New Senate poll | Indy Dems head resigns
The Democrats are thrilled with the release of a poll from the Tom McDermott campaign showing he is only trailing Sen. Todd Young in the U.S by 3 percentage points in a race that’s largely been viewed as uncompetitive.
Yes, it’s only one poll and it’s a poll released by a campaign, but in a race with no external public polls it at least provides Hoosiers with an inside look at the race at the top of the ballot.
It also gave us a look at how Hoosiers feel about abortion, after the overturn of Roe v. Wade and subsequent passage of a near-total abortion ban in the state. Of those California-based Change Research surveyed in Indiana, 49% said they would support candidates who would protect abortion rights, while only 25% said they would support candidates who would restrict abortion. The remaining 26% said abortion was unlikely to impact their choice.
The Young campaign declined to provide IndyStar with any of its own polling, but dismissed the poll’s methodology because it was conducted online. Here’s what else the poll said, and what experts said about its methodology.
Head of Indy Democrats steps down
Kate Sweeney Bell, who is running for Marion County clerk, announced this week that she has resigned as chair of the Marion County Democratic Party. This isn’t unexpected: she previously had said she wouldn’t hold both roles at the same time.
Bell, who is running for clerk, has been embroiled in conflict this year. She faced conflict of interest accusations that when she ran for and won the Democratic nomination for Marion County clerk in the May primary election in a heated race against former state senator Billie Breaux.
The difficult question now: who will replace her in an attempt to unify Marion County Democrats?
ACLU sues state over abortion law
The ACLU of Indiana and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Monroe County Circuit Court in Bloomington challenging the state’s new near-total ban on abortions. They argued that Senate Bill 1 violates an individual’s right to privacy and equal privilege protections as outlined in the state constitution.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said in an emailed statement that his office is dedicated to defending the law, which he described as life-saving.
More on the abortion bill:Here’s what it means for IU Health providers.
Nikki Haley to attend Indiana fundraiser
Jennifer-Ruth Green, the Republican candidate challenging Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan in the 1st Congressional District, announced this week that former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley will attend a fundraiser for her on Sept. 15. The race in northwest Indiana is viewed as one of the most competitive races in the state in the upcoming general election, and Haley’s involvement shows that nationally Republicans are taking the race seriously.
Tickets for the Gary event range from $100 for a general luncheon to $1,000 to sponsor the event.
Republican Kyle Walker gets union endorsement
Multiple organizations dropped their endorsements list this week. Among the most interesting? Republican Sen. Kyle Walker, who is running in a competitive district in the Lawrence and Fishers area, announced he was endorsed by the Indiana State AFL-CIO and the Indiana State Pipe Trades Association.
Most of the candidates AFL-CIO endorsed this cycle were Democrats, but AFL-CIO chose to endorse Walker instead of his opponent Democrat Jocelyn Vare. Walker broke with his party recently to oppose the state’s near-total abortion ban.
Notably though, Walker did not obtain an endorsement from the Indiana Farm Bureau. Neither did Vare.
The majority of Indiana Farm Bureau endorsements were for Republicans. 1st Congressional District Rep. Frank Mrvan was the sole Democrat running for Congress to get an endorsement from the agriculture-focused organization.
Indiana gets federal dollars for broadband
The Biden administration announced this week that Indiana is receiving $187 million to connect more than 50,000 homes and businesses to affordable high-speed internet, as part of the American Rescue Plan. The money will go toward Indiana’s Next Level Connections fund, which incentivizes service to school buildings, rural health clinicsand households with students
-SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK-
Hoosier Politics is compiled and written by the IndyStar politics and government team. Send us tips or let us know what you think of the newsletter by emailing [email protected].
Read More: New Senate poll | Indy Dems head resigns