13 WTHRPresident Bush in Indy

President Bush in Indy

Indianapolis, March 24 (AP) - President Bush's popularity may be sagging, but a presidential visit Friday is still bound to boost U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel's re-election chances, political analysts say.
     
"It's still an advantage," said Bill Blomquist, a political scientist at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. "It would have been greater in 2002 or 2004 than it will be in 2006, but I am sure that the Sodrel campaign would rather have a visit than not."
     
An Indianapolis Star telephone poll taken Feb. 28 through March 2 showed only 37 percent of Indiana residents surveyed believed Bush was doing a good job as president, while 56 percent disapproved.
     
Gov. Mitch Daniels said Thursday that even Indiana residents who disagree with Bush's policies can respect his sincerity and courage of conviction.
     
"Those are qualities Hoosiers tend to appreciate in a president, and I think they do in this one," said Daniels, a former Bush budget director.
     
Bush's visit to a Sodrel fundraiser for could bring in more than $500,000 - a boon for the freshman Republican in a race expected to be one of the closest in the country.
     
"We've reached the point in the U.S. Congress where even though there are 435 House districts up for relection this year, there are only about 20 of them where both parties have a reasonable chance of winning. It happens that in Indiana, we have two of those, the 8th and the 9th," Blomquist said.
     
Barring primary upsets, the Nov. 7 election will be the third time Sodrel has faced former Democratic Rep. Baron Hill in southern Indiana's 9th Congressional District.
     
In 2002, Hill narrowly beat Sodrel. In 2004, Sodrel defeated Hill by fewer than 1,500 votes. This year's race has been tagged as a toss-up by some political observers as the GOP fights to retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
     
Tickets to Friday's event at the Murat Centre in Indianapolis start at $1,000, but guests can pay more to attend a VIP reception or business roundtable - leading Republicans to believe they will take in at least $500,000.
     
Bush's visit could give Sodrel a financial advantage over Hill come November.
     
"Nobody can attract more money than a sitting president," said Robert Dion, who teaches American politics at the University of Evansville.
     
Sodrel raised more than $900,000 last year, and had more than $600,000 on hand as of Dec. 31. Hill, who didn't formally announce he was running until November, raised more than $600,000 last year and had more than $550,000 on hand at year's end.
     
Michael O'Connor, Hill's campaign chief strategist, said Hill has more money now than he's ever had at this point in the campaign, even when he was an incumbent.
     
"Baron has represented southern Indiana for a long time," he said. "I think he feels capable of running this race on his own."
     
To set up the November rematch, Sodrel and Hill must first win their May 2 primaries. Sodrel faces Republican Sam Schultz, while Hill faces Democrats Gretchen Clearwater, John "Cosmo" Hockersmith and Lendall B. Terry.
     
      (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)