INDIANAPOLIS — Former U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel on Friday filed to run a fourth time for Congress in Southern Indiana’s 9th District.
If Sodrel wins the Republican nomination, it could set up a fourth consecutive race between him and Democratic U.S. Rep. Baron Hill.
Hill and Sodrel have faced off every two years in the congressional race since 2002, most recently in 2006. Sodrel was among three incumbent Republican congressmen defeated in Indiana that year.
“I’m sure some will try to characterize this as a grudge match,” Sodrel said. “The fact is, I would be running regardless of who’s on the other side of the ballot.”
Sodrel campaigned in 2002 as a Washington outsider protecting the interests of voters. But Hill held onto his seat that year by more than 9,400 votes.
In 2004, Sodrel rode a Republican wave with help from visits by President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Cabinet members, winning by fewer than 1,500 votes. With 49.5 percent of the vote, it was the smallest winning percentage in that year’s congressional races.
Sodrel, who announced in October that he would run again, noted that other incumbent Republicans also lost in 2006. He said some voters were upset with the war in Iraq or the president and others were unhappy with state politics. He said views have changed since then.
“I think the political climate is certainly different,” he said.
The state Democratic Party has criticized Sodrel as a sore loser who has twice been rejected by Hoosier voters.
Hill spokeswoman Katie Moreau said the filing was not a surprise but had no harsh words for Sodrel. Hill has not yet filed but will before the deadline, she said.
After Sodrel filed with the Secretary of State’s office in Indianapolis, he planned to go on a districtwide tour, stopping in Monroe, Brown, Bartholomew, Jackson, Floyd and Clark counties.
Hill, meanwhile, held a “congress at your corner” event at a Bloomington grocery store, where people could meet him or talk about issues.
“He’s very focused on serving the people of Southern Indiana,” Moreau said.
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