INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Dick Lugar announces the recent endorsement of Sullivan County GOP Chair Bill Springer. On Saturday, October 15, Lugar addressed the Sullivan County GOP at its annual Fall Pachyderm Dinner. At the conclusion of the dinner, Springer, who initially supported the campaign of Treasurer Richard Mourdock, announced his endorsement of Lugar.
"Tonight, I'm going to withdraw my support for Richard Mourdock for Senate," said Springer. "Tonight, I'm going to go back to where I belong with Senator Lugar."
Springer also recalled Lugar's assistance in making the Chaney Street railroad crossing safer which has resulted in additional jobs at a nearby business and has saved lives.
"Senator Lugar got the money for that crossing. To my knowledge it has been 15 years, and not one person that I know of has been killed at the crossing since. Senator Lugar got that crossing fixed, and the factory by the crossing has hired hundreds more people because the crossing has been fixed."
"There are significant challenges facing our country and we must succeed as a nation apart from a campaign," said Lugar. "I'm excited about meeting those challenges, and I am thankful for the support of Chairman Springer as I advocate for specific plans to create jobs and cut federal spending."
Lugar was introduced as the keynote speaker by Rep. Bruce Borders, former Mayor of Jasonville.
"When I first ran for Mayor of Jasonville, I was told that Jasonville was not winnable for a Republican as a Republican had not been elected in 48 years. I remember that Senator Lugar reached out and offered to do a radio ad and a newspaper ad. I still have those ads at home in a scrapbook. I won that race by 8 votes the first time and over 70% the second time. Had I not been Mayor, I would not have become a State Rep. later in John Gregg's old district. Senator Lugar had a hand in making all of that possible," said Borders.
Notable GOP in attendance included District Chair Pam Yoho, District Vice Chair Randy Gentry and Sullivan Mayoral candidate Ron Stanley.
"During my years in local politics, I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with Senator Lugar and his staff on several occasions. His untiring efforts have benefited not only Sullivan County and the City of Sullivan, but countless other municipalities. I support Dick Lugar, and I believe that we as residents of Indiana need to re-elect Dick Lugar as our U.S. Senator," said Stanley, joining a coalition of mayoral candidates and a majority of current Republican Mayors across Indiana who support Lugar's 2012 campaign.
Lugar spoke about his Jobs Plan, Farm Bill and Energy Plan. His Farm Bill would eliminate outdated subsidies and close government loopholes - cutting government spending by $40 billion. The Lugar Practical Energy Plan would earn up to $170 billion through 2030 by increasing production of domestic oil; save the government $1.8 billion annually through reduced energy costs; cut our trade deficit by more than $215 billion annually; and save consumers $33 billion annually.
Lugar also shared his support of the FairTax which would eliminate the income tax and abolish the IRS. Lugar first called for a version of the FairTax sixteen years ago when he ran for the Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States. At the time, there were no Senators then supporting the idea and only a couple of House members.
The Lugar campaign recently announced $842,000 raised in the third quarter of 2011, which represents 1,612 gifts from 1,483 financial supporters. 84 percent of contributors are from Indiana, and the campaign has more than $3.8 million cash on hand. In addition, Lugar volunteers have already made more than a quarter of a million phone calls to Indiana voters as part of an aggressive voter identification program.
SOURCE Friends of Dick Lugar