Indiana is a national battleground in 2006, with no fewer than 3 hotly contested Congressional (IN-02, Chocola (R) v. Donnelly (D); IN-08, Hostettler (R) v. Ellsworth (D); IN-09, Sodrel (R) v. Hill (D)) seats, the Indiana House (now 52-48) on the verge of Democratic takeover, a contentious Marion County Prosecuter's race with mayoral implications, as well as a few endangered incumbents in the heavily Republican Indiana Senate (ask Bob Garton).
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"Kokomo kid's the go-to guy for political junkies"
by Mike Leonard
H-T columnist
It might surprise some people that one of the best and most viewed Internet sites on Indiana politics is run by a 17-year-old high school student from the Kokomo suburbs if they didn't already know the name Ryan Nees.
In February, Nees, then a sophomore at Western High School, sued the city of Kokomo and won after Mayor Matt McKillip refused to turn over a municipal e-mail list that that Nees suspected was also being used for campaign mailings and other nongovernmental purposes.
Newspapers called Nees' dogged pursuit of his complaint a "major legal victory" and "a heroic effort for public access," and USA Today picked up on the story as well.
In August, the Society of Professional Journalists honored Nees and two professional journalists from Salt Lake City with their prestigious Sunshine Awards for "important contributions in the area of open government."
"That was certainly an honor to come from an organization for which I have a great deal of respect," Nees said last week from his Howard County home.
Interested in politics since the fifth grade and politically involved since age 13, the high school junior has been primarily involved with partisan politics and support for the Democratic Party. His indianaonmessage.com Web site attempts to be a nonpartisan site for commentary, poll data, spending and, perhaps most interesting, the viewing of television campaign ads. He has more than 100 ads archived and through various means manages to update his site frequently with the latest salvos from Democrats and Republicans.
"I spend an inordinate amount of time on it," he said with a chuckle. "At least 2-3 hours a day. You have to keep it fresh, so it takes time."
The word on the Web site is getting out, at least to political junkies. "It's a niche market, really," Nees said. "Campaign managers, journalists, lobbyists, lawyers. And fellow political junkies."
The site hit its highest daily peak last Wednesday with 700 views. Nees said he's been averaging 15,000-18,000 hits a month - a surprising total, really, considering that he doesn't advertise, and he manages to operate the site and run his own Web design business while maintaining an A average in his high school classes.
He's not especially outraged by the negative tone taken by Democrats and Republicans in the 2006 campaigns. "I don't see it as particularly worse than 2000 or 2004," he said. "But I certainly think it's dispiriting when there are ads that are clearly misleading and manipulative. Ultimately, though, it's democracy at work, and hopefully, at the end of the day, the truth comes through and people can make good decisions."
In Indiana's hotly contested congressional races, Nees sees Democrat Brad Ellsworth beating incumbent John Hostettler in the 8th District, challenger Joe Donnelly ousting Republican incumbent Chris Chocola in the 2nd, and the 9th District race between Republican Rep. Mike Sodrel and former Rep. Baron Hill as too close to call.
"The interesting dynamic has been how the 2nd District has overtaken the 9th in importance. Joe Donnelly has out-raised Baron Hill, and in the national Democrats' eyes, Donnelly has pushed Hill aside. Polls show him up 12 points on Chocola, and I don't see that happening in the 9th," Nees said.
"All three Republicans could win, too. They have a huge structural advantage. But, still, given all of that, they've only been beating the Democrats by inches, and now there's an intensely sour voter mood toward Republicans in general.
"I can't speak of a time in my lifetime when Democrats have been so well positioned to win," the 17-year-old said. "I love it as a political junkie. It's wonderful to be in such a hotly contested state."
Of course, even with all of his knowledge of the issues and experience in politics, Nees can't vote yet. It doesn't frustrate him all that much.
"I've learned there are more effective ways to make a difference beyond the voting booth," he said.
Does he see elective office in his own future? "I don't know. We'll see," he said. "With how nasty the environment is, I'm inclined to stay behind the scenes and be more of an observer than a participant."
At this point in his high school career, Nees hasn't even decided on what college he'll attend. He took an East Coast trip last summer and visited Yale, Brown and Georgetown. "I'm sure I'll be looking at political science as a major. If I go to a state school, then I'm thinking maybe a double major in political science and journalism. And then, possibly law after that.
"Law, journalism and political science," he added as an afterthought. "The three professions America hates most."
