Staff and Wire Reports
Indiana voters will get a second and final closeup look at the three candidates seeking the U.S. Senate seat from Indiana a week from today.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly, Republican Mike Braun and Libertarian Lucy Brenton will participate in a 7 p.m. debate Oct. 30 in Indianapolis, just seven days prior to the Nov. 6 general election.
As with the first debate, held Oct. 8 in Westville, the candidates will be asked a series of questions selected by the sponsoring Indiana Debate Commission, including some that will be asked in person by individuals who suggested them. Amna Nawaz, an anchor at PBS NewsHour, will moderate the debate.
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All three candidates participated in what quickly became a contentious discussion of the issues Oct. 8, including comments on the just-completed U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Donnelly, a first-term member of the Senate seeking re-election, said of Braun’s stance on the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings: “Mike was for Judge Kavanaugh on the first day. If President Trump put up Bugs Bunny, Mike would’ve said he should go in the court.”
Braun, a southern Indiana business owner and former state representative, said during his introductory remarks: “(Donnelly) is running a campaign of negativity because of his record. Wrong on the Iran Deal. Wrong on healthcare. Wrong on almost everything, including Judge Kavanaugh.”
Brenton, a business consultant and former mortgage lender making her second run for a U.S. Senate seat, summarized the exchange between the leaders in the campaign: “It’s going to be an awfully long evening if we’re just going to simply listen to them repeat their commercials back and forth to each other.”
Social issues were also covered in the first debate.
One question by a University of Notre Dame student asked the candidates where they stood on the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, a ruling that decriminalized abortion practices across the nation.
While Brenton and Braun took to the extremes — Brenton, the only woman of the trio, in support of choice, and Braun, who called his stance “100 percent pro-life” — Donnelly took a middle ground, calling himself a largely pro-life legislator who believes in exceptions in the case of rape, incest or a pregnancy that could endanger a mother’s life.
A mother from Wheatfield approached the candidates with a question of her own.
Kandice Cole wore a red-and-white shirt emblazoned with the face of a smiling young boy, her son Eric who died at age 4 after accidentally shooting himself with a gun, left out and loaded by his babysitter.
“We have no legislation to hold irresponsible and negligent gun owners criminally liable in situations like this,” Cole said. “Would you support, and would you sponsor passing safe-storage laws, also known as child-access prevention laws?”
Brenton said gun owners should hold themselves responsible, while Donnelly said he would directly support punishment for negligent gun storage deaths. Braun said he wants to keep guns out of wrongful hands and away from children, but said he is against laws that could restrict further access to guns among law-abiding citizens.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Mike Braun” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Mike Braun
Political party: Republican
Position sought: U.S. Senate, Indiana
Age: 64
City of residence: Jasper
Occupation: President and CEO of Meyer Distributing, Jasper.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Wabash College, 1976; Master’s in Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School, 1978.
Previous offices held: Jasper School Board, 2004-2014; Indiana House of Representatives, District 63, 2014-2017.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Joe Donnelly” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Joe Donnelly
Political party: Democratic
Position sought: U.S. Senate, Indiana
Age: 63
City of residence: Granger
Occupation: United States Senator, attorney
Education: Bachelor of Arts degree, University of Notre Dame, 1977; law degree, Notre Dame Law School, 1981.
Previous offices held: U.S. House of Representatives Second District of Indiana, 2007-2012; U.S. Senator from Indiana, 2013-current.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Lucy Brenton” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Lucy Brenton
Political party: Libertarian
Position sought: U.S. Senate, Indiana
Age: 47
City of residence: Fishers
Occupation: Business consultant
Education: IUPUI, Bachelor of Arts degree with concentration in French and economics, 2013.
Previous offices held: None.
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The second and final debate among candidates for U.S. Senate in Indiana will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Toby Theater at Newfields in Indianapolis. It is sponsored by the nonpartisan Indiana Debate Commission.
Moderator: Amna Nawaz, an anchor at PBS NewsHour.
Opportunities to watch: All 450 public seats for next week’s one-hour debate have been distributed, but viewers may watch a live broadcast on television stations across Indiana, or go online for the live-streamed event at indianadebatecommission.com.
More information: Visit indianadebatecommission.com
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