The Democratic hopeful for Indiana’s 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is coming under attack from national Republicans for what they contend are his strong ties to Washington D.C. and insufficient links to Indiana.

The National Republican Congressional Committee unveiled an online ad last Monday decrying Brendan Mullen, born and raised in South Bend, as a “Washington insider.” The group, which pushes for more Republicans in the U.S. House, pointed to the two homes Mullen owns in Washington and the residence owned there by his wife, Suzanne.

Mullen is the sole Democratic contender for the 2nd District post, which includes Elkhart County. Three GOP hopefuls are vying for the spot — former state lawmaker Jackie Walorski of Elkhart, favored by the NRCC, along with South Bend physician Greg Andrews and LaPorte businessman Mitch Feikes.

“With multiple homes in D.C. and none in Indiana, Washington insider Brendan Mullen is already swimming in the swamp with his big-spending Democrat friends,” NRCC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said in a statement that accompanied release of the ad. “Indiana voters have gotta wonder: If Mullen’s elected, will they ever see him again?”

Contacted Friday, Bozek — who called Washington “part of the problem” — also pointed to the Indiana voter registration form Mullen filled out in South Bend last July, questioning his ties to the state. There, Mullen says his home address is the same as that of his father, Peter Mullen, the St. Joseph County auditor.

In responding, Mullen, who now heads a Washington-based consulting firm, didn’t discuss the Washington homes or his South Bend address. Rather, he pointed to his duties as a U.S. Army officer, which included service in the war in Iraq.

“When Brendan left South Bend, he answered the call to fight for our nation’s freedom as a U.S. Army officer and he’s made his home all over the world,” including Iraq, South Korea, Fort Benning, Ga., and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., said a statement from Mullen on Friday. “He is currently raising his family in South Bend.”

The statement went on to decry involvement in the campaign by groups like the NRCC.

“Washington Republicans are engaging in the kind of sickening political attacks that folks in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District are disgusted with, and that is one of the many reasons folks are so excited about Brendan’s candidacy,” it said.

Likewise, in a separate statement Friday released to announce he had formally filed with the Indiana Secretary of State office to run for the 2nd District seat, Mullen offered his own criticism of Washington politics. It echoed the NRCC’s anti-Washington rhetoric.

“Right now in Washington, we are seeing failed politicians push a failed agenda that doesn’t represent the Hoosier values we believe in,” Mullen said. “Instead of finger pointing and plans to privatize Social Security and end Medicare as we know it, we need to focus on what matters — cutting down on runaway spending and getting Hoosiers back to work.”

The NRCC obtained the information on Mullen’s Washington homes, provided to the Elkhart Truth, via a public records search there. Likewise, the Republican group provided a copy of Mullen’s Indiana voter registration form and a copy of the St. Joseph County Assessor’s Office form that shows the home address of his father.

‘ON OUR RADAR’

The NRCC’s anti-Mullen ad, which aired on local websites in South Bend, may not be the last of the group’s forays into the 2nd District campaign. The group has singled the race out for attention, Bozek said, because incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Granger, isn’t seeking re-election, offering a “great opportunity” for the GOP to pick up a House seat.

“This one is going to be on our radar,” Bozek said.

She also offered words of praise for Walorski, one of the 2nd District GOP hopefuls. Walorski is part of the NRCC’s Young Guns Program, meant to provide support to GOP House candidates in races for congressional seats deemed to be up for grabs.

“I think Indiana middle-class families want a representative like Jackie Walorski, who is from the area and represents their values,” Bozek said.

Similarly, the Democratic counterpart to the NRCC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will be supporting Mullen in his bid. Mullen is part of the DCCC’s Red-to-Blue program, meant to promote Democratic House hopefuls.

Donnelly, who narrowly defeated Walorski in the 2010 race for the 2nd District spot, is running this election cycle for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Richard Lugar.

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