Lugar Includes Phony Residence in Primary Filing; Senior Senator Exposes Republicans to Loss of the Seat Should He be Re-Elected

With all the fuss raised about Senator Richard Lugar voting using someone else's house as his Indiana "residence," a house he sold 35 year, one would think that smarter legal minds would have prevailed in his camp and the Senator would have identified property he or a family member actually own as his Indiana residence.  Apparently Lugar's arrogance though overrode that legal advice.  In filing for May's primary yesterday, Senator Lugar identified as his "complete residence address" 3200 Highwoods Court, Indianapolis, Indiana 46222, a house he sold 35 years ago and is currently occupied by the Hughes family.

Sen. Richard Lugar

In a CNN interview, Lugar indicated he "maintained" a home in Indianapolis for "political purposes." Really? Does Lugar contribute to the mortgage at 3200 Highwoods Court?  Does Lugar mow the grass?  Does Lugar take out the garbage?

Actually Lugar hasn't stepped in the house for some 30 plus years.   Yet he claims to "maintain" the house, signing documents under oath that he resides at that address, including absentee voter applications and other documents.  Former Secretary of State Charlie White gets seven felonies filed against him for doing one time what Lugar does as a matter of course every time he votes.  White is exactly correct.  The voter fraud statutes do not get applied to popular people like Lugar and Evan Bayh.  The Senators get a pass even though what they're doing by voting someplace where they clearly do not live, violates the same laws White was convicted of violating.  The application of our criminal laws should not depend on whether a person is liked or not.  But in this state shamefully it does.

In the form, Lugar declares that "I am a registered voter of Precinct 006 of Wayne (or of Ward 29 of the City or Town of Indianapolis), County of Marion, State of Indiana."  That of course is 3200 Highwoods Court.  Hopefully someone will challenge his and his wife's absentee ballot when they are received at that precinct in May.

Most importantly, Lugar has now opened up the Republican Party to a challenge that could cause the GOP to lose the seat. The Senate is exclusive determiner of the qualifications of its members.  If Lugar wins the primary and goes on to win the general election, it is very possible the Democrats, particularly if they still have a majority in the Senate, will challenge Lugar's qualifications to represent Indiana.  One of the qualifications in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution is that a Senator be a resident of the state he or she is going to represent.  By arrogantly declaring 3200 Highwoods Court as his residence on a declaration of candidacy, a residence he clearly does not live at, Lugar has shut the door on claiming another, more appropriate address in Indiana as his residence.

Lugar's filing shows that he clearly believes he is above the law that others are required to follow.  For that alone, he does not deserve to be re-elected.