I am pleased to announce that my campaign has made several additions in the past few weeks to help bolster our efforts in the primary and the general election. As the media has widely reported, Indiana’s 8th congressional district is now up for grabs, with the Cook Political Report saying the race “Leans Republican” and the Howey Political Report calling the primary “Safe” for our campaign. We believe the additional staff will help continue this momentum to a victory on election day.

Justin Groenert joins me as campaign manager. Justin brings a wealth of political experience and expertise to the team. He has served as campaign manager to Ron Lewis’s successful re-election bid in Kentucky in 2006 and held numerous posts in Congressman Lewis’s staff, both in Kentucky and Washington, D.C. Justin was educated at Western Kentucky University and is an Evansville native, graduating from Reitz Memorial Memorial High School in 1999.

In addition, our campaign has hired a number of other consultants and staff.

Kurt Luidhardt’s Prosper Group has joined the campaign as web strategist. The Prosper Group is a modern communications firm which has worked with numerous campaigns throughout the state and country. Most recently, the Prosper Group was instrumental leading the web strategy for Scott Brown’s successful campaign for Senator in Massachusetts.

Erin Casey, the principal of Erin Casey Consulting, has partnered with Bucshon in fundraising efforts and event planning in the Washington, D.C. area. Erin has worked as the Director of Special Projects for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. During that time Erin also served as Finance Director of Battle Born Political Action Committee, raising over $1 Million for the cycle. In addition, Erin has held the post of Field Finance Director while at the NRCC. Erin brings a wealth of fundraising experience to the campaign.

Chris Faulkner of Faulkner Strategies joins the campaign to assist with marketing and political consulting. Chris is a nationally renowned direct mail vendor and, with the Prosper Group, was instrumental in the successful election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts. Chris is widely recognized as a national expert on grassroots mobilization and has been a speaker at numerous campaign training seminars and events.

Curt Smith, Director of Public Affairs & Policy Development at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, has also joined the campaign. Curt worked for the U.S. Congress for 15 years in a number of senior staff positions, including Press Secretary, State Director and Chief of Staff. He left Capitol Hill for his native Indiana to serve Hudson Institute, an internationally-acclaimed think tank, as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Patrick Lanne, a Partner at Public Opinion Strategies, will assist the campaign with polling and research and Sonny Scott of Rising Tide Media will assist with media efforts.

While we welcome all of these talented and experienced staff members to the campaign, we recognize that a campaign’s true strength rests with its army of volunteers and supporters. This election can only be won with the help and support of people like you. Consider volunteering or donating online today.

As has been widely reported in the media, Brad Ellsworth is likely to abandon his run for the House of Representatives in Indiana’s 8th congressional district. Today Trent Van Haaften confirmed his intention to seek the Democrat nomination in Ellsworth’s stead. In response to Van Haaften’s candidacy, Dr. Larry Bucshon issued the following statement today.

“As I have traveled around the 8th district meeting with people, I hear a consistent and clear message – we need new, fresh perspectives in Congress. As Evan Bayh noted this week, ‘Congress is not operating as it should…Even at a time of enormous national challenge, the people’s business is not getting done.’ Frankly, I could not agree more. Unfortunately Trent Van Haaften supports the same agenda of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi which Evan Bayh so aptly deplored. I believe people of the 8th district want a representative who will bring balance to Congress and stand up for our Hoosier values of limited and responsible government. I intend to provide it.”

Van Haaften’s decision to enter the race raises a number of concerns about his record as a state legislator.

• Van Haaften voted against a constitutional amendment to cap homeowner’s property taxes, yet he authored a bill (HR 1231) to allow individuals who own private planes to sidestep Indiana sales taxes. Van Haaften opposed tax caps for homeowners, but when private plane owners are disadvantaged, it’s Van Haaften to the rescue.
• Van Haaften opposed Major Moves, the primary vehicle which has allowed Southwestern Indiana to fund Interstate 69. The 8th district needs a strong voice in Congress to fight for federal support of I-69.
• Out of 150 members of the Indiana’s General Assembly, Van Haaften was second only to the Speaker of the House in the amount of gifts accepted from lobbyists and corporate interests.
• AT&T paid more than $1,600 for Van Haaften and his wife to attend the Indiana Inaugural Ball in Washington the night before Barack Obama was sworn in as president. Three days later, the wined and dined lawmaker introduced legislation to create a statewide mapping system for high-speed Internet access — a move hailed by AT&T executives as their top 2009 legislative priority. The company also paid for Van Haaften to attend a San Antonio golf tournament, throwing in a $350 pro shop gift card for extra measure.

Van Haaften’s political opportunism is not welcome in Indiana’s 8th congressional district, and Dr. Larry Bucshon welcomes 2010 as a referendum on this old way of doing business.

In response to Sen. Evan Bayh’s decision not to seek re-election this year, and news reports suggesting Brad Ellsworth may seek his open seat, Dr. Larry Bucshon issued the following statement today.

“Since announcing my intention to run for Congress in Indiana’s 8th congressional district, I have been focused on securing the Republican nomination. I believe people of the 8th district want a representative who will reliably stand up for our Hoosier values of limited and responsible government. Whether the Democrats’ nominee for the House is Brad Ellsworth or someone else, we cannot afford another candidate who supports the agenda of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi. We need a fresh start, and I intend to provide it.”

The Evansville Courier and Press printed a great article about the 8th District race over the weekend. We are doing to highlight some items below, but the full article is here.

But looking deeper inside the numbers in Federal Election Commission year-end reports, University of Evansville political scientist Robert L. Dion sees reasons for Bucshon to be hopeful.

“He’s raised a respectable amount of money at this point. I mean, $100,000 is nothing to sneeze at,” said Dion, noting that Bucshon became a candidate only four months ago. “You have to get on the radar screen of those donors in the PAC community and show yourself to be a serious, viable candidate. I think he’s met the threshold at this point.”

Also, Bucshon’s demonstrated ability to raise money locally — the majority of his money came from individuals in Evansville and Newburgh ZIP codes — could bode well for him, Dion said.

“If you can’t raise money locally, the national party’s not going to direct money to you from outside,” he said. “This moves (Bucshon) from a sure loser to somebody worth looking at.”

And this gem:

In all, 67 percent of the $464,679 Ellsworth raised in 2009 came from PACs.

2010 has been a busy year for Dr. Larry Bucshon as he’s traveled across the 8th district. Since his announcement to run for office just a few months ago, he’s already had the pleasure of visiting most of this district’s many great counties, but the campaign’s momentum is not letting up. The rest of February will remain busy with numerous appearances and speaking engagements.

On February 23rd Larry will attend the Warren County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner and the following day, on February 24th, he will serve as guest speaker at the Vanderburgh County Federation of Republican Women’s monthly meeting.

Larry will also be attending Lincoln Day dinners at Warrick County on February 16th, and Vigo County on February 25th. March will also be a busy month of appearances at Lincoln Day dinners in Vanderburgh (March 3), Gibson (March 18) and Vermillion (March 30) counties.

Many supporters have turned out to the campaign’s previous events to pick up bumper stickers, or just to meet Dr. Bucshon. He looks forward to the opportunity to meet and talk with people throughout the district. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet Larry, please consider attending one of these dinners, or any of the other numerous events Larry will be attending in the coming weeks.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has officially announced Larry Bucshon (IN-08) as an ‘On the Radar’ candidate, an important first step in its Young Guns program. Founded in the 2007-2008 election cycle by Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Young Guns program is a member-driven organization dedicated to electing open-seat and challenger candidates nationwide. Bucshon is running in Indiana’s 8th Congressional district against Democrat Brad Ellsworth.

The Young Guns program is designed to assist Republican candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives by focusing on goals and benchmarks throughout the election cycle that will help build the fundamentals of a winning campaign. By achieving ‘On the Radar’ status, Bucshon has already proven his ability to build a successful campaign structure and achieve important fundraising goals.

“The NRCC is committed to working with Larry Bucshon as he continues to meet the rigorous goals of the Young Guns program,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX). “Dr. Bucshon is an accomplished, independent leader who has already built significant momentum behind his campaign. I am confident that Republicans will be successful in our effort to defeat Brad Ellsworth, an out-of-touch politician who has become a rubber stamp for the unpopular Obama-Pelosi agenda.”

For over two decades Dr. Bucshon has worked to protect the lives of his patients and lead a successful medical practice. His entrance into public service is indicative of his life’s work: a desire to diagnose problems, and provide practical solutions. Since 2003 Larry has served as President of Ohio Valley HeartCare, the tri-state region’s most comprehensive cardiology and cardiovascular surgery practice. In addition to his role as President of OVHC, Bucshon serves as Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Medical Director of the open heart recovery intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Having already achieved certain benchmarks to place him on the road to victory, Bucshon now faces a new set of rigorous goals that will help him advance to the next level of the Young Guns program and help him build a competitive, effective, and winning campaign.