Posted on 03/24/2015 9:53:13 AM PDT by Abathar
Indiana Sen. Dan Coats announced that he will not run for re-election in 2016.
Senator Coats released this official statement:
“Today I am announcing that I will not seek re-election to the United States Senate. This was not an easy decision. While I believe I am well-positioned to run a successful campaign for another six-year term, I have concluded that the time has come to pass this demanding job to the next generation of leaders.
“Until the end of my Senate term, I pledge to my constituents that I will continue to focus all of my time and energy on the major challenges that Hoosiers sent me to Washington to address.
“I am grateful to God and to Hoosiers who allowed me to serve my state and my country. I am particularly thankful for the unqualified support of my wife Marsha and our family. Regarding this decision, they were 100 percent in favor of whatever choice I would make.
“Marsha and I look forward to continued engagement in Indiana in many other ways.”
(Excerpt) Read more at fox59.com ...
I’m a bit hesitant regarding instant runoffs. I think runoff candidates should have time to make their case. An instant runoff in TX for Cruz’s Senate seat could’ve given DewCrist a win (with 3rd place RINO finisher Tom Leppert’s supporters going to him). The runoff race gave Cruz time to consolidate support he may not have been able to get in the first round (as it was, DewCrist got 45%, Cruz just 34%, Leppert with a key 13%). Leppert endorsed DewCrist in the runoff.
i was always puzzled why the gope dragged dan coats out of north carolina to run. now he can go back to nc. if bayh tries to come back to the senate. then lets remind the world of him being the sixty vote for obamacare.
hosteller had to close calls to hold the bloody 8 in good gop years, even with dubya winning the district easily.
The Rovian wing loves senile types (look at their pimping for folks whose glory days were decades behind them — and we’re stuck with almost 75-year old Lamar! thanks to Tokyo Rove). Coats turned chicken and quit rather than face Bayh (and even had Coats lost, he’d have gone out with his boots on and engendered respect). That he dared to slink back a dozen years later was insulting to Hoosiers.
I’ll not forget, too, that the GOP was saddled with the embarrassing liberal RINO anti-gun zealot Paul Helmke to hold Coats’s seat. That ranked second in gutlessness for a GOP Senate incumbent only to the infamous situation in Virginia in 1988 when GOP freshman Sen. Paul Trible ran away from the challenge of facing buffoonish Chuck Robb, fresh off his Governorship. The GOP nomination passed to a hapless Black minister who was given no money to compete with Robb and it was a slaughter (even as Bush, Sr. handily carried the state).
Fieldmarshaldj, you’re right. I hope Stutzman will win. I didn’t know that Burton was that old.
Mmm, yes Dewtwerp probably would have won.
Chris McDaniel would have won though unless the supporters of the distant third place nobody went big for Thad.
And when he finally did lose, it was a slaughter.
I figure people like that who chronically underperform must have crappy constituent services or something.
Coat’s COS is running. Barf.
He name is Eric Holcomb, also a former state party chair. Dude looks like Keith Oberdouche.
Hell, why not go full retard ? I hear Dick Lugar is available.
barron hill is running on the dem side. the guy has faced many tough races in the in-9. so he is no pushover. but the good thing is that the bayh-moderate dem machine is busted!
He hasn’t declared, yet, but Hill is a dinosaur. He turns 64 in 2017, not exactly the age to begin a Senate career.
According to Politics1, these are the other speculative Dem candidates (incl. ex-Sen. Bayh):
Evan Bayh (D) - Ex-US Senator, Ex-Governor, Ex-Sec. of State & ‘08 Presidential Candidate
Brad Ellsworth (D) - Ex-Congressman, Ex-Vanderburgh County Sheriff & ‘10 Nominee
Christina Hale (D) - State Rep.
Baron Hill (D) - Ex-Congressman & Ex-State Rep.
Tom McDermott (D) - Hammond Mayor, Attorney & Navy Veteran
Bart Peterson (D) - Ex-Indianapolis Mayor, Pharmaceutical Executive, Ex-Gubernatorial Aide & Attorney
Glenda Ritz (D) - State Supt. of Public Instruction & Ex-Teacher
While 64 may be too old to embark upon a three-term Senate career, it wouldn’t stop Hill from running if he thought that he’d have a shot at winning.
Ellsworth would be the most Donnelly-like nominee, and could win if the GOP nominee messes up.
Ellsworth already ran in 2010 against Coats. Lost by 55-40%. He’ll be pushing 60 himself in 2017. Ex-Indy Mayor Bart Peterson is the same age as Ellsworth (turns 59 in 2017).
Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, Jr. is the baby of the bunch (born in 1969), though he seems more interested in perhaps running for Governor (but he seems better positioned to run for Congress if and when Peter Visclosky decides to retire — he’ll break the record for longest House service from IN, 34 years+ in Jan 2019, currently jointly held by Lee Hamilton and a predecessor from the 1st, Ray Madden).
If 2016 is like 2010, and the GOP nominee doesn’t say anything stupid, then it won’t matter who runs for the GOP or for the RATs, because we’ll win in a landslide. But if 2016 is closer to 2012 (not to mention 2008), then Ellsworth certainly could be competitive, and if the GOP nominee is sub-par or makes mistakes then Ellsworth could win.
I hereby demote Baron Hill to the rank of Baronet Knoll.
Dan Coates was an mediocre Senator and I didn’t vote for him in the 2010 primary. Right now, Eric Holcomb, his current Chief of Staff, is a likely candidate. I don’t know how feasible he is, though.
There is plenty of time for the field of potentials to winnow out.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman needs to step up and claim the seat that should’ve been his in 2010.
Heh. The problem is that he believes his parents were being too modest when they didn’t name him Earl Mountain.
Hill had expressed interest in running for givernor in 2016, but he hasn’t lived in IN in years (since he was unseated for the second time in 2010 IIRC), and the state constitution requires governors to have lived in the state for the prior 7 years or something. Hill can claim that he was “domiciled” in Seymour while living and working full-time as a lobbyist in the DC area, but it may not fly. Plus, every day that passes makes it less likely that Pence will run for president, and running against Pence for governor woud be quite an upHill run for Baron (ha!). So I’m going to predict that, if Bayh and Ellsworth pass on the Senate race, that Hill will run for the Senate.
Didn’t the guy who got tricked by Boehner run in 2010. Now he is a congressman and the only current congressman out of 8 or 9 Republicans who is somewhat conservative.
They split the conservative vote in 2010 and Dan Coats got in at 30 or 40%.
They managed to not screw up the GOP primary in 2016 and the conservative won. I dont care if Mourdock lost the general. Lugar wrote a letter to Obama and told him to institute DACA with Dick Durbin.
Rep Marlin Stutzman.
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