Elections 2008, Herald Times Report, Feb. 11

Democrat Nels Ackerson is running for U.S. Congress in Indiana’s Fourth District, which includes parts of Monroe, Morgan and Lawrence counties.

Ackerson, a Democrat, filed Friday for his candidacy in the May 6 primary election.

If elected, Ackerson said he hopes to focus on the economy, including helping the area obtain more federal contracts, and ensuring energy security. He’s also interested in making sure local veterans have adequate benefits and that there’s a focus on education that doesn’t pay attention to only test scores.

In addition, he said he hopes to be known for his non-partisan approach to solving issues.

“I want to bring people together,” he said. “I’ll listen to good ideas wherever they come from.”

Ackerson grew up near Eagletown, graduated from Purdue University and earned a masters in public policy at Harvard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He spent several years practicing law in Indianapolis and Egypt and also served for more than two years in Washington, D.C., as chief counsel of the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on the Constitution under Sen. Birch Bayh.

Ackerson will face off against the district’s current representative, Republican Steve Buyer.