House Majority PAC isn’t just out with a poll arguing that this race for this red southern Indiana congressional district is close, they’re actually putting their money where their mouth is and airing ads for Democrat Shelli Yoder.
We’ll start with their poll, which was conducted by Normington Petts. They give Republican Trey Hollingsworth just a 40-38 lead in Indiana’s 9th District; HMP did not include presidential numbers in their release. Two weeks ago, the DCCC dropped a poll showing Hollingsworth up 44-42, while Donald Trump led 50-43. Team Red never released contradictory numbers for that poll, and they have yet to respond to this one either.
Romney carried this seat by a wide 57-41 margin and even disastrous 2012 GOP Senate nominee Richard Mourdock narrowly took it while he was losing 50-44 statewide, so this is not friendly turf for Democrats. However, Hollingsworth only moved to Indiana from Tennessee last year just before he launched his campaign, and Yoder has raised enough money to exploit his weakness. And she’s getting some help from House Majority PAC, which launched a $650,000 ad buy on Wednesday.
Yoder has already been attacking Hollingsworth as a carpetbagger, and HMP continues the offensive. Right off the bat the narrator labels him “Tennessee Trey Hollingsworth,” and says that, “We know that dad’s money is trying to buy our congressional seat.” The spot goes on to accuse Hollingsworth’s company of getting Indiana taxpayer money while he was still living down south, and insists that he went to court to get out of paying Indiana property taxes.
Hollingsworth may have an unappealing background, but he won’t lack the resources to fight back. Hollingsworth is wealthy and as the ad alludes, his father set up a super PAC to help him win the primary. The group, Indiana Jobs Now, recently dropped $174,000 in media placement for the general election, though we haven’t seen their new ads. It won’t be easy for Yoder to win on turf this red, but House Majority PAC’s poll and actions show that they believe she has a real shot.