Pro-Life Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) 50%, Ellsworth (D-IN) 34%

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

The Indiana Senate seat now held by Democrat Evan Bayh remains a likely Republican pickup on Election Day.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Indiana finds Republican Dan Coats leading Democratic Congressman Brad Ellsworth 50% to 34% in the state's U.S. Senate race. Eight percent (8%) of voters prefer some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) are still undecided.
Last month, Coats, who represented Indiana in the Senate from 1989 to 1999, held a 50% to 29% lead over Ellsworth.
The race remains Solid GOP in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings.
Coats has earned 46% to 54% of the vote in matchups with Ellsworth since February. Ellsworth has picked up 29% to 36% of the vote in those same surveys, but his support has been trending down since May. In the latest survey, Ellsworth has gained back some support since last month when he had his poorest showing to date.
Eighty-two percent (82%) of Indiana Republican voters support Coats. Ellsworth picks up 72% support from the state's Democrats, while voters not affiliated with either major political party prefer Coats by eight points.
Since Bayh’s surprise announcement in January that he would not seek reelection, Republicans have been strongly favored to pick up the Indiana seat. Ellsworth faces an uphill struggle in a state that trends Republican.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Indiana was conducted on September 14-15, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Sixty-three percent (63%) of Indiana voters favor repeal of the health care law, including 53% that Strongly Favor it. That's well above voter support nationally. Just 32% of the state's voters oppose repeal, with 22% who are Strongly Opposed.
Seventy-six percent (76%) of the voters in the larger group that Strongly Favors repeal of the health care bill support Coats. Ellsworth, who voted for the bill in March, has the support of 80% of those who are Strongly Opposed.
Fifty-six percent (56%) of all Indiana voters view Coats favorably and 35% view him unfavorably. This includes 18% with a Very Favorable view and 13% with a Very Unfavorable one.
Ellsworth is viewed favorably by 38% of voters and unfavorably by 44%, including 10% Very Favorable and 16% Very Unfavorable.
Like voters nationwide, those in Indiana rate the economy as the most important issue this election cycle. Coats holds a slight edge among these voters.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of voters in the state are angry at the current policies of the federal government, including 47% who are Very Angry. Indiana voters are even angrier than voters nationwide.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) describe the U.S. economy as poor. Twenty-two percent (22%) say economic conditions are getting better, but 50% think they're getting worse.
Barack Obama edged John McCain 50% to 49% to win Indiana in the 2008 election, but just 38% now approve of the job he is doing as president, unchanged from August. Sixty-one percent (61%) disapprove. This is higher disapproval than is found nationally in the Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
The state’s Republican governor remains popular. Seventy percent (70%) approve of Mitch Daniels’ job performance, while only 27% disapprove.

For more data from this survey, see toplines. Platinum Members get a deeper look at the numbers.
In 2008, Rasmussen Reports projected nationally that Obama would defeat John McCain by a 52% to 46% margin. Obama won 53% to 46%. Four years earlier, Rasmussen Reports projected the national vote totals for both George W. Bush and John Kerry within half-a-percentage-point.
In Indiana during the 2008 campaign, Rasmussen Reports polling showed a close race with McCain edging Obama 49% to 46%. Obama won 50% to 49%. In the Democratic Primary, Rasmussen Polling showed Hillary Clinton defeating Obama 46% to 41%. Clinton won 51% to 49%.

Senator Dan Coats - The Difference

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com



T

Senator Dan Coats - Your Vote Their Voice

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

Senator Dan Coats: Judgment

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

Pro-Life Senator Dan Coats: So you're saying there's a chance...

Chris Dickson and Dan Coats
Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

Aug

26

9:55 AM

So you’re saying there’s a chance

A New York Times / FiveThirtyEight forecast in the Indiana race for U.S. Senate gives Democrat Brad Ellsworth a 2.8% chance of victory. Two. Point. Eight… Percent. Ouch.
Just so you have a point of reference, my beloved Chicago Bears have a 3.3% chance of winning the Super Bowl. So if you have the choice between betting on Brad Ellsworth becoming a U.S. Senator or Jay Cutler winning a Super Bowl ring, put your money on No. 6.

Congressman Ellsworth has been drowning in the polls since he entered this race last spring. Even though he went on television early this summer, his numbers are actually getting worse. He recently pulled his ads and is no doubt retooling his efforts to run an all negative, all the time media campaign after Labor Day. It might not matter.
Rasmussen has polled in this race 5 times. In April, the head-to-head numbers were 54%-33%. On August 10th, Ellsworth claimed just 29% of likely voters.
If Democrats can’t change the positions of Indiana voters on issues like healthcare and the economy that define this Senate race, there is little hope that Ellsworth can close a widening gap before the election.

Pro-Life Senator Dan Coats Leads in Fundraising

Dan Coats for Indiana

http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

Wall Street Journal

GOP Has Money Momentum in Open Senate Races

By Susan Davis

Underscoring the momentum shift behind the GOP in the midterm elections, Republican candidates out-raised Democrats in the second quarter in every competitive race for an open Senate seat.
Below is a snapshot of the key races and their money haul for the second quarter. Collectively, Republicans out-raised Democrats in these nine races by about $9 million in the three month span from April through June.
While this is good news for the GOP, there are caveats–as always. In several races, Republicans out-raised Democrats during the quarter, but the Democrat still has more money in the bank. In Indiana, for example, Republican Dan Coats out-raised Democrat Brad Ellsworth, but Ellsworth still holds a $200,000 cash-on-hand advantage.
And in competitive races with an incumbent Democrat, including California, Nevada, and Arkansas, the senator out-raised the Republican challengers.
But in the competitive races for open seats—where no incumbent is running—the GOP money momentum has picked up. Whether Republican candidates can maintain the cash advantage remains to be seen, and money doesn’t always translate in to Election Day victories, but the numbers underscore why the GOP is feeling bullish this year.
Delaware: Republican Rep. Mike Castle raised $837,000 and Democrat Chris Coons raised $698,000. The Delaware primary is Sept. 14.
Florida: Republican Marco Rubio raised $4.5 million while Democrat Kendrick Meek raised over $1 million. Both men are their party’s favorite in the Aug. 24 primary, but Meek is facing a primary challenge from self-funded billionaire Jeff Greene, and Gov. Charlie Crist is running as an independent. Crist hasn’t released his numbers yet, but he’s running competitively in the polls.

Indiana: Republican Dan Coats raised $1.5 million while Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth raised $600,000.

Illinois: Republican Rep. Mark Kirk raised $2.3 million while Democrat Alexi Giannoulias raised just over $900,000.
Kentucky: Republican Rand Paul raised just over $1.1 million while Democrat Jack Conway raised $1.4 million. However, $400,000 of Conway’s funds are his own personal wealth, while Paul has not lent himself any money.
Missouri: Republican Rep. Roy Blunt raised $2.2 million while Democrat Robin Carnahan raised $1.5 million.
New Hampshire: Republican Kelly Ayotte raised $720,000 while Democrat Paul Hodes raised $600,000.
Ohio: Republican Rob Portman raised $2.7 million while Democrat Lee Fisher raised $1 million.
Pennsylvania: Republican Pat Toomey raised $3.1 million while Democrat Joe Sestak raised nearly $2 million.

Indiana Poll Has Pro-Life Senate Candidate Dan Coats Leading Brad Ellsworth

Chris Dickson and Dan Coats

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor

Indianapolis, IN (LifeNews.com) -- Fresh from his endorsement by two pro-life organizations, pro-life Senate candidate Dan Coats has a solid lead over his opponent Brad Ellsworth. The new Rasmussen Reports poll comes on the heels of the Susan B. Anthony List supporting Coats over Ellsworth, despite the latter saying he is pro-life.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters finds Coats with 51% support, while Ellsworth earns 30% of the vote, his poorest showing to date.
Another 6 percent of Hoosiers favor another candidate while 12 percent remain undecided.
Last month, Coats dropped below 50% but still led Ellsworth 47% to 33%. In five previous surveys back to February, support for Coats has ranged from 46% to 54%. In that same period, Ellsworth has picked up 32% to 36% of the vote.
Pollster Scott Rasmussen commented on the results: "Indicative of voter unhappiness in Indiana is that Ellsworth’s first statewide TV ad which just began airing in the last few days mentions his background as a sheriff and criticizes Washington lawmakers. But the ad never says that Ellsworth is currently a member of Congress."
The two candidates are contending for the seat held by pro-abortion Senator Evan Bayh -- who surprised his fellow Democrats with his announcement in January that he would not seek reelection. Now, it appears Coats, the Republican, will pick up the seat for pro-life advocates looking for another vote in the Senate.

Coats, who previously served as a senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999, holds double-digit leads among both male and female voters. He holds a better than three-to-one lead among voters not affiliated with either major party.
Opposition to the pro-abortion national health care bill remains high in Indiana as 59% favor repeal of the bill that Ellsworth supported as a member of the House, while 35% oppose repeal. This is a higher level of support than is found nationally.
Last week, SBA List endorsed Coats and the endorsement is important because Ellsworth, who calls himself pro-life, let down pro-life groups when he supported the government-run health care bill that includes massive abortion funding with taxpayer dollars.

"Once again, the Senate is in great need of the pro-life statesmanship -- which Dan Coats has already proven time and again to possess. His commitment to rescind taxpayer funding of abortion in health care and in every aspect of federal spending is urgently needed in the coming Congress," Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com.
Leading up to the health care vote, Ellsworth also upset pro-life groups when he proposed a so-called compromise on abortion funding that essentially did not ban taxpayer-funded abortions in the national health care plan.
National Right to Life has alsoendorsed Coats over Ellsworth. http://www.lifenews.com/state5126.html

Rasmussen: Coats (R) 51%, Ellsworth (D) 30%

 

Senator Dan Coats and Congressman Mike Pence

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

Election 2010: Indiana Senate
Indiana Senate: Coats (R) 51%, Ellsworth (D) 30%

Indiana still has the look of a likely Republican Senate pickup, with former Senator Dan Coats remaining comfortably ahead of his Democratic

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state finds Coats with 51% support, while Ellsworth earns 30% of the vote, his poorest showing to date. Six percent (6%) favor some other candidate in the race, while 12% remain undecided.

Last month, Coats dropped below 50% but still led Ellsworth 47% to 33%.

In five previous surveys back to February, support for Coats has ranged from 46% to 54%. In that same period, Ellsworth has picked up 32% to 36% of the vote.

The two candidates are contending for the seat held by Senator Evan Bayh who surprised his fellow Democrats with his announcement in January that he would not seek reelection. Bayh, who faced a tough GOP challenge, was still the favorite in the race at the time, but now the seat is rated Solid GOP in the Rasmussen Reports Senate Balance of Power ratings.

Just nine percent (9%) of Indiana voters rate the economy as good or excellent, while nearly half (49%) say it’s poor. Twenty-four percent (24%) say it’s getting better, but twice as many (48%) think it’s getting worse.

Coats, who previously served as a senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999, holds double-digit leads among both male and female voters. He holds a better than three-to-one lead among voters not affiliated with either major party.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Indiana was conducted on June July 7-8, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Opposition to the national health care bill remains high in Indiana, traditionally a conservative, Republican leaning state. Fifty-nine percent (59%) favor repeal of the bill that Ellsworth supported as a member of the House, while 35% oppose repeal. This is a higher level of support than is found nationally. This includes 49% who Strongly Favor repeal and 21% who are Strongly Opposed.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of those who Strongly Favor repeal support Coats, while Ellsworth earns 78% of the vote from those who Strongly Oppose it.

Support in Indiana for Arizona’s new immigration law parallel findings nationally. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Indiana voters favor passage of a law like Arizona’s in their state, and just 25% oppose such a bill.

Coats gets 64% support from those who favor an Arizona-like law in Indiana. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of those who oppose a law like that favor Ellsworth.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of all voters in the state agree with the Justice Department’s decision to challenge the Arizona law in court, but 57% disagree with that decision.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of those who agree with the challenge back Ellsworth. Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters who disagree with the Justice Department action favor Coats.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Indiana voters, however, favor a welcoming immigration policy that only excludes national security threats, criminals and those who come here to live off the U.S. welfare system. Twenty-four percent (24%) disagree with a policy like that.

Coats is viewed Very Favorably by 13% and Very Unfavorably by eight percent (8%). Eighteen percent (18%) have no opinion of the former senator.

Ten percent (10%) have a Very Favorable opinion of Ellsworth, while nine percent (9%) view him Very Unfavorably. Twenty-eight percent (28%) don’t know enough about him to voice any kind of opinion.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of Indiana voters think the country is in a recession.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) believe the $787-billion economic stimulus plan helped the U.S. economy, but 38% say it hurt. This is close to voter sentiments nationally.

Twenty-six percent (26%) say the government spending in the stimulus plan created new jobs. Fifty-six percent (56%) disagree and say it did not create any new jobs.

Sixty-seven percent (67%) believe cutting taxes is a better way to create new jobs than increased government spending. Just 14% say increased spending is the way to go.

Forty-three percent (43%) of Indiana voters approve of President Obama’s job performance, while 56% disapprove. That’s in line with findings last month and a higher level of criticism than Obama earns nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Sixty-six percent (66%) now approve of how GOP Governor Mitch Daniels is performing, up eight points from the previous survey. Thirty-one percent (31%) disapprove.

Dan Coats on WTHR Channel 13 News

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

November 2010 - "REAL" CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!

Susan B. Anthony List Endorses Dan Coats

Chris Dickson with Senator Dan Coats

Dannenfelser: "Dan Coats' commitment to repeal taxpayer funding of abortion in the health care law and in every aspect of federal spending will be urgently needed in the coming Congress."

Contact: Kerry Brown, Susan B. Anthony List, 703-470-1926, kbrown@sba-list.org

WASHINGTON, July 8 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, a national pro-life political action committee, announced its endorsement of former Congressman (IN-04) and Senator Dan Coats, candidate for U.S. Senate in Indiana against opponent and Congressman Brad Ellsworth (IN-08). SBA List Candidate Fund President Marjorie Dannenfelser said of the endorsement:

"Once again, the Senate is in great need of the pro-life statesmanship Dan Coats has already proven time and again to possess. His commitment to rescind taxpayer funding of abortion in health care and in every aspect of federal spending is urgently needed in the coming Congress."

Coats served as a U.S. Congressman from 1981 to 1989 then as a U.S. Senator from 1989 to 1999. In May 2010, he won the five-way Indiana Republican primary with 39 percent of the vote. Coats will face Ellsworth in the November general election to fill the open seat left by retiring Senator Evan Bayh.

Ellsworth was elected Representative of Indiana's 8th district in 2006. As a member of the House Pro-Life Caucus, Ellsworth held a near-perfect pro-life voting record with the National Right to Life Committee until he voted in favor of a health care reform bill including the federal funding of abortion and, potentially, the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.

"Dan Coats represents voters' views and women's needs on the issue of abortion far better than does his opponent," said Dannenfelser, referring to March 2010 polling company™ data revealing that 80 percent of IN-08 constituents oppose the use of tax dollars for abortion. In that same poll, 65 percent of Ellsworth's constituents said they would be less likely to re-elect him if he voted in favor of health care legislation including federal funded abortion.

In contrast, said Dannenfelser, "Hoosiers can trust Dan Coats to represent their views on the Life issue and to vote according to his conscience regardless of any political calculus."

The Susan B. Anthony List plans to spend $6 million on voter education in the midterm elections, including $3 million on key Senate races. The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of over 280,000 Americans, residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.

For further information, please contact Kerry Brown at (703) 470-1926 or kbrown@sba-list.org.

New Obama Law Will Jail 500,000 Americans

by Shera Crossan in Foreign and Domestic Intelligence,

Foreign Ministry reports circulating in the Kremlin today are warning that an already explosive situation in the United States is about to get a whole lot worse as a new law put forth by President Obama is said capable of seeing up to 500,000 American citizens jailed for the crime of opposing their government.

Sparking the concern of Russian diplomats over the growing totalitarian bent of the Obama government is the planned reintroduction of what these reports call one of the most draconian laws ever introduced in a free society that is titled “The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act”.

First introduced in the US Congress in 2007 by Democratic Representative Jane Harmon, this new law passed the US House of Representatives by a secretive voice vote, but failed to pass the US Senate, after which it was believed dead until this past week when it was embraced by Obama who became the first American President to name his own citizens as a threat to his Nations security.

In what is called the National Security Strategy document, that is required of US Presidents by their Congress, that embraces the dictatorial ideals of the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act”, Obama has ordered his Federal police and intelligence forces to begin targeting Americans opposed to him and his radical socialist polices.

Cam Savage Named to Head Up Coats Campaign Effort

May 17th, 2010 at 4:40 pm by Jim Shella under Jim Shella's Political Blog

Cam Savage is the new campaign manager for GOP Senate candidate Dan Coats.

Savage calls it a “big stage.” It’s a rare opportunity for the guy who just won the 4th District GOP primary for Todd Rokita. (Rokita won’t need the same kind of effort in November.)

Savage has also run a Congressional campaign for Mike Sodrel and was one of the top people in the re-election effort of Mitch Daniels. He gives the Coats campaign the sort of day-to-day manager with Indiana experience that it needs. He replaces Anne Hathaway who was drafted into primary duty. She intended to be a campaign consultant and will remain as such.

Dan Coats Poll: Double Digits Over Brad Ellsworth

Election 2010: Indiana Senate

Indiana Senate: Coats (R) 51%, Ellsworth (D) 36%

Newly chosen Republican nominee Dan Coats earns 51% support while his Democratic rival Brad Ellsworth’s attracts 36% in the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the Indiana Senate race following Tuesday’s GOP Primary.

Six percent (6%) of likely voters in the state favor some other candidate. Eight percent (8%) remain undecided.

Coats, who previously served in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 1999, captured 39% of the vote in a five-way race on Tuesday to win the state Republican Senate nomination. His four opponents have now endorsed his candidacy. Ellsworth, a U.S. congressman, is unchallenged for his party’s nomination.

In surveys since Democratic Senator Evan Bayh’s surprise announcement that he would not seek reelection, Coat’s support in match-ups with Ellsworth has grown from 46% in February to 54% last month. Ellsworth’s support in those same surveys has remained in the narrow range of 32% to 34%.

Ellsworth voted in favor of the recently-passed national health care plan, but 59% of Indiana voters favor repeal of that plan. The Indiana finding includes 48% who Strongly Favor repeal. Thirty-eight percent (38%) oppose repeal, with 26% who Strongly Oppose it. Those figures are similar to the national average.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of those who Strongly Favor repeal support Coats, while 80% of those in the smaller group who Strongly Oppose it support Ellsworth.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Indiana was conducted on May 5-6, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Thirteen percent (13%) of Indiana voters have a Very Favorable opinion of Coats, while nine percent (9%) regard him Very Unfavorably.

Ellsworth is seen Very Favorably by nine percent (9%) and Very Unfavorably by 13%.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of Indiana voters support a law like Arizona’s that authorizes local police to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Twenty-nine percent (29%) oppose such a law. Again, those figures are close to the national average.

But 52% of voters in Indiana are at least somewhat concerned that such a law will violate the civil rights of some U.S. citizens. Forty-seven percent (47%) are not very or not at all concerned.

Sixty-five percent (65%) favor a welcoming immigration policy that excludes only “national security threats, criminals and those who would come here to live off our welfare system.”

Most Indiana voters think it is at least somewhat important for Congress to pass energy legislation this year to reduce global warming, but just 38% favor such an energy bill now. Forty-one percent (41%) oppose it.

Dan Coats Wins GOP Senate Nomination

Updated: Tuesday, 04 May 2010, 10:14 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 04 May 2010, 7:14 PM EDT

• Reporter: David Barras
• Editor: Andrew Bonner
• By LIZ SIDOTI and DEANNA MARTIN Associated Press Writers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH/AP) - Former Indiana senator Dan Coats has won the GOP Senate nomination. Coats shot to an early lead on election night and held on to beat opponents Marlin Stutzman and John Hostettler.

The newly nominated Republican candidate had his son Andrew introduce him as he began the celebration at the downtown Indianapolis Marriott.

Saying, "Thank you, Indiana, for your strong support," Coats stressed his conservatism and his strong Hoosier values. He then began attacking President Obama.

Coats said the choices between himself and representative Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic nominee, are clear. He said it's time to stop the spending in Washington and the hard left the government is taking. He attacked Ellsworth's support of the recently-passed health care bill.

Coats intends to hit the road campaigning immediately. He's heading to Evansville Wednesday morning right into the heart of Brad Ellsworth territory.

Coats has been under fire from conservatives for his years as a Washington lobbyist and for a vote in favor of a gun control law when he was in the Senate.

He only won about 40 percent of the vote with 71 percent of precincts reporting, signaling a divide in the GOP between mainstream Republicans and more conservative tea party voters who split their votes between Hostettler and Stutzman.

That divide could be an issue in November when Coats will Ellsworth, a conservative Democrat who will be formally nominated by the Democratic central committee May 15.

"Ellsworth has enough conservative credentials to cut into some of the Republican base," said Brian Vargus, a political science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.

"It is completely possible that those people who are disaffected from the party -- the so-called tea party voters -- vote Libertarian or stay home."

Coats, backed by national GOP leaders during the primary, hopes to convince tea party voters that he echoes their concerns about where the country is headed under Democratic leadership.

"We're going to be singing off the same song sheet between now and November," said Coats spokesman Pete Seat.

Coats may also portray Ellsworth as a Washington insider, even though Coats himself has plenty of experience inside the beltway.

Coats won a special election in 1990 to serve the remainder of Dan Quayle's term after Quayle became vice president in 1989.

Coats' name was last on an Indiana ballot in 1992, when he made a successful bid for a full Senate term.

But he decided not to run for re-election in 1998, when Bayh made his first run for the seat. Coats has since been an ambassador to Germany under former President George W. Bush and worked as a lobbyist in Washington.

Democrats have been attacking Coats even before he won Tuesday's primary.

The chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party chided Coats for missing a deadline to file a personal financial disclosure report, saying he should know better because of his experience as a former senator. Once Coats filed the form, Democrats criticized him for being an "elite D.C. lobbyist" and questioned whether he would represent Indiana residents or special interest groups.

FOX NEWS: DAN COATS CLAIMS POLL POSITION

IN Senate Race: Coats Claims Poll Position

April 29, 2010 - 11:14 AM | by: Steve Brown

Dan Coats appears to have broken through in Indiana's GOP primary for that state's US Senate race. A poll out this morning from the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics has Coats in front outside the margin of error. Here's the breakdown:

Dan Coats 36%

John Hostettler 24%

Marlin Stutzman 18%

Undecided 13%

Don Bates, Jr. 6%

Richard Behney 4%

The poll was conducted by SurveyUSA via recorded message delivered by random telephone calls (refered to as a 'robo-poll'). There were 407 Hoosiers questioned who said they were likely to vote in the Republican primary. Calls were conducted from April 22nd-27th. The margin of error in the poll is plus/minus 5%.

The primary is Tuesday, May 4th.

UPDATE: The most surprising single piece of data in the poll was Coats strong standing among likely voters who "identify with the Tea Party movement". In that group...Coats got 30%...Stutzman 23%...Hostettler 21%...Undecided 11%...Bates 9% and Behney 4%.

Why is that surprising? Coats did not win a single straw poll at any of the debates sponsored by Tea Party groups. Organizers have repeatedly told me that of the five Republican candidates...the Tea Party favorites are Stutzman, Behney and Bates.

In fact, Behney is a Tea Party organizer himself. Stutzman has courted the Tea Party vote and has won four Tea Party debate straw polls. The one candidate who has seemed to struggle for support among Tea Party activists is Coats.

Yet, this polls suggests Coats may have mended fences with Tea Partiers on issues such as Coats' voting for a semi-automatic weapons ban while a Senator in the 1990's...and Coats work as a DC lobbyist.

Tea Partiers may have grown pragmatic here in the waning days of the primary campaign...getting behind Coats because of his base of support among the regulars of the Indiana Republican Party. But if that's true...it's the first time this reporter has heard it.

Dan Coats Leads Primary, General Election Rivals in Bid to Return to Senate

Bruce Drake

Contributing Editor

Former GOP Sen. Dan Coats, who represented Indiana from 1989 to 1999, holds double-digit leads over rivals both in the race for the Republican senatorial nomination and the general election contest, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted April 22-26 for the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics.

As Tuesday's primary nears, Coats had support of 36 percent of likely voters, followed by former Rep. John Hostettler at 24 percent and state Sen. Marlin Stutzman at 18 percent, with two other candidates in single digits and 13 percent undecided. The margin of error is 5 points.

Stutzman has been endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund which, like the Tea Party movement, has backed anti-establishment conservatives. Still, Coats outpolls Stutzman 34 percent to 20 percent among those with a favorable view of the Tea Party movement, and by 30 percent to 23 percent among those who say they identify with the movement. Get the new
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For the general election, Coats leads Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth 47 percent to 31 percent with 22 percent undecided. Hostettler also leads Ellsworth 45 percent to 32 percent with 23 percent undecided, as does Stutzman, by 41 percent to 35 percent with 25 percent undecided.

The race is for the seat now held by Democrat Evan Bayh, who chose not to seek re-election.

Fred Thompson Endorses Dan Coats

Fred Thompson Endorses Dan Coats

Calls Coats ‘Solid, Principled Conservative’

INDIANAPOLIS (April 27, 2010) – Adding to the growing list of conservative leaders endorsing Dan Coats including Congressman Mike Pence and Dr. James Dobson, former Senator Fred Thompson released the following statement in support of Dan Coats for United States Senate:

“I’ve known and worked with Dan Coats for a number of years. He’s a solid, principled conservative, and a leader of our Republican Party. I’ve seen him represent the people of Indiana honorably. When we were together in the Senate, I witnessed moments where Dan had to make tough votes that some in our party might not have agreed with, but he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do. Making those kinds of decisions aren’t easy; Dan never took them lightly, and I know his experience and leadership are greatly needed in Washington right now.

“That’s why I endorse and support Dan Coats for a return to the United States Senate, and I hope conservatives and Republicans in Indiana do the same,” Thompson said.

Former Coats and Hostettler Staffer Makes Choice: Dan Coats!

Curt Smith
Executive Director
Indiana Family Institute
(Focus on the Family of Indiana)

By Brian Howey

INDIANAPOLIS — When it comes to the Republican U.S. Senate race, Curt Smith has had vivid relationships with four of the five candidates. He helped launch Richard Behney's campaign and he's worked with State Sen. Marlin Stutzman on marriage legislation with the Indiana Family Institute. He's been Dan Coats' Senate state director and congressman John Hostettler's chief of staff. When it comes to the Senate primary, Smith is making it clear whom he supports: Dan Coats. "When Dan called me and said he was getting back in the race, I was very excited because I know a little bit about the Senate having worked there for six years," Smith said. "I know how senators interact with one another. I am thoroughly convinced that Dan Coats would be the best possible senator from Indiana. That's not to take anything away from John Hostettler. John is a smart guy. But the House of Representatives is wholesale where groups and blocks come together to advance legislation. The Senate is retail. You've got to have ‘Triple A’ people skills on legislation to get votes on your issues. I just don't think John Hostettler is as well suited for the Senate as Dan Coats." The Senate primary is a presumed race between the two former Members of Congress, though Stutzman has won the endorsement of the American Conservative Union and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. A fifth candidate, Don Bates Jr., has asserted that unlike Coats, Hostettler and Stutzman, he has no government experience and, thus, has not been “part of the problem.” With Hostettler, whom he met at a 1994 Promise Keepers convention, Smith explained, "John's used to putting coal in there and getting electricity out of here and that's not always how the legislative process works." Hostettler graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute and was an engineer at Vectren before he ran for Congress. "A lot of times you need to bring the people skills in. You have to advance the conversation." "It's not only because Dan's been there before and served years in the Senate; it's his people skills, his ability to reach out to folks. He can do something with someone who was as far to the left as Ted Kennedy and not compromise his principles and not give the store away," Smith explained. “He has the skills to negotiate with people who think differently; to blur the ideological lines and look for consensus. Dan Coats will make the logical argument and establish the principles, but he knows that the art of persuasion includes a human dimension. Dan is going to connect with people.” "It's tough seeing John Hostettler having those kind of people skills," Smith continued. "I think John has this notion that the Senate is where you go and reflect. Because you have a six-year term it's the longest horizon in government, it's not a deliberative and reflective body as the Jimmy Stewart movies would suggest. The reality is the United States Senate is as reactive as the House, it just reacts differently." Asked for examples, Smith pointed to Coats' work to revamp the U.S. tax code in 1986 and his pioneer efforts on what he called the Project for American Renewal that eventually formed the structure for President George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives. On the tax code, Smith explained, "Dan secured a promise from President Reagan in a meeting with House Republicans. Dan almost single handedly was responsible for doubling the dependency exemption." As for Hostettler, Smith explained, "I just see John as a guy who makes the case and then he says, 'You decide.' Sometimes you've got to do more than that. You have to stay with it, be passionate and make the message. It was hard to get him to return media calls. He did not want to do fundraising. He did not want to meet with some of the constituent groups." There's another element to Smith's perception that Coats would be the better Republican nominee over Hostettler and that has to do with the 2006 election that Hostettler lost to U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth — the presumed Democratric Senate nominee — by 22 percent. Howey Politics Indiana reported in October 2006 that Hostettler essentially gave up on that race, citing several high-level Evansville Republicans. Smith recalls, "I sent you an e-mail saying you were crazy." But in retrospect, Smith explained, "I don't really know what happened in 2006. I did not see him as giving up. I saw him as being fatalistic.” That 2006 loss — the biggest by an incumbent that year — is in Smith's mind Hostettler's greatest liability. "The really tough question for John Hostettler to answer in his Senate campaign is why should he be the one to carry the Republican Party's banner when he lost to Brad Ellsworth by 22 points?" Smith said. "That's the question and I don't think John has a good answer." The columnist publishes at www.howeypolitics.com

Dan Coats Endorsed By Congressman Mike Pence Is "Old" New News

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

IN Senate Race: What’s old is “news”

April 21, 2010 - 3:20 PM | by: Steve Brown

What's your definition of news?

Is it information that's 2 1/2 months old?

It was for Dan Coats last night.

In a five-candidate race, Coats is considered a slight favorite in the May 4th Indiana Republican primary for the US Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Evan Bayh. After Tuesday night's televised GOP Senate debate, Coats told reporters he had an announcement to make, before taking questions.

Coats said, "Lemme just pass on some news that I'd like to give you here. I'm really pleased to announce tonight that uh...in fact I just got off the phone with Mike Pence. He's given me his unqualified endorsement and support for this race which I'm thrilled to have. He said some very good things about me when I indicated my intention to run. He's been supportive but uh...to say he's given me now his unqualified support is...is...is very important to me and I'm very appreciative." (You can watch Coats says this for yourself on the video linked to this story.)

The endorsement announcement was bigger than anything that happened in the debate. Congressman Mike Pence is very influential among Indiana Republicans. In the minds of many Hooiser GOP'ers only Governor Mitch Daniels endorsement would be bigger. (And Daniels in not endorsing. He says he'll back the primary winner.)

Wednesday morning, on Coats' campaign FaceBook page, the status trumpeted the Pence endorsement:

Dan Coats for Indiana Big News! Congressman Mike Pence has given Dan his unqualified endorsement for the U.S. Senate!

The thing is...Pence's backing was old news. That's how Pence's chief of staff Bill Smith described it when contacted by Fox News.

In early February, a statement of support for Coats candidacy was issued. This was shortly after Coats' announcement that he intended to join the race. The Pence statement was picked up by some DC media outlets.

Roll Call on February 3rd ran the following quote attributed to Pence:

“I am very excited about the possibility that former Senator Dan Coats may run for the United States Senate in 2010 and I sincerely hope he does it,” Pence said in a statement. “His integrity and conservative record would make him the ideal candidate for Hoosiers. If he runs, I will support him.”

Fifteen days later, Coats filed to run in the Indiana Senate election.

Smith says since that February statement, "The Congressman has not been hesitant" to tell reporters who asked that he was a Coats-backer. Smith made it clear in a telephone interview that while the February statement did not contain the word 'endorsement', it was certainly considered one by Pence.

Still, there was at least some confusion about Pence's backing of Coats. Some supporters had contacted Pence's offices asking who the Representative liked in the primary. Smith says all who inquired were told the same thing, "Coats".

But it shouldn't have been confusing for people who visit Coats campaign website. On a page titled "What They're Saying" a Pence quote sits atop the list:

Congressman Mike Pence: “His integrity and conservative record would make him the ideal candidate for Hoosiers.” (Congressional Quarterly, 2/3/10)

So, did Coats just plain get it the timing wrong with his post-debate "news" announcement?

Apparently.

Kevin Kellems of the Coats campaign sent an e-mail this morning which reads in part:

"Cong. Pence called Dan after the debate. I don't speak for him, but I believe the reason the Congressman reached out to Dan was to make it clear that his statement of support that came very early on was indeed an endorsement."

So, Coats did have Pence's endorsement all along...even before Coats was officially in the race. And certainly a lot of people missed it (including this reporter). But was Coats post-debate announcement last night "news" as he said?

As we says around here at Fox, "You decide."