For the past year or so, Democrat Joe Donnelly - who is making his second challenge to GOP Rep. Chris Chocola in IN-02- has been overshadowed by the more high profile Democratic candidates in the state, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth (IN-08) and former Rep. Baron Hill (IN-09). Yet, with Election Day now just 83 days away, Donnelly is out from the shadows and in a significantly better position than he was just a year ago. The assets that Chocola has depended upon in the past, his fundraising advantage and a favorable political climate, aren't going to work for him this year.
It's easy to see why Donnelly has not generated the kind of attention given to his Hoosier colleagues. He does not have the significant political roots and attractive political profile of Ellsworth nor does he have the name ID and Washington contacts of former Rep. Hill. Donnelly's political experience is limited to his four year tenure on the school board of Mishawaka Marian High School. And, while Ellsworth and Hill have either been ahead of or at parity
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