Indiana Republican Dick Lugar in tough primary race

CBS

(CBS News) Republican Richard Lugar has represented Indiana in the Senate for six terms, but Hoosier Republican voters may be ready for a change.

A Howey/DePauw University poll conducted Monday and Tuesday shows Lugar trailing his primary challenger, Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock, by 10 points among likely Republican primary voters. Mourdock leads Lugar 48 percent to 38 percent.

Twenty-two percent said they were undecided, and another 11 percent said they could change their mind before the May 8 primary. But even among those who had "definitely" made up their mind, Mourdock led 37 percent to 30 percent. The poll had a margin of error of 3.7 percent.

A number of Tea Party groups -- including national groups and some from Indiana -- have gotten behind Mourdock, and the challenger does have the support of very conservative voters. A plurality of primary voters, 44 percent, identified as "very conservative," and 63 percent of those voters favored Mourdock.

Still, the poll shows that Mourdock also has a slight edge among voters who identify as "somewhat conservative" (he takes 43 percent to Lugar's 41 percent).

"While the Tea Party and other national groups got into this race because of what they consider to be Lugar's liberal transgressions, it appears that a bigger issue for GOP primary voters is simply his longevity," pollster Christine Matthews told Howey Politics Indiana. "It is a very difficult environment to be running as a 35 year incumbent."

Indeed, 23 percent of Mourdock supporters said they were mainly supporting him because Lugar has been in office too long. Another 16 percent said the main reason was that it's time for a change.

Lugar is the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations committee and one of the most senior members in the Senate. He's Indiana's longest-serving senator.

Over the years, however, he's become more of a Washingtonian than a Hoosier. Lugar sold his Indianapolis home in 1977 and has since lived in the Washington, D.C. area. In March, a local election board voted that Lugar wasn't eligible to vote in his home precinct, but the senator resolved that issue by agreeing to switch his voter registration to his family farm in Marion County, Indiana.

[gep1955]

He's an establishment republican which is a democrat lite. Time to go. The system is rigged to keep these guys there this long, the tea party knows it and will take over and change it.

[indyfuntraveler]

I have supported Lugar for the past 24 years and I considered giving Mourdouck my support and then I saw that Mourdock has endorsements from Palin, Santorum, and Bachman. YUCK! As much as I am frustrated with Lugar being "Senator For Life" and also being frustrated that one does not need to necessarily REALLY live within the state that they have been elected to represent, voting for Lugar one last time makes more sense than for someone that has been endorsed by folks who have come across as ignorant zealots. I stand corrected. I will give Dick one more shot and one more vote.

[ace92040]

Ah....another progressive will get the boot! Sweet!

[endy990]

The last news about thick toga mats, maybe it will be a good infornation for you http://thethickyogamats.org/

[Fox_Rush_Zombie]

Republicans all across the country are making the same fatal error for this election cycle. They actually believe that the 2010 election results were a barameter for the sentiment of the nation. Sorry boys and girls, the upcoming election is a 'Presidential Election'. That means a lot less apathy and a lot more people going to the polls. And, the higher the voter turnout, the less likely that your teabagger-bozo candidates will get elected. So, yeah, throw out the moderates in your party and put more batsh*t crazy baggers on the ballot...

[gep1955]

Doesn't matter if you're a dem, repub, indie or moderate you'repaying more for gas, food, clothes, your house is underwater or forclosed, you lost your job or closed your business, sold the boat, bike or RV, eat in more and travel less. Our Marxist president and the socialist democrats are toast for at least a generation.

[bobnjersey]

[Indeed, 23 percent of Mourdock supporters said they were mainly supporting him because Lugar has been in office too long. Another 16 percent said the main reason was that it's time for a change. Lugar is the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations committee and one of the most senior members in the Senate. He's Indiana's longest-serving senator.]
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indeed ... jettison your senior representative who has committee chairmanships and endless connections ... and replace him with a newbie who has no power and no connections.

you should be represented much better this way indiana.

[elliesamericana]

This a shame that another moderate republican may be gone, but the bright side is that it may usher in a democratic win in November. The republican party has been hijacked and/or blackmailed by teabaggers. Only losing big in November will allow the pragmatic, moderate wing of the party to regain its footing. Teabaggers have been very problematic in office holding the nation hostage with their allegiance to Grover Norquist, party, and ideology over patriotic allegiance to the nation they were elected to serve, not dictate. Respectfully, retired US Army Medical Officer.

[AverageBill]

I just want candidates in every branch of government that will say NO to spending. Democrat, Repub, Bagger, Lib. The spending must end, taxes are high enough as is. Cut it off at the well.

[nearl451]

Too bad because made a lot of sense.

[Walter L. Johnson]

I big part of the problem in Washington, D. C. is actually that most of the elected lawmakers in Congress serve too many consecutive years and lose touch with their voters, taking re-election for granted since the re-election rate is something like 98% for Senators and somewhat less for House members. Even those House members who were elected as advocates for the Tea Party now care far more about re-election than about the dying Tea Party subset of Republican voters. You can't get re-elected by cutting programs in your state or district even if some of the voters actually want you to do that.

[steeepe]

Indiana actually wants a tea party candidate? Fools!