Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) is in a serious dogfight, leading his Republican primary challenger by just six points — according to two separate polls, commissioned by two very different anti-Lugar sources.
According to a Global Strategy Group (D) poll, commissioned by presumptive Democratic nominee Rep. Joe Donnelly, Lugar has 45% support to state Treasurer Richard Mourdock’s 39% in the primary. The poll of likely Republican primary voters was conducted from March 12-15.
Meanwhile, Politico reports on a Wenzel Strategies (R) poll, commissioned by the conservative group Citizens United, conducted from March 14-16. The result: Lugar 45%, Mourdock 39%.
The Republican primary will be held on May 8.
Lugar was first elected to the Senate way back in 1976, after having previously served as Mayor of Indianapolis, and after having run one unsuccessful Senate race in the Democratic wave year of 1974. He then defeated another Dem incumbent in 1976 by a landslide margin. He won a 54%-46% re-election in 1982, and in the 30 years since then he has never received less than 66% of the vote — indeed, in his last race in 2006, he didn’t have any Democratic opponent at all, wining by 87%-13% against a Libertarian candidate.
This year, though, Mourdock is seeking to harness Tea Party ire at established, relatively moderate Republicans like Lugar.
Lugar has also had to deal with challenges to his state residency: He lives mainly in northern Virginia, and has not owned a home in Indiana itself since 1977, the year after he was first elected to the Senate.
In late February, the state Election Commission voted 4-0 to reject a challenge to his legal residency, which was lodged by a small group of conservative activists, thus upholding his place on the ballot. However, last week the local elections board in Marion County (Indianapolis) voted 2-1 on party lines, to disqualify Lugar’s voter registration. The Lugar campaign has been reviewing the process to challenge that decision.
Lugar’s campaign has cited the Indiana constitution, and the opinions of current and past state attorneys general, to show that Lugar did not legally lose his residency when he left for Washington to serve the state as its senator decades ago. However, they have also struggled with the appropriate public messaging — such as comparing his legal status to that of military service.
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