Hostettler’s 2008 Campaign
Just writing about Pelosi I recall that John Hostettler, 8th district Indiana - and now doing is part to take down Evan Bayh - essentially ran on a campaign of “a vote for Brad Ellsworth is a vote for Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the house”. The powers that be had been pretty successful in keeping Pelosi on a leash and the media kept her out of the limelight so Hostettler’s angle fell very flat with most voters.
Fast forward a year and a half and I have to wonder if the Republican running against Brad Ellsworth ran on the same anti-Pelosi theme if that wouldn’t in itself carry the Republican to victory.