Zionsville’s Ackerson Sees Measured Pullout from Iraq among Key
Congressional Issues

by Bruce Smith, Indianapolis Star, July 14th 2007

Property rights lawyer and developer Nels J. Ackerson said Friday he will file to run as a
Democrat for the 4th Congressional District seat held by Republican Steve Buyer.

The 63-year-old Zionsville resident said he is concerned about the nation’s entry into and
conduct of the war in Iraq, as well as domestic issues.

“I don’t like some of the positions by people in both parties in Washington,” he said.

“So I’ve had supporters encourage me to run, to give Washington a little adult supervision,”
he quipped.

Ackerson said his declaration of candidacy will be filed today with the Federal Election
Commission.

“And then the serious fund-raising begins. I’ve already had people send me some
contributions,” he said, but a serious run for the seat will take at least $1 million.

The sprawling district includes all or parts of 12 west- central Indiana counties stretching
from Lafayette and Monticello in the north to Bloomington in the south. In between, the
district wraps through portions of Boone, Hendricks and Morgan counties in the north, west
and southern Indianapolis metro area.

About 270,000 votes were cast in the district in the last presidential election.

Ackerson ran for Congress in 1980 and received 42 percent of the vote, losing in the
Republican landslide that swept Ronald Reagan into the White House.

Ackerson has since built a national reputation in his Washington-based law firm, defending
the property rights of homeowners, farmers and small-business owners.

Among his recent Indiana clients was the N.K. Hurst family. A settlement in an
eminent-domain lawsuit over the construction of Lucas Oil Stadium allowed the family’s
bean factory to remain in Downtown Indianapolis.

Ackerson’s law practice is in the hands of his partners while he focuses on his 2008
congressional campaign.

On international issues, Ackerson said he supports the war on terrorism but is troubled by
the way the United States went to war in Iraq and the way the war has been conducted.

He agrees it’s time to withdraw, but it should be done safely to protect the troops. He said
he doesn’t agree that a fixed date for withdrawal should be public because it would
increase the risk for the men and women in uniform.

Ackerson said other issues in the campaign will center on the nation’s energy policy, the
development of alternative fuels, support for education, and honoring the commitment of
benefits for military veterans.