INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth has portrayed himself as a friendly moderate who would work with both sides of the aisle in the U.S. Senate. But he's trailing in polls and fundraising, which has forced the cornered underdog to bare his teeth, though Republicans don't seem intimidated.
Ellsworth has attacked former GOP Sen. Dan Coats on everything from his voting record and work as a lobbyist to where he wants to retire and his football allegiance. Ellsworth, a former Vanderburgh County sheriff and two-term congressman, insists he is simply pointing out his opponent's flaws to voters.
"I don't feel bad about calling out the truth," Ellsworth said Monday after the candidates' final debate before Tuesday's election.
The Democrat's arguments don't appear to be resonating with voters, leaving Ellsworth with a double-digit disadvantage in polls and behind more than $2 million in fundraising. Although candidates often go on the attack when behind, doing so could tarnish Ellsworth's image as Mr. Nice Guy.
"It can be awkward," said James McCann, a political science professor at Purdue. "There's some potential for mixed messages there."
Ellsworth, a conservative Democrat, has gone after Coats for votes he cast on guns, immigration and trade when he served in the Senate and House for nearly 20 years. Ellsworth also has worked to tie Coats to various actions and clients of his former lobbying firms. Coats became a lobbyist in Washington after leaving the Senate in 1999.
Democrats are also going after Coats personally, criticizing a statement he made about wanting to retire in North Carolina, where he owns a home, and accusing him of supporting an NFL team outside Indianapolis.
"Congressman Ellsworth is running the risk of damaging his own reputation by running a personal smear campaign, which is what they've attempted to do with their television ads and the rhetoric they use," said Coats spokesman Pete Seat. "The campaign has shifted from desperate to sad."
Ellsworth and Coats are running to replace Democrat Sen. Evan Bayh, who unexpectedly said in February that he would not seek re-election because he wanted to "contribute to society" in another way.
When the Indianapolis Colts played the Washington Redskins recently, the Ellsworth campaign sent out an e-mail that said it would be no surprise if Coats wore burgundy and gold rather than Colts blue since he had lived in Virginia for years until renting a house this year in Indianapolis.
"We may make light of football allegiances, but the candidates' allegiance to Hoosiers is no laughing matter," campaign manager Cori Smith wrote in the e-mail to supporters before asking for contributions.
For the record, Seat said, Coats is a Colts fan.
This week, Democrats referenced footage from 2008, when Coats said he planned to move from Virginia to North Carolina after retiring. Ellsworth brought it up at Monday's debate, with Coats responding that the North Carolina home is near his wife's aging parents.
Analysts said Ellsworth's attacks aren't new or especially damaging in this year's GOP-friendly political climate. His arguments haven't gained much traction, and voters are unlikely to be swayed by them in the final few days before the election, said Brian Vargus, a political science professor at IUPUI.
"They're probably hitting the mute button," Vargus said.
The latest poll, taken from Oct. 19 to Oct. 21, showed Ellsworth with 35 percent of the vote, compared with 53 percent for Coats. The poll of 500 likely voters released by WISH-TV in Indianapolis had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Coats had more than eight times as much campaign cash available heading into the final weeks before the Nov. 2 election. The latest campaign finance reports show Coats had about $1 million on hand, while Ellsworth had about $119,000 as of the Oct. 13 filing deadline. In total, Coats raised $4.4 million during the election cycle compared to Ellsworth's $2.3 million.
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