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Stutzman, Young Exchange Jabs In Debate

Indiana Republican Party

Republican U.S. Senate candidates Marlin Stutzman and Todd Young met Monday for their first and only televised debate prior to Indiana’s May 3 primary election. 

The two U-S representatives are similar in many ways.  Both argue for lower taxes and reduced regulation.  And, both tout support from anti-abortion groups and the NRA. 

As they sought to define themselves for Republican voters, most of the sparring was over terms like “establishment candidate” and “career politician.”

Stutzman contends Young is the so-called “establishment” candidate who won’t help reform what Stutzman calls a broken system.

“We’ve seen that the establishment has decided, Mitch McConnell has decided to jump into the race here in Indiana to pick, his pick has been Congressman Young,” he says.

Young maintains Stutzman, who first ran for office in 2002, is the real career politician.

“You are the one who said you are against farm subsidies but pocketed a million dollars in farm subsidies,” Young says.  “You’re the one, Marlin, who criticized a candidate who was running against you for living outside of Washington, D.C. First thing you did when you were sworn in is bought an $800,000 mansion and moved your family to Washington, D.C.”

Stutzman counters that he’s always opposed farm subsidies and moved his family to D.C. to be closer to them while he serves in Congress.

The two candidates are seeking the Republican nomination to replace retiring Senator Dan Coats. 

The full debate is slated to be posted online at indianadebatecommission.com.

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.
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