Rusthoven Looks To Battle With Bayh
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Peter Rusthoven is facing two opponents in next year's Republican Primary for U.S. Senate, but with lots of money and support lined up, he's looking toward the ultimate opponent.
Former Gov. Evan Bayh will apparently be the Democrat choice to run for Senate as he attempts to regain the seat once held by his father, Birch Bayh.
But Rusthoven, a former White House counsel and speechwriter for former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, said he's up to the challenge and envisions a race that will capture plenty of national attention.
""I think it will be the highest profile U.S. Senate race in the country for several reasons... For many people in the Democrat Party, Evan Bayh is looked upon not as a senator, but as a future president of the United States..." Rusthoven said during an interview Thursday afternoon before speaking at the Kosciusko County Republican Hall of Fame dinner at Ramada
Inn in Warsaw.
Both parties will likely pump lots of money into the multi-million campaign and the press will surely bring up the history of the senate seat, once held by former Vice President Dan Quayle.
"And it tests a Clinton-like candidate versus a Reagan-like candidate, and that's an important part of the choice," said the 46-year-old Indianapolis attorney.
Rusthoven is casting himself as the best choice to replace Dan Coats, the popular conservative lawmaker who unexpectedly announced he would not seek re-election to another term. He urged voters Thursday not to send a candidate who will cancel out the vote of Richard Lugar, Indiana's senior senator, or support somebody who will toe the line with the Clinton administration.
If the primary were held today, Rusthoven would face a challenge from fellow Republicans Fort Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke and Indianapolis attorney John Price.
But Rusthoven apparently has sizeable leads in money ($100,000 as of June) and a lengthy list of party members in Indiana who have already aligned themselves with the Rusthoven campaign.
He and other Republicans want to avoid an expensive and divisive primary like the gubernatorial race in Indiana last year.
"I hope we get united all the way as quickly as possible," Rusthoven said.
"We have no choice of winning if our party is not absolutely united," he said.
Rusthoven has an intriguing background.
The Harvard graduate caught the attention of Reagan when Rusthoven prepared a speech in 1980, much of which was used in his acceptance address in Detroit at the Republican convention. He was soon hired by the president as a White House counsel and wrote several speeches after Reagan retired from office.
He worked for Lugar as a teenager, but was especially enamored with Reagan.
Aside from having a firm grasp on basic American values, Reagan "had the capacity to inspire. He had the capacity to remind us of the best in ourselves," Rusthoven said.
On issues, Rusthoven advocates a flat tax and smaller government and said he will defend welfare reform efforts established last year.
He said his campaign will not stoop to the level used in past campaigns that tends to turn off voters.
"We are not going to run TV ads with grainy photos of Evan Bayh with a voice of doom announcer and trailing across the screen quotes from 15 years ago taken out of context," he said.
The dinner, which included about 75 guests, included the induction of two more Republicans into the hall of fame.
Nominees this year included a long-time elected official and a behind-the-scenes worker: former county commissioner Maury Beer and party worker and county employee Marlene Weller.
An added surprise for the evening came before dinner, when Marilyn Quayle spoke briefly to the crowd.
Quayle made a political call to arms for 2000 when her husband, Dan, is expected to make a run for the presidency. [[In-content Ad]]
Peter Rusthoven is facing two opponents in next year's Republican Primary for U.S. Senate, but with lots of money and support lined up, he's looking toward the ultimate opponent.
Former Gov. Evan Bayh will apparently be the Democrat choice to run for Senate as he attempts to regain the seat once held by his father, Birch Bayh.
But Rusthoven, a former White House counsel and speechwriter for former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, said he's up to the challenge and envisions a race that will capture plenty of national attention.
""I think it will be the highest profile U.S. Senate race in the country for several reasons... For many people in the Democrat Party, Evan Bayh is looked upon not as a senator, but as a future president of the United States..." Rusthoven said during an interview Thursday afternoon before speaking at the Kosciusko County Republican Hall of Fame dinner at Ramada
Inn in Warsaw.
Both parties will likely pump lots of money into the multi-million campaign and the press will surely bring up the history of the senate seat, once held by former Vice President Dan Quayle.
"And it tests a Clinton-like candidate versus a Reagan-like candidate, and that's an important part of the choice," said the 46-year-old Indianapolis attorney.
Rusthoven is casting himself as the best choice to replace Dan Coats, the popular conservative lawmaker who unexpectedly announced he would not seek re-election to another term. He urged voters Thursday not to send a candidate who will cancel out the vote of Richard Lugar, Indiana's senior senator, or support somebody who will toe the line with the Clinton administration.
If the primary were held today, Rusthoven would face a challenge from fellow Republicans Fort Wayne Mayor Paul Helmke and Indianapolis attorney John Price.
But Rusthoven apparently has sizeable leads in money ($100,000 as of June) and a lengthy list of party members in Indiana who have already aligned themselves with the Rusthoven campaign.
He and other Republicans want to avoid an expensive and divisive primary like the gubernatorial race in Indiana last year.
"I hope we get united all the way as quickly as possible," Rusthoven said.
"We have no choice of winning if our party is not absolutely united," he said.
Rusthoven has an intriguing background.
The Harvard graduate caught the attention of Reagan when Rusthoven prepared a speech in 1980, much of which was used in his acceptance address in Detroit at the Republican convention. He was soon hired by the president as a White House counsel and wrote several speeches after Reagan retired from office.
He worked for Lugar as a teenager, but was especially enamored with Reagan.
Aside from having a firm grasp on basic American values, Reagan "had the capacity to inspire. He had the capacity to remind us of the best in ourselves," Rusthoven said.
On issues, Rusthoven advocates a flat tax and smaller government and said he will defend welfare reform efforts established last year.
He said his campaign will not stoop to the level used in past campaigns that tends to turn off voters.
"We are not going to run TV ads with grainy photos of Evan Bayh with a voice of doom announcer and trailing across the screen quotes from 15 years ago taken out of context," he said.
The dinner, which included about 75 guests, included the induction of two more Republicans into the hall of fame.
Nominees this year included a long-time elected official and a behind-the-scenes worker: former county commissioner Maury Beer and party worker and county employee Marlene Weller.
An added surprise for the evening came before dinner, when Marilyn Quayle spoke briefly to the crowd.
Quayle made a political call to arms for 2000 when her husband, Dan, is expected to make a run for the presidency. [[In-content Ad]]