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.