouse 6:30 – 7:00 AM

Seymour High School 7:15 – 7:45 AM

North Vernon The Lord's Chapel 8:00 – 8:30 AM

Scottsburg Middle School 9:00 – 9:30 AM

Jeffersonville vote at Wilson Elementary 10:00 AM

Work/Teach IUS 10:30 – 3:00 PM

Campaign throughout So. Indiana 3:00 – 6:00 PM

Starting at 6:00, Eric and his wife will host a party in their home for supporters. Members of the media are welcome to attend as well.

For more information on the campaign, see: www.SchansbergForCongress.com.

To schedule an interview—whether on Election Night or prior to that—contact Eric at (812) 218-0443, or Melanie Hughes at (502) 432-1930, or send an email to SchansbergForCongress@gmail.com.

END

NPR covers our race

2008-10-30T19:17:00.001-07:00

I haven't heard this yet, so hopefully they say nice things about me! ;-)

Update: nothing about me. Surprising, since she liked me. But it would have been difficult to fit it into the ping-pong theme. Oh well...

Schansberg to celebrate 5th anniversary of VET’s demise

2008-10-30T08:54:00.001-07:00

Schansberg to celebrate 5^th anniversary of VET’s demise

On Saturday, Dr. Eric Schansberg will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the end of “vehicle emission testing” (VET) in Jefferson County, Kentucky in 2003. (Soon afterwards, Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana ended their VET as well.)

The event is a party from 2:00-6:00—with a 3:00 press conference featuring multiple speakers at the home of Donna and Dick Mancini (719 Talon Place, Owl Creek sub-division in Louisville).

Dr. Schansberg did research on the benefits and costs of VET in Jefferson County, published articles on the subject, and testified before the relevant sub-committee of the Kentucky State Senate.

In his research, Dr. Schansberg found that the money, time, and pollution costs of VET were tremendous when the regulation was imposed uniformly on all vehicles. Newer vehicles rarely failed the test—and so, the dollar and time costs of the program were far greater than the modest improvement to the environment.

Dr. Schansberg did not categorically oppose all forms of VET. But he found that the uniform implementation led to inequities and vast inefficiencies. And he noted that the “waiver” provision limited the program’s ability to improve the environment. (Auto owners with failed cars could simply a certain amount of money without improving their car’s performance.)

Dr. Schansberg also argued that annual, stationary testing is prone to abuse (people can rig their cars to get through the test) and necessarily misses out on problem cars (those who didn’t live in the Louisville metro area and were not tested). Instead, he recommended “mobile (emission) testing” which is far cheaper per vehicle and far more effective in catching high-pollution cars.

Press Release: Schansberg offers “voter guide” for 9th District race

2008-10-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

Schansberg offers “voter guide” for 9^th District race

On Thursday, Dr. Eric Schansberg offered voters an overview of the key issues in the 9th District’s congressional campaign: “Here are the five key issues where there are significant differences between the candidates.”

On Iraq, Schansberg said, “If you want someone who will continue the status quo in Iraq, you can choose from Hill or Sodrel. If you want someone who will work hard to bring the troops home in the next year, then you can choose Schansberg.”

On “fiscal conservatism”: “If you want someone who is ok for a Democrat, you can choose Hill. If you want someone who is ok for a Republican, you can choose Sodrel. If you want a fiscal conservative, the watchdog groups indicate that I’m your only choice.”

On abortion: “If you’re ‘pro-choice’, you have Hill. If you’re ‘pro-life’, you have me or Sodrel.”

On issues of “economic justice”: “If you want someone who will bring knowledge and zeal to this, you can choose a Christian economist. If you want someone who will largely ignore these issues, you can choose Sodrel. If you want someone who will focus on minor issues and dubious approaches, you have Hill.”

On illegal immigration: “If you want someone who is strong on illegal immigration, you can choose me or Hill. If you want someone who will only focus on border security, you can choose Sodrel.”

Schansberg and Sodrel reply to C-J non-endorsement

2008-10-30T06:48:00.001-07:00

Click here to see both.

Here's mine:

The C-J editorialists didn’t interview me. You can understand why. Talking to an economics professor must sound like nails on a chalkboard to them. (They didn’t even return our campaign’s emails. Classy!)

They didn’t mention me in their endorsement of Baron Hill. The best explanation? Legitimate concern that some of my positions would take votes away from their preferred candidate.

Hill is “progressive”? Please… Hill has “courage” on Iraq?! He continually supports our on-going efforts there and devotes NO energy or advertising to ending it. Hill didn’t condemn the DCCC’s nasty ads against Sodrel. In 2006, challenger Hill repeatedly demanded debates; in 2008, incumbent Hill wanted no debates.

Most voters say they want “change”. In the 9^th District, voters have a highly-credible 3^rd-party candidate—the only fiscal conservative in the race. Will they embrace change or choose the status quo?

Don’t waste your vote this time; vote Schansberg for Congress.

3rd party efforts

2008-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

A good article from David Weigel in Reason on Mike Munger in particular-- and more broadly, relatively successful Libertarian candidates this year.

I get a brief mention in the article and it's good to see an old buddy/colleague of mine running a strong race in NC!

front page of the C-J this morning

2008-10-26T19:33:00.001-07:00

From Lesley Stedman Weidenbener in the C-J...

For Hill, who has served in the seat for eight of the past 10 years, it's about pragmatism, about getting things done...Sodrel, though, is driven more by his conservative fiscal and social philosophy....

An interesting opening: Sodrel bragged about "getting things done for us", but Hill gets credit for "getting things done". Sodrel gets credit for relying on his "conservative fiscal philosophy", but his failure to adhere to that is one of the top reasons I entered the race in 2006.

This is Hill and Sodrel's fourth straight battle, with Hill winning twice and Sodrel once. Libertarian Eric Schansberg is joining the fray for the second time.

But even though the match-up has been considered one of the nation's most intense, this year's race hasn't had the feel of those in 2004 and 2006 when attack ads and commercials from outside interest groups dominated the conversation...."This is a much cleaner campaign than 2006 and I think that's frankly because Baron's got a large lead and a lot more money," Schansberg said.

Indeed, recent polls by Survey USA show that Hill has opened a double-digit lead on Sodrel, with Schansberg gaining a bit as well....

Schansberg is one of the state's most active Libertarians. He participates in candidate forums, advertises on television and tells voters that he is the real choice for change.

"We've voted ourselves into all kinds of problems with the two-party system the last 100 years, and I think it's time for a real change," he said.

Schansberg is also a conservative. He opposes abortion and all federal funding for Planned Parenthood. He wants to reduce the size of the federal government and constrain it to stricter constitutional bounds. And he supports eliminating the federal income and payroll taxes in favor a single sales tax.

But he also labeled himself the race's "strongest defender of the poor and those in the middle class."...

Sodrel is also a conservative....

This is a bit unfortunate since it gives the impression that I'm a more conservative version of Sodrel, feeding an erroneous stereotype. Our differences on Iraq (a sin of commission) and his failure to speak to issues impacting the working poor and middle class (sins of omission) separate the two of us.

I wish Iraq had made into her article since I outflank Hill on that issue as well. If people want a congressman who will work hard to bring home the troops, there's only one choice.

idolatry is often a painful thing to see and experience

2008-10-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

an email my wife received...
we would appreciate your prayers for us and for the emailer...
grace, eric
__________________

Tonia: I will say this to you privately because I don't want to say this sort of thing on the loop. Believe me, I know your husband's so called, self-stated qualifications - both economically and 'Christian'. Just because you say something, however, does not necessarily make it so. Teaching the theory of economics is a far different thing than actually starting a business, running a business, hiring and firing people, making that business successful, making a payroll, paying taxes, creating jobs for people so they can support their families and pay taxes, etc. All those things far better qualify someone to talk about and do something about the economy than someone who picks up a book and talks about the theory.

But, the bottom line is this: Eric, as far as I'm concerned is nothing better than any other tarnished politician - slinging mud, casting aspersions, telling lies and slandering and stretching the truth to suit his own gain - or perhaps the gain of someone else? For him to distort Mike Sodrel's unwavering, unabashed, unflinching commitment to the Sanctity of Life - all life - just for Eric's own political gain is at best unconscionable and at worst un Christ-like! And, believe me, I want to hear nothing about you adopting children as proof of your commitment to life. That has NOTHING to do with the abortion issue.

You know nothing about this man and his life long commitment to Southern Indiana - the thousands of families he has quietly, unassumingly helped to gain a fresh start in life, so they would not have to be dependent on the government - I could go on for hours - but I seriously doubt it would matter to Eric Or you in the least. Eric is just having too much 'fun' having 'civil discourse' to be concerned about the true state of our country. Polling data notwithstanding I stand by my comments - and I will answer to God for them - as will all of us.

Hill continues to lead Sodrel by double-digits

2008-10-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hill has a huge, 15-point lead over Sodrel going into the last 10 days of the campaign.

The bad news: Our campaign is not gaining as much traction as I would like.

The good news: People should feel completely free to vote their conscience (not having to worry at all about "wasting their vote"); this will allow them to sleep better at night-- and perhaps this will help the economy to recover! ;-)

The other good news: People who are ignorant &/or idolatrous about politics are less likely to blame me for Sodrel's impending loss. It amazes me to hear some people complain about (or even attack me for) my presence in the race-- on the theory (unsupported by data) that I'm hurting their preferred candidate (or at least, the lesser of the proverbial "two evils"). If they were just as concerned about making sure they had great candidates, perhaps we'd be in a better position today.

one more article on the debate

2008-10-23T11:58:00.001-07:00

From Daniel Suddeath in the Jeff/NA News-Tribune...

A nice overview, especially of the second hour of the debate, including details on our positions-- and a discussion of our press release on not getting a closing statement and having only one debate.

The first and only debate featuring 9th District candidates went off with a few fireworks Tuesday.

Most of the forum — which was held at the Arts Center on the campus of Vincennes University’s Jasper location — consisted of the three candidates defending and explaining their platforms on issues such as abortion, economic bailouts and tax strategy.

Republican Mike Sodrel and Libertarian Eric Schansberg aggressively portrayed differences between their ideas and those of incumbent Democrat Baron Hill, who mainly was on the defensive.

Sodrel accused Hill of flip-flopping on his opinion of the economic situation in Indiana and America while Schansberg contrasted himself as the only candidate willing to break away from typical Washington politics, at one point likening the choice between mainstream party choices as “shuffling chairs on the Titanic.”...

Sodrel attacked television advertisements paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, including what is known as the “Millionaire Mike” ad, calling them unfounded and off base.

Schansberg said the ads sponsored by Hill were not dirty but also condemned the DCCC spots, saying the candidates should publicly denounce such tactics.

The Libertarian said this campaign is cleaner than the 2006 run, citing a big lead by Hill and less funds available to Sodrel....

Schansberg’s qualm over lack of closing statement

The program ended without the candidates making closing statements after questions from the crowd exasperated the time limit set for the debate.

Sodrel was the only candidate who was asked a question from the panel during the first hour about Iraq, a topic Schansberg planned to tackle during his final remarks.

“We didn’t get a two-minute closing statement — as per the agreement. I was hoping to use that to speak to our ongoing efforts in Iraq,” Schansberg said.

He claims to be the only candidate who is serious about bringing troops home from Iraq, saying Hill talks about it but continues to vote for the “status quo in Iraq.”

Sodrel said he was pleased with progress in the war-torn country and would support bringing troops home “as soon as practical.”

Hill was not asked about the war during the debate and left prior to a post-debate press conference.

Aside from the lack of a closing statement, Schansberg said he enjoyed the format and wished there were more debates.

pictures from last night's debate

2008-10-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of James Brosher with the IDS...

here's a sample...

debate coverage

2008-10-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, only the first hour is available at present-- and it's not yet on-line (although it was streamed live by VU).

But there was nice coverage of the debate in the C-J and the IDS...

Excerpts from Lesley Stedman Weidenbener's article in the C-J...

A debate about the so-called "fair tax" and the "flat tax" emerged as one of the largest differences among the three candidates running in a rematch in the 9th Congressional District....

The candidates also disagreed on congressional term limits, with Sodrel arguing they're a good idea and Hill saying they're unnecessary.

"We've got term limits now and they're called elections," Hill said.

Term limits shift power away from elected officials and to lobbyists and bureaucrats because lawmakers can't build up power and expertise, Hill said.

But despite the fact that he defeated Hill four years ago, Sodrel argued term limits are necessary, in part because incumbents are able to raise so much money they become nearly unbeatable.

He got a laugh from the crowd when he said there are three parties in Washington, D.C.: Republicans, Democrats and incumbents.

"America has a deep enough bench," Sodrel said. "We don't have to have the same people serving for two generations."

Schansberg said he could support term limits. But he said the debate about that issue misses the larger problem that Republicans and Democrats are too much alike and aren't taking the steps necessary to get spending in check and reduce the size of government.

"We need to go back to a place of fiscal sanity," Schansberg said. Term limits "don't really speak to that."

And from Lauren Clason in the IDS...

The audience at Tuesday night’s congressional debate was small, but the crowd was fierce.

Once the candidates for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District dealt with the pre-written questions from the participants on stage, they had to face inquiries from the local residents themselves.

Issues such as abortion, energy, the national language and the appropriate tax system had constituents’ patience stretched to the breaking point. One man lashed out at what he said is corruption among politicians and groups like the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), and a Bloomington resident argued with Democratic incumbent Baron Hill on abortion.

But the main concern was the effects of the current tax system and its repercussions.

“I would support either a flat or a fair tax, either would be better than what we have now,” said Libertarian candidate Eric Schansberg, who is also an economics professor at IU-Southeast New Albany.

Republican candidate Mike Sodrel said he is also in favor of either tax, although he prefers a fair tax, which he said would help knock out foreign market competition....

Hill favored the current system, saying the fair tax and its goal for revenue neutrality would drive the deficit up.

When it came to the state of the economy and one audience member’s retirement fund, he believed things would soon get better.

“Some economists are saying we’re going into a depression, but I don’t think that we are,” Hill said. “If you can hang on, I think eventually it will all come back. These things are cyclical.”

Schansberg agreed things won’t get as bad as some might fear.

“Unless the government does a lot of the bone-headed things it did in the ’30s, we won’t go there again,” he said.

One thing all of the candidates agreed on was the bailout plan...Schansberg agreed, commending Hill for his vote against the plan.

“When the Republicans are leading the charge for that kind of spending, who’s left?” Schansberg said.

debate to be replayed on Indiana 9 this weekend

2008-10-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

From Indiana 9's website...

WATCH THE DEBATE BETWEEN ERIC SCHANSBERG, MIKE SODREL AND BARON HILL AT THESE TIMES:

Saturday, Oct 25th @ 8pm

Sunday, Oct 26th @ 4p & 8pm

Schansberg comments post-debate

2008-10-21T20:33:00.001-07:00

Schansberg comments post-debate

On Tuesday evening, Dr. Eric Schansberg engaged in a two-hour debate with Rep. Baron Hill and former Rep. Mike Sodrel at the Vincennes University campus in Jasper. The first hour was broadcast on radio and television across the district. The second hour is available by contacting Paul Knies with Ch. 27—WJTS in Jasper (pknies@dcbroadcasting.com).

Schansberg commented: “I thought it went well. I enjoyed the format, but wish we’d had more debates and the ability to have different formats. Unfortunately, Baron only allowed us one debate this time. Apparently, he’s far more interested in debating as a challenger than as an incumbent.”

Asked about what went well, Schansberg replied: “I thought I was able to communicate that I am the choice for ‘independent’ voters and the only vote for ‘true change’. People often say they’re independent and they want change. I guess we’ll see how much that’s true on November 4^th.”

Asked about any disappointments, Schansberg replied: “We didn’t get a two-minute closing statement—as per the agreement. I was hoping to use that to speak to our on-going efforts in Iraq—which didn’t come up for me during either hour of the debate. I wanted to underline that I am the only candidate who is serious about bringing our troops home soon. Hill talks about it, but continues to vote for the status quo in Iraq. And he has devoted no advertising to the topic.”

debate coverage

2008-10-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here's what we know so far:

The Jasper debate will be streamed video/audio on the vinu.edu website.

WNIN-TV9 in Evansville, WVUT-TV22 in Vincennes, Indiana-9 in Jeffersonville, and WJTS-TV27 in Jasper are carrying it live.

Among radio stations, WVUB (Jasper), WNIN (Evansville), and WNDA (Jeffersonville) will carry it live.

WTIU-TV in Bloomington is carrying it at 8pm (ET) delayed.
Indiana 9 will re-telecast at 10:00.

The following TV stations are carrying it on their "SD channel" live or in their newscasts: WAVE (Louisville) and WISH, WTHR, and WRTV (Indianapolis).

Indianapolis Star endorses Sodrel, praises Schansberg; Hill shows growth but “weakest of the three”

2008-10-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Indianapolis Star endorses Sodrel, praises Schansberg; Hill shows growth but “weakest of the three”

On Monday, The Star’s editorial board endorsed Republican Mike Sodrel in the 9^th District race, citing “a business owner's experience and expertise”, “a depth of knowledge” from his previous stint in Congress, and “tempered partisan tendencies”.

The board commended Democratic incumbent Baron Hill for showing “encouraging growth in the past two years”, but thought that he “remains the weakest of the three candidates”.

The board also praised Libertarian Eric Schansberg as “well-qualified”, “a strong candidate”, “thoughtful”, “well versed”, and “a prime example of how far the Libertarian Party has advanced in Indiana”.

Schansberg said, “I’m thankful for the complimentary and encouraging words from the most important newspaper in Indiana. We’ve run a strong campaign and I’m glad that The Star sees me as a highly credible candidate.”

For more information on the campaign, see: www.SchansbergForCongress.com. To schedule an interview, contact Eric Schansberg at (812) 218-0443, Melanie Hughes at (502) 432-1930, or send an email to SchansbergForCongress@gmail.com.

END

Press Release: NRA endorses Hill but Schansberg receives higher rating

2008-10-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

NRA endorses Hill but Schansberg receives higher rating

For this election, the National Rifle Association (NRA) endorsed Baron Hill in the 9^th District congressional race.

Schansberg commented: “Their decision rule seems to be choosing incumbents who are decent on the 2^nd Amendment—rather than those who are best in that area. That said, it still seems odd that they would endorse someone who publicly endorsed Barack Obama.”

In 2006, the NRA and Gun Owners of America (GOA) endorsed Mike Sodrel. In 2006, GOA gave Baron Hill a grade of D- (D minus), Mike Sodrel a grade of A- (A minus), and Eric Schansberg a grade of A. In 2008, GOA awarded Schansberg and Sodrel an A—while giving Hill a B.

When asked about the endorsement and ratings of the two 2^nd Amendment groups, Schansberg said “We’re fortunate to have three good candidates on the 2^nd Amendment, but you’re not going to beat a Libertarian on gun rights. Hill is solid—and very good for a Democrat. Sodrel is excellent. But we’re glad for the GOA’s recognition of our strength on the 2^nd Amendment—equal to Sodrel this year and surpassing him two years ago.”

Eric Schansberg for Congress

if it was decided on votes per dollar...

crunching some numbers from 11/4

We ended up with exactly 12,000 votes-- after getting 9,920 in 2006. Unfortunately, with 93,000 more voters this time (from 221K to 314K), that translated into a lower percentage: 3.8% this year vs. 4.5% in 2006.

IDS election coverage

Schansberg provides post-election comments

After the networks declared Baron Hill the winner of the 9th Congressional District in Indiana, Dr. Eric Schansberg congratulated Rep. Hill on his victory—and thanked Mike Sodrel for running a clean campaign and his willingness to debate.

some Indiana debates on C-SPAN

IDS overview of the 9th District race

second hour of the debate on Indiana-9 this weekend

wow...the campaign is really catching fire!

Schansberg announces Election Day plans

For more information on the campaign, see: www.SchansbergForCongress.com.

To schedule an interview—whether on Election Night or prior to that—contact Eric at (812) 218-0443, or Melanie Hughes at (502) 432-1930, or send an email to SchansbergForCongress@gmail.com.

NPR covers our race

Schansberg to celebrate 5th anniversary of VET’s demise

Dr. Schansberg did research on the benefits and costs of VET in Jefferson County, published articles on the subject, and testified before the relevant sub-committee of the Kentucky State Senate.

Press Release: Schansberg offers “voter guide” for 9th District race

Schansberg and Sodrel reply to C-J non-endorsement

3rd party efforts

front page of the C-J this morning

idolatry is often a painful thing to see and experience

Hill continues to lead Sodrel by double-digits

one more article on the debate

pictures from last night's debate

debate coverage

debate to be replayed on Indiana 9 this weekend

Schansberg comments post-debate

debate coverage

Indianapolis Star endorses Sodrel, praises Schansberg; Hill shows growth but “weakest of the three”

Press Release: NRA endorses Hill but Schansberg receives higher rating

After the networks declared Baron Hill the winner of the 9^th Congressional District in Indiana, Dr. Eric Schansberg congratulated Rep. Hill on his victory—and thanked Mike Sodrel for running a clean campaign and his willingness to debate.