Bush Tax Cuts

Rep. Brad Ellsworth: I'd Keep All Tax Cuts And I Want To Vote Now (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | September 22, 2010, 5:54PM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) said today he wants to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for every income bracket and said he's not sure what House Democratic leaders are going to decide about holding a vote.

"I don't think now is the right time to let those tax breaks expire," Ellsworth told Neil Cavuto on Fox News. "I would vote to extend both all across the board. ... [W]e should pass those directly, and we should do it before we go home, before we recess."

Ellsworth was one of the 31 Democrats to sign a letter asking Speaker Nancy Pelosi to keep the tax cuts for the wealthy. (Our updating list on wavering Democrats and their positions here.) He's also in a unique position among the Democrats on this issue because he is running in a statewide race for the seat of retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D). His rival Dan Coats (R) wants them extended permanently for everyone.

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IN-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: GOPer Coats Up 21 Points In IN-SEN Race

Thomas Rhiel | August 10, 2010, 12:37PM

Former Senator Dan Coats (R) and Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D), candidates for US Senate in Indiana

In the race to fill retiring Sen. Evan Bayh's (D) seat in Indiana, Republican former Sen. Dan Coats has a considerable lead over Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth, a new Rasmussen survey finds. The poll has Coats ahead of Ellsworth 50%-29%.

Coats's 21-point margin over Ellsworth is identical to the one he had in Rasmussen's last survey of the race from July 8, and it's even more favorable to Coats than the results from a Coats internal poll released last week, which showed Coats up 50%-35%.

The TPM Poll Average has Coats ahead 50.0%-31.2%. The margin of error of the latest Rasmussen poll is ±4.5 percentage points.

Check out TPMDC's full coverage of the race here.

IN-SEN

Dem Ellsworth Has Cash Advantage In Indiana Senate Race

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 15, 2010, 12:34PM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

At the end of the second quarter, Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) holds a small cash-on-hand advantage over former Sen. Dan Coats (R) in the race to succeed the retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D) in Indiana. Ellsworth had $1.2 million in the bank as of June 30, while the Coats campaign will report just over $1 million when its report becomes available.

Coats had the fundraising advantage in the second quarter, though his efforts to raise money in the quarter were likely buoyed by the competitive primary he faced on May 4. According to reports, Coats raised $2.1 million and spent just over $1 million between April 1 and June 30. Ellsworth raised "nearly" $1.7 million, according to reports.

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IN-SEN

Dem Ellsworth Takes Indirect Jab At GOP Opponent's Lobbying Past In New IN-SEN Ad (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | July 6, 2010, 3:34PM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), the Democratic nominee for the open Senate seat of retiring Dem Evan Bayh, has launched his first TV ad of the campaign. Ellsworth cast himself as an anti-Washington candidate taking on Washington lobbyists -- a not-so-subtle attack against his Republican opponent, former Sen. Dan Coats, who had been a lobbyist for the past decade.

"One thing that 25 years as a sheriff teaches you is zero tolerance for bull. There's too much at stake. But out in Washington it's like they live and breathe the stuff," Ellsworth says. "They waste our money. They take care of special interests. And they don't care if lobbyists write the laws or if our jobs get shipped overseas. I'm Brad Ellsworth and I approve this message because the special interests and lobbyists already have enough senators on their side."

Ellsworth never directly mentions Coats in the ad, but appears to be laying the groundwork for further attacks down the road. Ellsworth begins this general election as a severe underdog, with the TPM Poll Average giving Coats a lead of 49.4%-33.6%.

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IN-SEN

Indiana Dems Officially Nominate Ellsworth To Run For Bayh's Seat

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 15, 2010, 3:03PM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) officially received his party's nomination to replace retiring Sen. Evan Bayh by the Indiana Democratic Central Committee this afternoon.

Ellsworth, who first won his seat in Congress in 2006, has been expected to be the Democratic Senate nominee since shortly after Bayh announced his retirement in February.

As the Indianapolis Star reports, Ellsworth's nomination today was largely a ceremonial affair. Ellsworth will now face former Sen. Dan Coats, who won the Republican nomination in a May 4 primary.

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IN-SEN

Indiana GOP Voters Pick Coats To Flip Bayh's Seat

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 4, 2010, 8:43PM

IN-SEN candidate Dan Coats

There were no surprises in the Indiana Republican Senate primary tonight. Former Senator Dan Coats, who drew fire from conservatives in the final weeks of the primary fight, has been declared his party's nominee, according to both the AP and the Indianapolis Star.

He defeated tea party favorite Marlin Stutzman and Rep. John Hostettler -- who had the endorsement of Ron Paul -- to win his party's nod.

The stage is now set for an open seat battle few expected at the start of the cycle. When Sen. Evan Bayh (D) announced his retirement in February, a race most said was the Democratic party's to lose became a toss-up that some experts say now leans in favor of the GOP. But before Coats can return to Washington a Senator after more than a decade out of office, he'll have to defeat the man who Democrats say has what it takes to keep the seat on their side of the aisle: presumptive nominee Rep. Brad Ellsworth.

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IN-SEN

Establishment GOP Marching Toward Victory Over Tea Partiers In Indiana Sen Primary

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 3, 2010, 1:31PM

Indiana Senate candidates John Hostettler (R), Marlin Stutzman (R) and Dan Coats (R)

With the final day of campaigning in the Indiana GOP Senate primary underway, the national Republican establishment seems headed to a rare victory over the forces of the tea party movement in the race to seize Sen. Evan Bayh's (D) Senate seat. There are actually five candidates running for the Republican nomination, but three have risen to dominate the race, and define the internal battle lines: former Sen. Dan Coats (who is the establishment pick), Rep. John Hostettler (who has the support of Ron Paul) and former state Rep. Marlin Stutzman (who is the tea party choice).

Based on money and recent polling, Coats seems poised to sweep the field -- a rare victory for the party mainstream that's still smarting from Gov. Charlie Crist's collapse in Florida and the conservative insurgency that looks like it might take out Sen. Bob Bennett (R) in Utah.

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IN-SEN

Pence Endorses Dan Coats In IN-SEN Primary

Eric Kleefeld | April 21, 2010, 3:57PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Former Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN)

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), a potential presidential candidate, has waded into the Republican Senate primary in his home state to endorse former Sen. Dan Coats.

"Dan Coats' integrity and conservative record make him the best candidate for the job. Dan is a proven conservative leader who is trusted by Hoosiers," Pence said in a statement. "I know Dan Coats well and I have long admired his personal faith, his devotion to family and his service to the people of Indiana."

This puts Pence on the opposite side of many conservative activists, such as Red State's Erick Erickson, who are supporting state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, and who consider the Senator-turned-lobbyist Coats to be a Washington insider. But as Pence notes in his endorsement, he's known Coats for a long time.

2010 elections

First-Quarter Fundraising Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | April 16, 2010, 6:25PM

Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA)

Here are some highlights from the first-quarter political fundraising:

• In the Republican primary to face Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA), the incumbent Perriello raised about three times more than the entire GOP field combined.

• Businessman Bruce O'Donoghue, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run against Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), announced that he raised $305,000, plus $50,000 of his own money, and has $308,000 on hand. Grayson, who is well known for his attacks against the Republicans, previously announced that he raised $803,000, and has $1.5 million on hand.

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IN-SEN

Candidate Coats Rails Against Government Takeovers -- After Lobbying On TARP For Chrysler's Parent Company

Eric Kleefeld | March 12, 2010, 6:03PM

Former Sen. Dan Coats

Former Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) is running for his old Senate seat, apparently on a platform of opposing government takeover of the private sector. But as it turns out, in 2008 he lobbied the Senate on the TARP bill, on behalf of none other than Chrysler's parent company.

The NBC affiliate in South Bend quoted Coats early this week, explaining why he was returning to politics. "Well, nobody anticipated that government's going to try to run auto companies, bank insurance companies, take over the private sector," said Coats.

However, according to a federal lobbying report for the third quarter of 2008, Coats served as a lobbyist on behalf of Cerberus Capital Management, the firm that owned a majority share in Chrysler. The subject matter of the lobbying: The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 -- a.k.a. the TARP bailout. The issue listed for lobbying: "Treatment of motor vehicle finance companies as financial institutions, disposition of troubled assets, and related issues."

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IN-SEN

Poll: Potential Dem Candidates Trail GOPers In Indiana Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | February 18, 2010, 11:36AM

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) and Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN)

The new Rasmussen poll of Indiana, the first survey of the Senate race here since Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh suddenly announced his retirement, finds the two most prominent potential Dem replacement candidates trailing the Republicans.

Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsowrth trails former GOP Sen. Dan Coats by 46%-32%, trails former Rep. John Hostettler by 46%-27%, and trails state Sen. Marlin Stutzman by 40%-30%. Democratic Rep. Baron Hill is behind Coats by 48%-32%, trails Hostettler by 49%-31%, and is behind Stutzman by 41%-33%.

Neither Ellsworth nor Hill are officially in the race at this time, and an actual campaign would likely boost the eventual candidate's name recognition and poll numbers somewhat. But for now, at least, the Democrats appear to start out this open-seat contest significantly behind.

IN-SEN

Crowded GOP Field Eyeing Bayh Seat In Hoosier State

Christina Bellantoni | February 15, 2010, 3:37PM

Former Sen. Dan Coats

Indiana Republicans are feeling a lot more confident about their chances to pick up Sen. Evan Bayh's Senate seat this fall, but it's looking like there will be a 5-way GOP primary.

As we've been reporting, candidates have until tomorrow to submit 4,500 signature petitions to qualify for the ballot. They have until Friday to file paperwork with the Secretary of State.

A spokesman for the Indiana Republican Party told TPMDC there will likely be four or five candidates who meet the threshold to appear on the May 4 primary ballot.

"We're going to let the primary play out," the spokesman told me.

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Dan Coats

Report: Former GOP Sen. Dan Coats To Seek Comeback Bid Against Evan Bayh

Eric Kleefeld | February 3, 2010, 10:35AM

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and former Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN)

Former Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) will reportedly announce that he is running for the Republican nomination for his old Senate seat, which is currently held by Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, Indiana journalist Brian Howey reports.

Coats was first elected to the House in 1980, and appointed to the Senate in 1989 after Dan Quayle's election to the vice presidency. Coats was then elected in his own right in 1990 and 1992, and then retired in 1998, with Bayh picking up the seat.

Coats is a late entrant to the primary race, with former Rep. John Hostettler, state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, and Tea Party activist Richard Behney already in the race. The election is also approaching its filing deadline -- Coats will have to gather at least 4,500 ballot petition signatures, 500 within each of the state's nine House districts, in the next two weeks.

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