Tamyra D’Ippolito : “Politics in Indiana is the old boy’s school.”

By: David Dayen
http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/02/15/tamyra-dippolito-politics-in-indiana-is-the-old-boys-school/

I just spoke with Tamyra D’Ippolito, the candidate who was already running in the US Senate primary as a Democrat in Indiana before Evan Bayh ended his re-election bid today. D’Ippolito’s potential presence on the primary ballot complicates the ability for Indiana Democrats to handpick a nominee. If nobody qualifies for the primary, Indiana Dems can choose the candidate. But if D’Ippolito qualifies, then she would be the only candidate on that primary ballot, and Brad Ellsworth or Baron Hill or whoever would have to run a write-in campaign to defeat her in that primary in May.

So how’s D’Ippolito doing? She’s collected 3,500 of the 4,500 signatures, 500 in each Congressional district in Indiana, which are needed by noon tomorrow in order to qualify. D’Ippolito said that she’s particularly short in IN-08, in the Terre Haute/Evansville area of the district. Her campaign manager has contacted all of the heads of the county Democratic parties asking them if they would help her get on the ballot.

But she’s not getting the sense that they want to be helpful in that effort. “Politics in Indiana is the old boy’s school. They’re getting ready to put one of their own in,” D’Ippolito, a cafe owner in Bloomington who gained experience in politics running a primary campaign for Gretchen Clearwater in 2006. “My gut feeling tells me they’re meeting in a room, I don’t know if they’re smoking cigars,” D’Ippolito said, basically working under the assumption that Bayh’s announcement was timed so the state party could pick the nominee by themselves. “The timing of this is amazing.”

D’Ippolito told me she is the first woman to ever run for the US Senate in Indiana. Her impression from working on prior campaigns and from this one is that Indiana political culture is a “tight old boys school, it borders on sexism.” In a state where the population is 52% women, D’Ippolito says “in the future, we women of Indiana are not going to tolerate” the chummy, insider culture.


http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/29850

Another Indy Dem Already In
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/another-dem-already-in-race-for-bayhs-seat----but-doesnt-have-the-needed-signatures-yet.php

http://tamyraforsenate.com/

Do fill in.

as far as I can find. Will update if I can find more

No political experience as a candidate.

Please not her. That would be like Lincoln bringing back George McClellan as commanding general.

She has won at least as many elections as she has lost.

She is unlikely to be the pick for this seat.