This is about to
get real:
Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly will announce on Monday that he is seeking the Indiana Senate seat currently held by Sen. Richard Lugar.
Two Democrats with firsthand knowledge of Donnelly's plans told The Associated Press that the congressman is entering the race because he believes that Lugar will lose a Republican primary offering him a path to the Senate. Lugar is facing a strong challenge from his right, State Treasurer Richard Mourdock.
Donnelly's entry means that this will be a pretty serious race once Lugar gets teabagged to death. Redistricting helped nudge Donnelly in this direction, with state Republicans redrawing his district from one that gave 54% of its vote to Obama in 2008 to one that's reportedly a 49% Obama district. That math isn't lethal, but it does ensure that Donnelly will face a tougher fight in 2012 no matter which office he's gunning for.
This should be a pretty interesting race.
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