Indiana presidential politics back to normal - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Indiana got a quick look at Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan Monday. He came to Indianapolis for a noon-time fundraiser at the JW Marriott hotel.

Republicans paid anywhere from $1,000 to $75,000 to hear, get a picture or talk with the Wisconsin congressman.

Things are back to normal in Indiana presidential politics. Most voters who happened to be outside caught a quick glimpse of a motorcade carrying GOP VP nominee Paul Ryan Monday. If you don't pay $1,000 or more, you are outside looking in.

It was quite a different story for Indiana's only president. Benjamin Harrison made all of his campaign speeches in 1889 from his front porch of his Indianapolis home on Delaware Street.

"He stood out there and people traveled to him back then," said Roger Hardig, Benjamin Harrison Home.

It was a different time. While communication lagged back then, voting did not. There was an 80-percent turnout in that year. 119 years later in the era of instant communication, voting lagged.

In May 2008, the late Tim Russert interviewed then-Sen. Barack Obama at WTHR on the highest rated Meet the Press of all time. Indiana Democrats had already experienced a hard fought primary battle between Obama and Hilary Clinton. They were able to see it all for themselves, firsthand. Sarah Palin invigorated Indiana Republicans, but it proved to be too little, too late.

"We are going to win in Indiana," said presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, who waited until the last day to campaign here. It turned out to cost him.

Back in 1988, Sen. Dan Quayle (R-IN) was selected as George Bush's running mate, which put Indiana on the political map for four years. But most people don't realize that Indiana played a prominent role in the political rebirth of Richard Nixon.

Influential Hoosiers traveled to New York to convince Nixon to come to Washington, Indiana - his mother's hometown - to make his first speech of his successful 1968 campaign. Some observers call it Nixon's political rebirth.

But now we are back to the political normal where Indiana finances campaigns but rarely sees the candidate.