The campaign of sinking GOP Rep. John Hostettler has thus far been getting stranger by the day -- and now he may have just lobbed his most lurid charge of all: He warned the other day that electing Dems could bring another 9/11. Today's Evansville Courier Press reports that Hostettler made the claim at a rally of conservative faithful on Nov. 1. The Congressman told the crowd that a Dem takeover of the House would lead to amnesty for illegal immigrants. Then he added: "Some would move about our country freely in order to be here when they got that order from abroad to do us ill in the United States of America just like those did on Sept. 11, 2001." In other words, a vote for Dems may be a vote for another 9/11.

Desperation in Indiana:

This full page ad ran yesterday in the Terre Haute Tribune-Star, paid for by the campaign of GOP Rep. John Hostettler. You may recall that Hostettler recently ran a radio ad saying that a vote for Dem challenger Brad Ellsworth is a vote to "advance the homosexual agenda." Polls show Ellsworth trouncing Hostettler by as many as 23 points.

This is a good one. GOP Rep. John Hostettler, who's floundering in the polls against Dem Brad Ellsworth, has just launched a radio ad claming Dems are plotting to advance the "homosexual agenda." As music sounding like something out of a Clint Eastwood movie soundtrack plays in the background, a narrator who's meant to be spoofing Dirty Harry intones about what will happen if Dems take the House. "Speaker Pelosi will then put in motion her radical plan to advance the homosexual agenda, led by Barney Frank, reprimanded by the House after paying for sex with a man who ran a gay brothel out of Congressman Frank's home," the narrator says. "I know what you're thinking. Is this true? Well, do you feel lucky? Go ahead, vote for Brad Ellsworth. Make Nancy Pelosi's day." Listen to the ad here.

Outside groups, including both national parties and special interests, are spending almost $1 million more in Indiana's three competitive House races than the actual candidates. An examination of FEC filings by the Indianapolis Star reveals that the most independent expenditures are in the 8th District, where GOP Rep. John Hostettler is struggling to maintain his seat against Dem Brad Ellsworth. Democratic groups have spent $2.6 million in the district compared to $1.9 million by Republicans. Liberal groups are also outspending conservatives in the 2nd District race between GOP Rep. Chris Chocola and Dem Joe Donnelly. In contrast, GOP backers are dominating the 9th District battle between Republican Mike Sodrel and Dem Baron Hill. All three races are in the top 15 of the National Journal's rankings for likely seat changes this year.

GOP Rep. John Hostettler appears to be in serious trouble. A new poll released today by the Evansville Courier Press finds that Dem challenger Brad Ellsworth has widened his lead to 23 points, 55%-32%. Ellsworth has held a lead in recent polls, but nothing as yet has been comparable to today's spread. Interesting footnote: The Courier Press notes that the NRCC's main attack of late has moved away from a focus on Ellsworth's record and instead has spotlighted the fact that a vote for Ellsworth is a vote for future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It doesn't appear to be working in this district.

Ouch...a poll released over the weekend by the Evansville Courier & Press brought a bundle of bad news for struggling GOP Rep. John Hostettler, as he trailed Dem opponent Brad Ellsworth on every single issue polled. On 20 issues, including traditional Republican strengths like abortion and terrorism, respondents preferred Ellsworth to the incumbent by significant margins. Those polled preferred Ellsworth 42% to 35% on abortion and 46% to 32% on terrorism. The poll was conducted by Indiana State University. Full results can be found here and here.

Buried in a long Washington Post article profiling GOP Rep. John Hostettler, there's a line which shows that the Hostettler campaign is doing reams of "opposition research" -- a.k.a. dirt-digging -- on Dem challenger Brad Ellsworth's 19-year-old daughter:

A visit to the Republican's office highlights how he has kept a distinctly Hoosier profile even after a dozen years in Washington. Pictures of the congressman and a framed copy of the Evansville Courier & Press trumpeting his 1994 primary victory dot the walls. The other employees, Hammonds said, are two "data-entry ladies" and Stan Barringer, the opposition-research director. Barringer has been busy. Several binders that sit on a shelf in the office carry printed labels such as "budget," "China" and "anti-Christian." There is even a binder labeled with the name of Ellsworth's daughter. The sheriff's 19-year-old stumbled into controversy last year when she was shown in photographs drinking beer.

Lovely. Recall that only a few days after Ellsworth announced his candidacy, pictures popped up on the web site of a Hostettler supporter showing Ellsworth's daughter drinking. The Hostettler campaign denied all involvement. Still -- you can't help but wonder whether those pictures are in that binder, can you?

A new poll just in from Constituent Dynamics shows Dems with sizeable leads over Republicans in three top House races in Indiana:

Don't miss this new ad that the National Republican Congressional Committee is running against Brad Ellsworth, the Dem challenger to GOP Rep. John Hostettler. It somehow crams just about every single current GOP talking point into 30-seconds -- it slams Dems for wanting to hike taxes for "their bigger government," says Dems "believe wiretapping of terrorist communications violates civil liberties" (which is false -- most Dems oppose warrantless wiretapping), touches on immigration, and of course evokes the specter of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, concluding: "Their agenda is just too risky." A masterpiece of compression, really. Watch it here.

The National GOP leadership is dumping huge amounts of pork into a handful of Indiana districts in an effort to help save the seats of embattled GOP Reps Chris Chocola, John Hostettler, and Mike Sodrel. Combined, the three Congressmen’s districts have been greased with a staggering $24.57 million out of the $36.16 million in earmarks Indiana received in several recent House bills -- two-thirds of all the state's pork. The idea is to give Count Chocola and company something -- anything -- to run on. As Scott Frisch, the author of “The Politics of Pork," told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: "Tangible things like roads and water projects are things you can actually point at and say to your constituents, ‘I brought you things. I have power in Washington.'" For now, anyway.

Earlier today we reported that a grieving father is furious with the National Republican Congressional Committee for putting his murdered daughter in a political ad attacking Dem candidate Brad Ellsworth -- who's challenging GOP Rep. John Hostettler -- as soft on crime. Now a video of local news WFIE-TV interviewing the angry father -- and showing a bit of the ad -- has landed in our in-box. The callousness of the NRCC -- which is totally unrepentant about the fact that they're exacerbating the grief of a bereft parent -- just defies belief. Don't miss it.

The father of a murdered young girl is furious with GOP Rep. John Hostettler and national Republicans for using his daughter in a TV attack ad which paints Hostettler's Dem opponent, local sherriff Brad Ellsworth, as soft on crime. The father, Jimmy Jenkins of Evansville, Indiana, says: "I've got politicians using this for political gain, which upsets me every time I hear it." Though the ad's since been pulled, an NRCC rep was completely unrepentant, saying: "The ad spoke for itself." More details here.

Incumbent GOP Rep. John Hostettler (R), who's facing a stiff challenge from Vanderburgh County sherriff Brad Ellsworth (D), has released a new radio ad sliming the Dem as soft on crime. How? Hostettler is accusing Ellsworth of releasing a prison inmate who then killed a mom of three and two of her friends. (Sound familiar? See Horton, Willie.)

There's only one problem. Ellsworth didn't have anything to do with the release at all. The inmate was released by a judge. But that little detail didn't stop Hostettler. Read the full transcript of the ad after the jump.

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An unknown political group calling itself "Hoosiers for Truth" has started running automated telephone calls against Rep. John Hostettler (R) that accuse the six-term member of Congress of wanting gun rights for child molesters -- a charge Hostettler vigorously denies and appears to be false.

Hostettler “has voted against making it a crime to sell guns to convicted sex offenders - including child rapists,” a male caller says. Democratic opponent Vanderburgh County sheriff Brad Ellsworth denies his campaign is behind the calls and strongly condemned the tactic.

Ellsworth himself has been targeted by similarly lurid charges -- not from an anonymous group, but from the National Republican Congressional Committee. In June the NRCC charged that Ellsworth was in Washington when his office accidentally released an accused child rapist. The NRCC followed up with an attack ad, but the accused rapist was later caught and the controversy appeared to blow over.

When Rep. Tom DeLay (R) appeared on Fox News’ Hannity and Colmes Monday he did a rather bad job at defending his fellow Republican congressmen running for office. In fact, he appears to have confused the Democrat and Republican candidates in an Indiana race.

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On Friday, the Evansville Courier & Press reported that Rep. John Hostettler (R) and his challenger Vanderburgh County sheriff Brad Ellsworth’s (D) television advertisements are factually misleading.

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Congressional candidate and Vanderburgh County sheriff Brad Ellsworth’s (D) month long nemesis, accused child molester Matthew Long, is finally behind bars in Ohio.

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