A Star turn for candidates

With the election so close, I just know you're all waiting for the newspaper endorsements to help you make up your minds. (That was sarcasm, for the humor-challenged.). Here comes the Indianapolis Star's call on the Indiana congressional races.

Good luck on searching for an overall theme in the endorsements. The Star endorsed five Republicans and two Democrats, seven incumbents and two newcomers. In the three most closely watched races, in the 2nd, 8th and 9th, the Star went with two Democrats and one Republican. So perhaps the editorial board doesn't care if Democrats take over the House, or even thinks it's a good idea. On the other, hand, the strongest endorsement language went for Mike Pence, partly for his "consistent voice for fiscal responsibility." Members of the editorial board, I am sure, would say they were merely looking at individual races and choosing the best candidates. But could the overall outcome matter just a little?

It's always interesting to see how an "outsider" views one of our own. The Star's endorsement of Mark Souder might or might not ring true with 3rd District voters:

Six-term Republican incumbent Mark Souder is well known for his stand on such national issues as stemming traffic in illegal drugs. Yet, he also has played a behind-the-scenes role in economic development in his district, which includes Fort Wayne.

He helped win a $895,000 federal grant for Kendallville Municipal Airport and worked to keep open the Air National Guard base in Fort Wayne. His lobbying of the Veteran's Administration on behalf of the Fort Wayne VA hospital may have helped it avoid shutdown.

Souder has taken a moderate stance in the rancorous debate over immigration reform, which puts him at odds with some fellow Republicans.

Souder's Democratic challenger, pulmonologist Tom Hayhurst, has experience on the local level as a Fort Wayne City Council member and as an activist for veterans' issues. He's been unable to show, however, why voters should deny Souder a seventh term.