An incumbent is challenged (04/13/06)

It’s easy to read too much into primary election races. But when a district is safely in the hands of one party, those contests can be fun to watch.

Few match-ups this year are as intriguing as the GOP state senate race between incumbent Allen Paul and his Wayne County challenger Bruce Wissel.

Early on, it looked as if the primary challenge was going to be a referendum on Paul’s tenure in office. He’s been in the Indiana Senate for a long time, and it’s clear that some in the party wanted a change.

Wissel, a Richmond councilman, started campaigning for the job about a year ago and has worked hard, showing up at countless parades and public gatherings.

But the last session of the Indiana General Assembly may have changed the equation.

Paul, always a bit of a maverick, defected from the Republican majority on Major Moves, the governor’s plan to lease the Indiana Toll Road to jump-start highway construction.

When he voted against it, Paul said it wasn’t a vote against the administration, though it’s sure to have been perceived that way in the governor’s office.

Instead, Paul said he had qualms with the 75-year lease and was responding to concerns on the part of his constituents.

By taking that stance, he effectively re-cast the primary contest from a referendum on Allen Paul to a referendum within the Republican party on Major Moves.

It’s clear that the party’s power-brokers were in favor of the toll road lease, but it’s much less clear how rank-and-file GOP voters felt about the subject.

May’s election could provide some answers. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]