Elkhart Truth

11/4/12

The race between Jackie Walorski and Brendan Mullen for Indiana’s 2nd District U.S. House seat has been bitter and expensive and that troubles us.

These two are fighting for the job, but we need someone to fight for us. Elkhart County has been on the ropes for too long. We need a strong, respected dealmaker who can go to Washington and be our advocate, not a partisan politician.

Walorski is a former member of the Indiana House. Mullen is a former member of the U.S. Army running a consulting firm. 

Walorski says Washington needs Hoosier values, the way that the state balanced the budget during her time in the Indiana General Assembly from 2005 to 2010.

She says Mullen is a liberal Democrat who would align himself with President Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Mullen says he’s a moderate Democrat who would work to solve problems, including a lack of jobs, in a bipartisan way.

He says Walorski is a fiscal and social conservative aligned with the tea party and hasn’t worked with Democrats.
They both say they want to make life better for those in Indiana. They want to help create jobs or remove barriers so those in business can more easily do so.

They’ve both campaigned hard, met with voters and heard from people about what they want from a representative in Washington.

Based on the tone of the campaign, it’s hard to tell if either is truly listening. Their attacks on each other have been disappointing.

As a former state representative, Walorski has more government experience. But most Americans say they’re tired of the Washington gridlock and the question is whether she can work with people she doesn’t agree with to get things done.

Mullen is a Blue Dog Democrat candidate, though he has no voting record to prove it. He’s pro-life, pro-guns and served our country. He says he’s a “middle-of-the-road guy.” But there are questions about his business career, whether he returned to Indiana from Washington just to run for office, and what he would really do for us in Washington. We’re unsure that his values represent Elkhart County and what it needs. 

If Walorski were to go to Washington and truly be the independent voice she claims to be, she could help people in Elkhart County. More than someone who gets embroiled in social policy issues, we need someone who will help more of us get back to work. 

Walorski and Mullen have raised pointed questions about each other. In doing so, they’ve also raised questions about themselves and how well either would represent us. Joe Ruiz is also running for the seat as a Libertarian, but won’t win this race.

Walorski understands Elkhart County and has represented us. She could do that in Washington. In recent months, her campaign focused on jobs, not social issues. That’s a curious change, but if she stays focused on being fiscally responsible and paying down the federal debt, she would represent our Hoosier values.

If she wins, we’ll be watching her in hopes that she focuses on jobs, on the economy, on how to help seniors who need health care, as well as the 37,000 in our county who don’t have health insurance.

We endorse Jackie Walorski.