State Treasurer Richard Mourdock previously announced he had the support of Indiana's National Republican Committeeman and Committeewoman, James Bopp and Dee Dee Benkie, respectively, and 75% of the county chairs. Today he announced that he has secured the support of 10 of the 18 members who make up the state party's central committee. Mourdock's campaign says several of the remaining committee members have a policy of not making endorsements in contested primaries or have chosen to remain neutral in the race. “I know we are still roughly a year away from the 2012 Primary Election, but I am pleased about the continued momentum that our campaign is gaining across Indiana and the direction we are heading,” Mourdock said.
Gov. Mitch Daniels and State GOP Chairman Eric Holcomb are going to find themselves walking a tightrope in next year's Senate primary race. Daniels owes his political career in large part to his mentor, Sen. Lugar. Now that he has decided against a White House bid, he will be spending a lot more time in the state and will be much closer to the primary race as it unfolds. Holcomb won the state GOP position on the strength of his impressive work managing Daniels' successful statewide gubernatorial campaigns. His heart is no doubt with Lugar, but he will have to remain neutral to avoid problems managing the state party with a majority of his committee now backing Mourdock.
Mourdock's biggest challenge appears to be in the fundraising department. Lugar has amassed a large war chest going into next year's race, while Mourdock is far behind him and has a long way to go to raise sufficient money to afford a statewide media campaign. The coming months will reveal whether the large grassroots support Mourdock is building for his uphill campaign will translate into fundraising success. Mourdock won't have to match Lugar's fundraising numbers, but he will have to do better than he has to date to be competitive. Both Lugar and Mourdock should find raising money easier without a Daniels presidential campaign competing for limited dollars among the same pool of big contributors.
