Indy Star

NOBLESVILLE — Hamilton County businessman Brose McVey has announced he will challenge incumbent Rep. Dan Burton for the Republican nomination for Indiana’s 5th District Congressional seat in next year’s election.

Standing on the lawn of the Hamilton County Courthouse, McVey said he plans to highlight his own vision for the nation — particularly the economy — rather than focus on Burton.

“People are scared and they are angry,” McVey said at his announcement. “They are scared about an economy over which they have little control. They are angry because their leaders and our institutions keep letting them down.”

McVey has opposed the bailout packages approved by Congress, he said, but added that he believes the GOP needs to more aggressively lay out its own vision for national renewal.

“We have to be the party of ideas again,” McVey said, pledging to connect with everyday Americans such as “the union autoworker and single mother trying to succeed in a 21st century economy.”

Without naming Burton, McVey expressed doubt that longtime entrenched incumbents can revive the GOP’s resonance with such voters.

“People want to know that somebody gets it,” he said in an interview at a downtown Noblesville café before his announcement. “It’s hard to get it if you’ve been stuck in Washington 30 years.”

Burton said Wednesday that his experience is a positive attribute.

“Our nation and the Fifth Congressional District need a strong voice in Congress to address the current economic challenges,” Burton said through a spokesman. “My constituents have continued to ask me to fight the excessive government spending that has led to AIG and possibly others to misuse our tax dollars in a time when our resources need to be directed to creating new jobs.”
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Several other Republicans reportedly are considering challenging Burton, a 14-term incumbent, including former state Rep. Luke Messer of Shelbyville.

Bill McCleery
http://www.indystar.com/article/20090319/NEWS05/903190475/1304/LOCAL

March 19, 2009