Balmer not running his own campaign

The race for State Senate in Northwest Indiana got a little ugly this week, with the Democrat attacking the Republican incumbent with a mailing. The mailing just happened to be filled with false information, so Mayor Jon Costas and GOP leaders stood up to support Ed Charbonneau and call the Democrats on the carpet for fabrications.

From the Post-Tribune:

Porter County GOP defends Charbonneau from ad attack

VALPARAISO -- Porter County Republicans rallied Thursday afternoon to defend state Sen. Ed Charbonneau after a recent political ad hit area mailboxes.

Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas, along with state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, spoke at the party headquarters to denounce Larry Balmer's ad.

"This is not merely a negative ad, it is an intentional distortion of the facts with the sole objective of smearing the reputation of a man who has been a symbol for ethics and good government in Northwest Indiana," Costas said.

Under "Ed Charbonneau's Resume," the mailing shows "Good Government Reform" crossed off and identifies him as a "Lake County Oil Lobbyist."

Charbonneau, who is on the ballot for the first time, formerly worked for U.S. Steel.

"Just because U.S. Steel owned Marathon Oil for a time does not justify this outrageous claim," Costas said.

The ad criticizes Charbonneau's involvement on the Good Government Initiative study, which was spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky, D-Merrillville.

"A Great Pretender -- Not a Great Reformer," the ad says.

Charbonneau, who is running for the 5th District seat, said he was informed about the ad on Tuesday when his next-door neighbor received it in the mailbox.

Although he understands that politics can be aggressive, the ads unfairly attack his integrity and credibility, he said.

"This is an uncomfortable, poignant time for me," he said.

Balmer said he was "not responsible for sending it out" and directed questions about some of the ad's statements to the state Democratic Party office in Indianapolis which produced it, he said.

Balmer, of Plymouth, said he knew about the mailings, however, he said he was assured by the party that the ads were "factually correct."

The state's Democratic Party could not be reached for comment Thursday.

So, Balmer isn't running his own campaign, doesn't know what they're mailing out or lying about, and the State Democrat Party was targetting our Senator for defeat. Sound like the best reason yet to vote for Ed Charbonneau. When the party carpet bags, they tend to mess things up in the local district.