Choice to run may be foolish

Is this a smart move? Or is it one of the most boneheaded political decisions in recent memory?
That’s going to be up to the voters to decide in 2016, first in the Republican primary then in the November general election.
With Sen. Dan Coats (R-Indiana) announcing his retirement, the field of GOP candidates to succeed him is already taking shape.
It grew again on Saturday with an announcement that has some political observers in Northeast Indiana scratching their heads.
Marlin Stutzman, the congressman who represents Indiana’s Third District including Jay and Adams counties, announced plans to run for the Senate seat currently held by Coats.
On the one hand, Stutzman has proved tremendously popular with the most conservative elements in the Republican Party. He’s been willing to buck House Speaker John Boehner, and he’s a favorite of the very conservative Club for Growth. It’s also not the first time he has taken a shot at the Senate, running the first time in 2010 and losing to Coats in the GOP primary.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to imagine a safer seat in Congress than the one Stutzman now holds.
Indiana’s Third District is essentially a lock for any Republican candidate, and it’s ready-made for someone like Stutzman with a down-home, agricultural background.
From that perspective, a decision to give up a safe seat and jump into what could become a crowded and costly primary battle looks downright foolish.
Then again, political ambition has always been tough to figure. — J.R.