JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. - Can you believe it? A motorcoach operator from Indiana is the new darling of the Republican Party.
Mike Sodrel, best known in the industry as the long-time chairman and CEO of The Free Enterprise System, a coach company in Jeffersonville and Indianapolis, has been elected to Congress from Indiana's 9th district.
In winning, Sodrel became:
· The only Republican nationwide to unseat an incumbent Democratic congressman.
· The first Republican in 40 years to represent the 9th congressional district in southeast Indiana.
· The first full-time coach operator to take a seat in Congress.
· One of darn few Congressmen with a CDL in their hip pocket.
Bus industry leaders seemed ecstatic at the prospect of having Sodrel in Congress - albeit as a junior member.
"This is great for Indiana and great for the bus industry," said American Bus Association President and CEO Peter Pantuso. "Having someone on Capitol Hill who has first-hand knowledge of our industry's issues can only help."
Sodrel has been a member of the ABA for more than 25 years and served on its board.
Added Victor Parra, president and CEO of the United Motorcoach Association: "It's going to be great having a bus guy in Congress. Hopefully, he'll get assigned to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee."
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is considered a plum assignment, typically going to senior members. However, given Sodrel's instant party celebrity perhaps the House leadership will reward his busload of determination.
Sodrel's win did not come easy - or cheap. His hard-fought race with Rep. Baron Hill was settled by fewer than 1,500 votes out of more than 280,000 cast.
Hill and Sodrel raised nearly $5 million combined, with large chunks of the money coming from their national parties. Sodrel reportedly pumped a $1 million of his own money into his campaign.
The Sodrel-Hill race was a repeat of 2002. In that campaign, Hill defeated Sodrel with 51 percent of the vote. That slim margin made him an attractive target for Republicans this year.
Political analysts in Indiana said Sodrel likely benefited from name recognition created two years ago, as well as ties to President Bush. Vice President Dick Cheney made a campaign stop for Sodrel earlier this year.
Sodrel also was helped by ads paid for by the national Republican Party that portrayed Hill as liberal on social issues, said Thomas Wolfe, a political science professor emeritus at Indiana University Southeast.
Hill complained to reporters that Sodrel was aided by millions spent on negative attack ads, but Sodrel denied running a negative campaign. "We dealt strictly with U.S. Rep. Hill's voting record, and I think it was appropriate in a race."
Hill was a high school basketball star in basketball crazy Indiana, and a state legislator when he was elected to Congress in 1998 in a tight race for the seat held by Democrat Lee Hamilton for 34 years.
Sodrel has spent 35 years in the trucking and motorcoach industries, and his companies employ 500 people. He often drove an 18-wheeler to appearances during the campaign. He is qualified as a Certified Master Driver.