Indiana GOP Starts Website to Track Boycotting Democrats

Indiana Republicans have turned to the web to decry a month-long boycott by Democratic House members.

An Indiana Republican party spokesman says the new website highlights the fact that the more than 30 Democrats aren't just staying at an Urbana hotel. Pete Seat says the site is meant to emphasize how the legislators are spending their time.

"They have been sneaking across the border, coming back to Indiana on weekends or throughout the week," he said. "Some of them are campaigning for other elected offices - three of them are running for mayor in different cities around the state. Others are coming back for personal reasons. But none of them are going back to the statehouse to do the job they were elected to do."

Those mayoral candidates and Democratic House members are Ryan Dvorak of South Bend, Craig Fry of Mishawaka, and Dennis Tyler of Muncie.

The tracking website includes links to press reports about the Democrats, and Seat says Indiana residents have also reported to his party when seeing the absent lawmakers out in public. The boycotting Democrats contend they're away from the capitol to hold up legislation that would unfairly impact education and labor, including a controversial school voucher bill that would fund private education with public tax dollars.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has started a new TV ad running in the Indianapolis area attacking Gov. Mitch Daniels and fellow Republicans.