Democratic state Rep. Dave Crooks cringes at the thought of Hillary Clinton winning the party's presidential nomination.

It's not that he has anything personal against her, he says. He just thinks she would be a drag on Indiana Democrats in 2008.

"She is just so polarizing," said Crooks, a Democrat from the southern Indiana city of Washington. He said she could cost Indiana Democrats three or four percentage points in the next election.

Crooks' concerns were included in a recent national Associated Press article that said many Democrats quietly fear Clinton at the top of the ticket could hurt candidates at the bottom. They also said Clinton might be too polarizing for much of the country, will jeopardize the party's standing with independent voters and give Republicans a stronger reason to vote.

Crooks thinks that will be the case in Indiana, where Democrats will try to knock off Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, three freshman Democratic congressmen will seek re-election and Democrats will fight to maintain control of the Indiana House. They have a 51-49 advantage now.

Unlike Crooks, most Democrats interviewed agreed to talk frankly about Clinton's political coattails only if they remained anonymous, fearing reprisals from the New York senator's campaign.

Some Indiana Democrats who were interviewed said they didn't share Crooks' fears, in part because people are seeing a softer, more moderate Hillary Clinton. Crooks isn't buying it, saying many of his party colleagues feel the way he does but aren't saying so publicly.

The national AP story has been featured on many political Web sites, and led to a segment on MSNBC's "Hardball" television show. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh read much of the story on one of his shows last week.

Crooks doesn't mind.

"I'm getting applause from Democrats who say, "Finally, somebody is saying something,"' said Crooks, who describes his district's voters as "gun-totin', bible-carrying, God-lovin', church-attending" folks.

Whether Crooks' concerns are valid remains to be seen. But as the national story pointed out, Clinton is carrying some political baggage. In a Gallup poll taken Aug. 3-5, 49 percent of those surveyed said they had an unfavorable view of Clinton compared with 47 percent who said they held her in high regard.

The story noted that her negative ratings are higher than those of her husband, former President Clinton, former President George H.W. Bush and 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry at the end of their campaigns.

Most Indiana Democrats say party members here overall are more fiscally conservative, anti-tax and more moderate on social issues than Democrats in many states.

Despite that, some Indiana Democrats say Clinton would not hurt their state candidates.

"We seem to be seeing a new Hillary Clinton emerge right now, from her comments to her appearances to her personality," said former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg. She could really energize the party here and throughout the Midwest if she chose Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh as her running mate, he said.