Col. Horne is in?

Retired Col. Andrew Horne is in from what I have read. Roll Call is subscription-only but a reader was kind enough to send me the full article published this morning and here it is for your reading pleasure:

Marine, a Hackett Friend, to Challenge Northup

Attorney and retired Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Horne (D) said Tuesday that he has decided to challenge Rep. Anne Northup (R-Ky.) in 2006, after being influenced by the experience of his friend and fellow Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett.

Horne, 44, was in Washington, D.C., this week and met with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) about the race Tuesday. He also began interviewing consultants to work on the contest.

"I’m very concerned about the future, you know the future of the country and my family and my community," Horne said in a brief interview Tuesday, describing his motivations for running.

Horne, who grew up in Louisville and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law, fought in the first Persian Gulf War and was recalled to active duty in Iraq last year.

While there he served in the same sector with Hackett, a fellow Marine who remains a friend.

Hackett, a Democrat, gained national attention for his anti-war rhetoric during an August special election in a neighboring Ohio district, narrowly losing in territory that is strongly tilted toward the GOP.

Horne said that he had discussed running for Congress with Hackett, who is now running for Senate in Ohio, and that his fellow Marine’s experience impacted his decision to make the race.

"I’ve talked to Paul about it and clearly I’ve sought his advice given what his experience was," Horne said. "Obviously, it was something that I noticed, you know how he was received, but definitely what happened with him influenced me."

While Horne was critical of President Bush’s handling of the situation in Iraq, his early rhetoric paled in comparison to that of Hackett during his campaign against now-Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio).

"We definitely need to change how it’s handled and how it’s been handled and I think the president needs to be honest with the American people," Horne said.

Northup has been a perennial target for the DCCC since being first elected to the Democratic-leaning Louisville-based seat in 1996.

Still, she has proved difficult to beat and in 2004 she was re-elected with 60 percent of the vote — her largest margin yet — after garnering the support of several high-profile Democrats.

Republicans appeared unfazed by Horne’s entrance into the race, noting that it comes after a series of high-profile recruiting disappointments for Democrats.

Attorney Jack Conway, who gave Northup a scare in 2002, declined to run, as did former Kentucky Secretary of State John Brown III and others.

"I’m sure Rahm Emanuel promised him the moon, just like all the other candidates who have passed on this race," said Northup Chief of Staff Terry Carmack. "When he returns to Louisville, he may find what all the other potential candidates have found — that Anne Northup is appreciated for her work in every corner of our community."

National Republican Congressional Committee Communications Director Carl Forti said Horne will have to find other substantive issues beyond the conflict in Iraq in order to be competitive in the contest.

"It’s a great résumé item, but it’s not something to base a campaign on," Forti said.

I think we will see a primary.