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    Tuesday
    Jul052011
    | DateTuesday, July 5, 2011 at 09:28PM

    Roll Call made Indiana’s 2nd District the first in the country as likely to flip to the other party

    In case you missed it Roll Call released its race ratings today for Congress in Indiana, and made Indiana’s 2nd District the first in the country as likely to flip to the other party. Excerpts, full story, and link are below. For more information, contact Brooks Kochvar 603-498-6643.
      
    Excerpt:
     
    The new district also presents a prime opportunity for Donnelly's 2010 competitor, former state
    Rep. Jackie Walorski (R), whose base south of South Bend is now the 2nd's population center.
    Walorski, who served in the state House with many of the members who drew the new lines,
    announced she would run again for the seat before the maps were even proposed to the public.
     
    It's the first House seat of the cycle that Roll Call Politics has rated as likely to flip to the other
    party, making it that much more difficult for Democrats to win back the majority in 2012.
    Full 2nd District story:
     
    2nd District
    Open seat: Joe Donnelly (D) is running for Senate
    Rating: Likely Republican
    Even Donnelly did not want to run for re-election here, which speaks volumes about how much
    this district was affected by Republican-controlled redistricting. Donnelly opted to run for Senate
    instead of take a chance on his new district, which Republicans in the state Legislature redrew
    without several Democratic areas.
     
    The most devastating change for 2nd district Democrats was the loss of Kokomo, a middle-class
    town with heavy union membership and reliable Donnelly voters. Kokomo is now split between
    the heavily Republican 4th and 5th districts.
     
    The new district also lost part of LaPorte County, including Democratic Michigan City, to the 1st
    district. Meanwhile, the district picked up the GOP-heavy Elkhart County.
     
    This seat is not unwinnable for Democrats, but it's not exactly prime competitive territory, either.
    It's definitely not the most competitive district in the state anymore. Donnelly would have been
    Democrats' best candidate in the 2nd district, and now the party is left searching for someone to
    give it a shot.
     
    The new district also presents a prime opportunity for Donnelly's 2010 competitor, former state
    Rep. Jackie Walorski (R), whose base south of South Bend is now the 2nd's population center.
    Walorski, who served in the state House with many of the members who drew the new lines,
    announced she would run again for the seat before the maps were even proposed to the public.
    It's the first House seat of the cycle that Roll Call Politics has rated as likely to flip to the other
    party, making it that much more difficult for Democrats to win back the majority in 2012.
     
    Link to all Indiana races:
    http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_134/GOP-poised-to-scoop-up-a- seat-in-indiana-206207-1.html