Rep. Mike Sodrel (R) Elected 2004, 1st term
Born:	Dec. 17, 1945, Louisville, KY
Home:	New Albany
Education:	Attended IN U. SE
Religion:	Christian
Marital Status:	married (Marquita)
Military Career:	Army Natl. Guard, 1966-73.
Professional Career:	Sodrel Truck Lines, Owner, 1987-2004; Sodrel Logistics, 2000-04.
DC Office	1508 LHOB20515, 202-225-5315; Fax: 202-226-6866; Web site: www.house.gov/sodrel
State Offices	Bloomington, 812-330-1543; Jasper, 812-482-9864; Jeffersonville, 812-288-3999; Seymour, 812-523-8050; Versailles, 812-689-7300.
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The southeastern corner of Indiana was a busy place when settlers rafted down the Ohio River in the early 19th century. They were mostly Southerners, "Butternuts," from across the river in Kentucky or over the mountains in Virginia, and they built the first large Indiana settlements. Today, you can see their work in the marvelous old buildings of Madison, now quiet but once one of the busiest ports on the Ohio River. Farther down the river is Corydon, from 1816-25 the state capital. The early 19th century buildings here have been well preserved because these towns were bypassed first by the railroads, then by U.S. routes and interstate highways, and they certainly are remote from major airports. The river remains an artery of commerce, but utilitarian barges have replaced steamers, except for riverboat casinos.

Butternut Indiana retained its affection for things Southern into the Civil War and beyond. Local politician Jesse Bright was expelled from the U.S. Senate in 1862 for "supporting the rebellion." To this day, the hills along the Ohio River typically vote Democratic, as do the Indiana suburbs of Louisville. But to the east, Indiana is now filling up with migrants from Cincinnati--a Yankee and German abolitionist bastion in Jesse Bright's time, an overwhelmingly Republican stronghold in ours--who are moving the southeast corner of Indiana away from its ancestral party.

The 9th Congressional District of Indiana is made up of most of the state's Ohio River counties. It includes tiny Milan, home to the championship high school of Hoosiers movie fame, and the Indiana University campus in the rolling hills of Democratic-leaning Bloomington. To the east is Batesville, home of the Batesville Casket Company, which makes the caskets used for U.S. military personnel who die in the line of duty. Most of the district is ancestrally Democratic and culturally conservative; much of it has recently been trending Republican, particularly in the suburbs of Cincinnati.

The congressman from the 9th District is Mike Sodrel, the only Republican in 2004 to defeat a Democratic incumbent who was not the victim of redistricting. Sodrel grew up in New Albany in a family that had been in the transport business since his great-grandfather traveled the Ohio River on a flatboat. He attended Indiana University Southeast, started a company called the Free Enterprise System in 1976, then purchased Sodrel Truck Lines from his family. In 2000, he added a third business, Sodrel Logistics. He was also a chairman of the Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce. In 2002, Sodrel ran against 9th District incumbent Democrat Baron Hill and fell short, 51%-46%. As a first-time candidate and without attracting much local or national attention, he spent $1 million of his own money on his campaign. He blamed his defeat in part on the national party's refusal to provide him with adequate support.

In 2003 he said he would not run again. But national Republicans said they would give him more support in a second race; he was on the tarmac when George W. Bush visited Indianapolis, and Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay, Tommy Thompson and Dennis Hastert were scheduled for Sodrel fundraisers. He campaigned in a semitrailer truck leased from his company with a loudspeaker blaring "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue." Ultimately the NRCC spent $1 million on this race. Sodrel opposed abortion and campaigned on the theme of "traditional moral values." He supported a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and criticized Hill for opposing it; Hill argued that the issue should be left to the states. He attacked Hill for opposing legislation to strip courts of their jurisdiction to review cases involving the Pledge of Allegiance and for his increasing support of the Democratic leadership. Sodrel backed the administration's tax cuts as a necessary economic stimulus. Hill, a member of the moderate Democratic Blue Dogs who had turned down a possible run for governor in 2004, favored limited tax cuts when the federal budget was in surplus; but he opposed Bush's subsequent tax cuts, saying that he wasn't "going to vote for tax cuts that aren't paid for." Hill cited his support for "pay as you go" budget rules, but Sodrel criticized him for withdrawing support for a balanced budget constitutional amendment. Sodrel supported tolls as a way to pay for a new Ohio River bridge near Louisville, one of the most expensive federal highway projects being planned; Hill staunchly opposed tolls.

Sodrel won 49.5%-49.0%, with a popular vote margin of 1,425. He ran about even in the Democratic-leaning counties that are part of the Louisville metro area; Hill won Bloomington's Monroe County 58%-39%. The Cincinnati suburban counties went for Sodrel, and he carried all but two of the more rural counties. Democrats demanded a recount in three counties, because voting machines of the type used there malfunctioned in a county outside the district; Republicans charged that votes were cast in Monroe County by voters to whom mail was returned as undeliverable. But the recounts changed little, and Hill conceded in early December. This is one district where the result can be attributed to George W. Bush's coattails: Bush ran ahead of his 2000 performance here and carried every county in the district except Monroe; he won 59%-40% districtwide. This in a district represented for 40 years by Democrats; Hill's predecessor, Lee Hamilton, was first elected in 1964 and rose to become chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee before his retirement in 1998. Hill said in May 2005 that he intended to seek a rematch in 2006. If Democrats want to regain a majority in the House, they need to retake districts like this one.

Committees

• Science (20th of 24 R): Energy; Research.
• Small Business (14th of 18 R): Regulatory Reform & Oversight; Rural Enterprises, Agriculture & Technology.
• Transportation & Infrastructure (32d of 41 R): Highways, Transit & Pipelines; Railroads.

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Mike Sodrel (R)	142,197	49%	$1,546,877
	Baron Hill (D)	140,772	49%	$1,634,699
	Other	4,541	2%
2004 primary	Mike Sodrel (R)	unopposed
2002 general	Baron Hill (D)	96,654	51%	$1,144,666
	Mike Sodrel (R)	87,169	46%	$1,626,646
	Other	5,134	3%

2004 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 171,926 (59%) Kerry (D) 117,647 (40%)

2000 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 142,694 (56%) Gore (D) 106,417 (42%)

For 1992 and 1996 presidential results in the Ninth District, please see the Almanac 2000 online. Please note that these older returns reflect district lines as they existed prior to 2002 redistricting.

• Cook Partisan Voting Index: R + 7
• District Size: 6,670 square miles
• Population in 2000: 675,599; 52.3% urban; 47.7% rural
• Median Household Income: $39,011; 10.5% are below the poverty line
• Occupation: 34.4% blue collar; 50.6% white collar; 15.0% gray collar; 13.0% military veterans
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 94.0% White, 2.3% Black, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Amer. Indian, 0.0% Hawaiian, 0.9% Two+ races, 0.1% Other, 1.5% Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 19.9% German, 12.2% USA, 8.7% Irish
• Click here for statewide demographic data.