Chapter Endorses Candidates for Federal, State, Local Offices Like it or not, the fate of so many environmental issues rests in the hands of our elected representatives. We lobby, we write letters, we even write bills on occasion, and we let our voices be heard. But in the end it comes down to how the representatives vote. Because of this, it’s very important that we put significant effort into getting representatives elected who really represent our interest in a clean, safe, and natural environment. In pursuit of this goal, the Hoosier Chapter has evaluated some key races for the November election and made endorsements for our favorite candidates. Please support these candidates, get registered, and then vote! What Does a Sierra Club Endorsement Mean?The Sierra Club has a careful and thorough endorsement process. Endorsements for president and vice-president are handled by the national political committee. Statewide races are handled by the Hoosier Chapter, along with races in areas not represented by a group. Otherwise, endorsements are ideally initiated by the groups representing a candidate’s district. Here is the selection process that is followed. Usually, close and key races—races where our resources are most effective—are identified by the club, chapter, and group political committees. Then the candidates are invited to fill out a questionnaire that inquires about their voting record on environmental issues if not already known, their prior involvement with environmental issues, and their beliefs and priorities for specific environmental issues that are appropriate to the office. The questions are developed by the national and chapter political committee in conjunction with the legislative committee and conservation committee. The questionnaire process usually coincides with research on the candidate’s past environmental record done by members of the political committee. Next, the political committee often personally interviews the candidates. After all this, the political committee votes to recommend a candidate to the chapter executive committee, which has the final vote on the state races. Because of the need to focus resources, it’s possible that not all of the good candidates in local races got endorsed. Still, a lot of effort was focused on evaluating this year’s federal representative candidates and state representative candidates. Get out and volunteer for these people, vote for them, call their office, and ask how you can help! Who We Endorsed
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| Mail: | Visclosky for Congress Committee P.O. Box 10003 Merrillville, IN 46411 |
| Campaign phone: | (219) 736-2100 |
| Web site: | www.viscloskyforcongress.com |
Congressional District 2
Jill Long Thompson
Help elect Jill Long Thompson by contacting her campaign at
| Mail: | Jill Long Thompson Committee P.O. Box 153 South Bend, IN 46624 |
| Campaign phone: | (574) 287-1547 |
| Campaign fax | (574) 287-1630 |
| Web site: | www.jilllongthompson.com |
| E-Mail: | jill@jilllongthompson.com |
Congressional District 7
Congresswoman Julia Carson
Help re-elect Julia Carson by contacting her campaign at
| Mail: | Julia Carson for Congressbr 1 N. Capitol Ave. Suite 211 Indianapolis, IN 46204 |
| Campaign phone: | (317) 231-6700 |
| Campaign fax: | (317) 231-6702 |
| Web site: | www.juliacarson.org |
| E-mail: | julia@juliacarson.org |
Indiana State Senate
- District 6
Sen. Sue Landske (R-Cedar Lake)
Counties: Lake, Newton, Jasper - District 11
Sen. Joe Zakas (R-Granger)
Counties: Elkhart, St. Joseph - District 25
Sen. Tim Lanane (D-Anderson)
To contact the Senate Democratic candidates, contact Meagen Peden at (317) 231-7100 or mpeden@indems.org
To contact the House Republican candidates, contact the Indiana State Republican Party, 47 S. Meridian St., 2nd Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46204. (317) 635-7561.
Indiana State House
- District 4
Rep. Ralph Ayres (R-Chesterton)
Rep. Ayres is a member of the House Ways and Means committee.
Counties: Jasper, Lake, Porter. - District 69
Rep. Markt Lytle (D-Madison)
Rep. Lytle is the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and a member of the House Ways and Means committee. - District 75
Rep. Dennis Avery (D-Evansville)
Rep. Avery is a member of the House Environmental Affairs Committee and House Ways and Means committee. - District 76
Rep. Jonathan Weinzapfel (D-Evansville)
Rep. Weinzapfel is the chairman of the House Environmental Affairs committee.
To contact the House Democratic candidates, contact Joel Miller at (317) 231-7100 or jmiller@indems.org
To contact the House Republican candidates, contact the Indiana State Republican Party, 47 S. Meridian St., 2nd Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46204. (317) 635-7561.
Monroe County Council
District 2
Bill Hayden (D-Bloomington)
Bill is a member of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter executive committee and is a past chapter chair. Bill has a long history of volunteering with the Sierra Club. His campaign slogan is the appropriate “Better! Not Bigger!”
Help elect Bill Hayden by contacting his campaign at
| Mail: | Bill Hayden for Council 1010 S. Dunn St. Bloomington, IN 47401 |
| Phone: | (812)-332-3073 |
| E-mail: | haydenb@bloomington.in.us |
| Web site: | www.bloomington.in.us/~haydenb/ |
Copyright © 2007 Hoosier Chapter Sierra Club, all rights reserved.[09/11/02]efp
