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Open Seat	Walter Helmke (R)
Open Seat	Birch Evans Bayh (D)
Race Outlook	Leans Democratic

Even in their most heady moments, Republicans have pretty much assumed that Dan Coats seat in Indiana would go to the Democrats. With 100% name recognition and a nearly 60% approval rating, former Governor Evan Bayh is on his way to picking up the seat his father held in the Senate 20 years ago.

Republican Paul Helmke is the opponent. He is the popular three-term Mayor of Fort Wayne who emerged from a three-way primary with 35% of the vote. For the Helmke campaign, fundraising has been a huge stumbling block. And until mid-October, he resisted pinning Bayh with the guilt-by-Democratic association of the Lewinsky scandal. [That strategy looked somewhat risky for Helmke as he attended Yale with and supported Clinton in the past.] But in the final weeks of the campaign, in an attempt to shore up his voter base, Helmke released an ad in which then-Gov. Bayh's words are called into question. At a '96 Clinton campaign event, Bayh said of the President, "This is a decent man. The man that has the values to lead America into the 1st Century." The ad concludes with a bold-type "values?" on screen.

Helmke says this ad does not violate the candidate's
clean campaign pledge; it merely asks if Clinton's values are the
"Hoosier Values" upon which Bayh has based his campaign. While
this may cast a shadow on Bayh's character, his record is clear and
indisputable. As Governor, he never raised taxes. When voters weigh these
blasts-from-the past, Bayh's record will probably carry him to victory in
November.

face=Arial>There is no Gubernatorial race in this state.

Current Lineup: 10 Districts, 6 Republicans, 4 Democrats
CD1
Incumbent	size=2>PETER VISCLOSKY (D) --age 49 Elected in 1984
Opponents	size=2> Michael Petyo (R) --age 49 Construction Co Exec/1996 nominee Michael Crass (Libertarian)   nbsp;   face=Arial size=2>Â'96 nominee
Outlook	Strong Democrat
District Profile;	size=2> Northwest - Gary; Hammond.  1996 House: size=2> D-69% R-29%

CD2
Incumbent	size=2>DAVID McINTOSH (R) -- age 40 Elected in 1994
Opponents	size=2> Sherman Boles (D) --age 51    New Castle Mayor Cliff Federle (Libertarian)
Outlook	Strong Republican
District Profile;	size=2> East Central - Muncie; Anderson; Columbus. 1996 House: D-40% R-58%

CD3
Incumbent	size=2>TIM ROEMER (D) --age 42 size=2>Elected in 1990
Opponent	size=2> Daniel Holtz (R) Stockbroker/Fmr State Leg Aide/1996 candidate
Outlook	Likely Democrat
District Profile;	size=2> Northern Tier - South Bend; Elkhart . 1996 House: D-58% R-41%

CD4
Incumbent	size=2>MARK SOUDER (R) -- age 48 Elected in 1994
Opponent	size=2> Mark Wehrle (D) --age 40 Businessman
Outlook	Strong Republican
District Profile;	size=2> Northeast - Fort Wayne            1996 House: D-39% R-58%

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CD5

Incumbent

STEVE BUYER (R) --age 39  
Elected in 1992

Opponents
size=2>

David Steele (D)                   
Fmr
Dir of Center for International Business Education & Research at
Purdue
University                             

Carl Waters
(Libertarian)

Outlook
Strong
Republican


District Profile;
size=2>

Northern Rural -
Kokomo.

1996
House: D-32% R-65%

CD6
Incumbent	DAN BURTON (R) -- age 60 Elected in 1982
Opponents	size=2> Bob Kern (D) Convicted Felon/Fmr Gas Station Attend/ 1996 nominee face=Arial size=2> Joe Hauptmann (Libertarian) Teacher/Libertarian Activist
Outlook	Strong Republican
District Profile;	size=2> Central - Suburban Indianapolis . 1996 House: face=Arial size=2>D-23% R-75%

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CD7

Incumbent

ED PEASE (R) --
age 47 Elected in
1996

Opponents
size=2>

Sam 'Dutch' Hillenburg (D) age
34 Airline Employee

Barbara Bourland (Libertarian)

Outlook
Strong
Republican


District Profile;
size=2>

West - Terre Haute; Lafayette

. 1996 House: face=Arial size=2>D-35% R-62%

CD8
Incumbent	JOHN HOSTETTLER (R) -- age 37 Elected in 1994
Opponents	size=> Gail Riecken (D)           Evansville City Council Member Paul Hager (Libertarian)     Software Engineer/Pro-Gun Activist/Â'96 nominee
Outlook	Leans Republican
District Profile;	size=2> Southwest - Evansville; Bloomington.                           1996 House: D-48% R-50%

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CD9

face=Arial>Open Seat

Baron Hill
(D)                             
Fmr State Rep/'90 Senate nominee





size=2>

 

Jean Leising (R) --age
49        Fmr State Sen/'94,'96
nominee

Diane Feeney (Libertarian) Computer
Programmer/Â'96 nominee

Outlook
Toss
Up


District Profile;
size=2>

Southeast Hill Country - New Albany

.

CD10
Incumbent	JULIA CARSON (D) -- age 60 Elected in 1996
Opponents	size=2> Gary Hofmeister (R) --age 57 Jewelry Store Owner/Pro-Life Activist Fred Peterson (Libertarian)
Outlook	Leans Demoocrat
District Profile;	size=2> Central - Indianapolis . 1996 House: D-53% R-45%