Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Congressman Marlin Stutzman To Run For Senate

Brandon Smith
/
indianapublicmedia.org/news

The Republican primary for outgoing Senator Dan Coats’ seat is shaping up to be a battle between the GOP establishment and more hard-line ideological conservatives.  On Saturday, 3rd District Congressman Marlin Stutzman announced his bid for the seat.

Former Coats Chief of Staff Eric Holcomb, who also ran Mitch Daniels’ reelection campaign, announced his candidacy in late March.  And though he’s never served in public office, Holcomb is viewed as a favorite of the GOP establishment, a former state party chairman with access to major party donors.  At his own campaign kickoff, Congressman Marlin Stutzman framed himself as a true conservative with a strong record.

“You know, Eric is a friend and a fine man but what we’re going to focus on is Washington, D.C.," says Stutzman. "I know the problems that are already there.  I’ve cast difficult votes.  I know that people are looking for leadership.  I was casting votes in the Indiana Statehouse when we were able to turn things around here in Indiana.”

Stutzman served eight years in the Indiana House before joining Congress five years ago.  The Howe, Indiana native previously ran for US Senate in 2010, losing in the GOP primary to the man he now hopes to replace, Dan Coats.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.
Related Content