Dan Coats
Encyclopedia
Daniel Ray "Dan" Coats is the junior United States Senator
from Indiana
and member of the Republican Party
. He was in the United States Senate
from from 1989 to 1999, retired, and then returned in 2011.
Born in Jackson
, Michigan
, Coats graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois
and Indiana University School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army
from 1966 to 1968. Before serving in the U.S. Senate, Coats was a member of the United States House of Representatives
, representing Indiana's 4th congressional district
from 1981 to 1989. He was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Dan Quayle
following Quayle's election
as Vice President of the United States
in 1988. Coats won the 1990 special election
to serve the remainder of Quayle's unexpired term, as well as the 1992 election
for a full six-year term. He did not seek reelection in 1998
.
After retiring from the Senate, Coats served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany
from 2001 to 2005, and then worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. He was re-elected to the Senate by a large margin in 2010, succeeding U.S. Senator Evan Bayh
, who did not seek reelection. Along with Senator Frank Lautenberg
of New Jersey, he is one of two current Senators to have returned to the Senate after having retired from the Senate.
, Michigan
, to Edward R. and Vera E. Coats. He attended local public schools, and graduated from Jackson High School in 1961. He then studied at Wheaton College in Illinois
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in political science
in 1965. At Wheaton, he was an active student athlete on the soccer team. He served in the United States Army
from 1966 to 1968, and earned a Juris Doctor
from Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis
in 1971. He also served as assistant vice president of a Fort Wayne life insurance company.
Dan Quayle
, a Republican
from Indiana's 4th congressional district
, as Quayle's district representative. When Quayle decided to challenge three-term Democratic
incumbent Birch Bayh
in the 1980 U.S. Senate election
, Coats ran for and won Quayle's seat in the U.S. House.
in 1988, Coats was appointed to Quayle’s former seat. Coats served in the Senate until January 1999, when Evan Bayh
became the new Senator. When Bayh retired, Coats ran for his old seat and won in 2010.
that President Clinton signed into law in 1993. The legislation imposed a waiting period before a handgun could be transferred to an individual by a licensed dealer, importer, or manufacturer. This waiting period ended when the computerized instant check system came online. Coats also supported Feinstein Amendment 1152 to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1993. The purpose of the Feinstein Amendment was to "restrict the manufacture, transfer, and possession of certain semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices."
In 1993, Senator Coats emerged as an opponent of President Clinton's effort to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. In 1995 Senator Coats introduced S. 568: Family, Investment, Retirement, Savings, and Tax Fairness Act which would provide "family tax credits, increase national savings through individual retirement plus accounts, indexing for inflation the income thresholds for taxing social security benefits, etc". The bill did not become law.
Senator Coats cosponsored, with Democratic Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Christopher Dodd
and then-Republican Senator James Jeffords, S.2206: Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998. This bill, which was enacted into law, “amended the Head Start Act, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981, and the Community Services Block Grant Act... in order to provide an opportunity for persons with limited means to accumulate assets.”
In 1996, Senator Coats cosponsored the Line Item Veto Act of 1996
which President Clinton signed into law. The bill allowed the President to "rewrit[e] legislation by vetoing single items of spending or specific tax breaks approved by Congress." The Supreme Court of the United States
declared the law unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York
in a 6-3 decision.
Coats made headlines in August 1998, when he publicly questioned the timing of President Bill Clinton
’s attack on terrorist bases in Afghanistan and Sudan
, suggesting it might be linked to the Lewinsky scandal
: "While there is clearly much more we need to learn about this attack and why it was ordered today, given the president’s personal difficulties this week, it is legitimate to question the timing of this action."
In 2001, Coats was reportedly one of George W. Bush
’s top choices to be Defense Secretary, a job eventually given to Donald Rumsfeld
, who had previously served as United States Secretary of Defense
.
From August 15, 2001 to February 28, 2005, Coats was the United States Ambassador to Germany
. As ambassador during the lead up to the Iraq war, he pressured the German government not to oppose the war, threatening worsened US relations with Germany. As Ambassador he also played a critical role in establishing robust relations with then opposition leader Angela Merkel
and in the construction of a new United States Embassy in the heart of Berlin next to the Brandenburg Gate
.
In 2005, Coats drew attention when he was chosen by President George W. Bush
to shepherd Harriet Miers
' failed nomination to the Supreme Court
through the Senate
. Echoing Senator Roman Hruska
's famous 1970 speech in defense of Harrold Carswell, Coats said to CNN
regarding the nomination: "If [being a] great intellectual powerhouse is a qualification to be a member of the court and represent the American people and the wishes of the American people and to interpret the Constitution, then I think we have a court so skewed on the intellectual side that we may not be getting representation of America as a whole."
In 2007, Coats served as co-chairman of a team of lobbyists for Cooper Industries, a Texas corporation that moved its principal place of business to Bermuda, where it would not be liable for U.S. taxes. He successfully blocked Senate legislation that would have prevented a tax loophole, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Cooper Industries.
The NYT also reported that Coats was co-chairman of the Washington government relations office of King & Spalding
, with a salary of $603,609.
in the 2010 United States Senate election
. Bayh announced his retirement on February 15, 2010. On May 4, 2010, Coats won the Republican primary over state Sen. Marlin Stutzman
and former Congressman John Hostettler
.
Coats received endorsements from National Right to Life Committee
, Indiana Right to Life and the Susan B. Anthony List
.
Coats has described himself as a conservative who stands for “limited government, lower taxes, a balanced budget, [and] strong defense.” Coats said, "We need to get the economy back on track... that ought to be our priority and not the huge spending going on in Washington"
Coats defeated Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth
by a large margin to return to the Senate.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He was in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from from 1989 to 1999, retired, and then returned in 2011.
Born in Jackson
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Coats graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Indiana University School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
from 1966 to 1968. Before serving in the U.S. Senate, Coats was a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, representing Indiana's 4th congressional district
Indiana's 4th congressional district
Indiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Based primary in the central part of the state, the district consists of all of Boone, Clinton, Hendricks, Morgan, Lawrence, Montgomery, and Tippecanoe counties and parts of Fountain, Johnson, Marion,...
from 1981 to 1989. He was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
following Quayle's election
United States presidential election, 1988
The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the...
as Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
in 1988. Coats won the 1990 special election
United States Senate special election in Indiana, 1990
The 1990 United States Senate special election in Indiana was a special election held on November 6, 1990, in order to fill the Class III seat in the United States Senate from Indiana for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 1993. Incumbent Republican U.S...
to serve the remainder of Quayle's unexpired term, as well as the 1992 election
United States Senate election in Indiana, 1992
The 1992 United States Senate election in Indiana was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Dan Coats won re-election to his first full term.-Background:...
for a full six-year term. He did not seek reelection in 1998
United States Senate election in Indiana, 1998
The 1998 United States Senate election in Indiana was held on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Dan Coats decided to retire instead of seeking a second full term. Democratic nominee Evan Bayh won the open seat his father once held....
.
After retiring from the Senate, Coats served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany
United States Ambassador to Germany
The United States has had diplomatic relations with the nation of Germany and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Prussia, since 1835. These relations were broken twice while Germany and the United States were at war...
from 2001 to 2005, and then worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. He was re-elected to the Senate by a large margin in 2010, succeeding U.S. Senator Evan Bayh
Evan Bayh
Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
, who did not seek reelection. Along with Senator Frank Lautenberg
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing, Inc.-Early life, career, and family:...
of New Jersey, he is one of two current Senators to have returned to the Senate after having retired from the Senate.
Early life, education and career
Coats was born in JacksonJackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, to Edward R. and Vera E. Coats. He attended local public schools, and graduated from Jackson High School in 1961. He then studied at Wheaton College in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
in 1965. At Wheaton, he was an active student athlete on the soccer team. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
from 1966 to 1968, and earned a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
in 1971. He also served as assistant vice president of a Fort Wayne life insurance company.
U.S. House of Representatives
From 1976 to 1980, Coats worked for then-U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
from Indiana's 4th congressional district
Indiana's 4th congressional district
Indiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Based primary in the central part of the state, the district consists of all of Boone, Clinton, Hendricks, Morgan, Lawrence, Montgomery, and Tippecanoe counties and parts of Fountain, Johnson, Marion,...
, as Quayle's district representative. When Quayle decided to challenge three-term Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
incumbent Birch Bayh
Birch Bayh
Birch Evans Bayh II is a former United States Senator from Indiana, having served from 1963 to 1981. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in the 1976 election, but lost to Jimmy Carter. He is the father of former Indiana Governor and former U.S. Senator Evan Bayh.-Life...
in the 1980 U.S. Senate election
United States Senate election in Indiana, 1980
The 1980 United States Senate election in Indiana took place on November 4, 1980, along with elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as the presidential election, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent...
, Coats ran for and won Quayle's seat in the U.S. House.
U.S. Senate
When Quayle resigned from the Senate after being elected Vice President of the United StatesVice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
in 1988, Coats was appointed to Quayle’s former seat. Coats served in the Senate until January 1999, when Evan Bayh
Evan Bayh
Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
became the new Senator. When Bayh retired, Coats ran for his old seat and won in 2010.
Political positions
On multiple occasions, Senator Coats supported gun control measures. In 1991, he voted in favor of Biden-Thurmond Violent Crime Control Act of 1991. This act, which did not become law, would have created a waiting period for handgun purchases and placed a ban on semi-automatic firearms. Subsequently, he supported the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention ActBrady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is an Act of the United States Congress that, for the first time, instituted federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States....
that President Clinton signed into law in 1993. The legislation imposed a waiting period before a handgun could be transferred to an individual by a licensed dealer, importer, or manufacturer. This waiting period ended when the computerized instant check system came online. Coats also supported Feinstein Amendment 1152 to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1993. The purpose of the Feinstein Amendment was to "restrict the manufacture, transfer, and possession of certain semiautomatic assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices."
In 1993, Senator Coats emerged as an opponent of President Clinton's effort to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. In 1995 Senator Coats introduced S. 568: Family, Investment, Retirement, Savings, and Tax Fairness Act which would provide "family tax credits, increase national savings through individual retirement plus accounts, indexing for inflation the income thresholds for taxing social security benefits, etc". The bill did not become law.
Senator Coats cosponsored, with Democratic Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Christopher Dodd
Christopher Dodd
Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress....
and then-Republican Senator James Jeffords, S.2206: Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998. This bill, which was enacted into law, “amended the Head Start Act, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981, and the Community Services Block Grant Act... in order to provide an opportunity for persons with limited means to accumulate assets.”
In 1996, Senator Coats cosponsored the Line Item Veto Act of 1996
Line Item Veto Act of 1996
The Line Item Veto Act of 1996 enacted a line-item veto for the Federal government of the United States, but its effect was brief due to judicial review....
which President Clinton signed into law. The bill allowed the President to "rewrit[e] legislation by vetoing single items of spending or specific tax breaks approved by Congress." The Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
declared the law unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York
Clinton v. City of New York
Clinton v. City of New York, , is a legal case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the line-item veto as granted in the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 violated the Presentment Clause of the United States Constitution because it impermissibly gave the President of the United...
in a 6-3 decision.
Coats made headlines in August 1998, when he publicly questioned the timing of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
’s attack on terrorist bases in Afghanistan and Sudan
Operation Infinite Reach
The August 1998 bombings of Afghanistan and Sudan were American cruise missile strikes on terrorist bases in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan on August 20, 1998...
, suggesting it might be linked to the Lewinsky scandal
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
: "While there is clearly much more we need to learn about this attack and why it was ordered today, given the president’s personal difficulties this week, it is legitimate to question the timing of this action."
Between U.S. Senate tenures
Coats worked as Special Counsel member in the firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand in 2000 and 2001.In 2001, Coats was reportedly one of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
’s top choices to be Defense Secretary, a job eventually given to Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, who had previously served as United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
.
From August 15, 2001 to February 28, 2005, Coats was the United States Ambassador to Germany
United States Ambassador to Germany
The United States has had diplomatic relations with the nation of Germany and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Prussia, since 1835. These relations were broken twice while Germany and the United States were at war...
. As ambassador during the lead up to the Iraq war, he pressured the German government not to oppose the war, threatening worsened US relations with Germany. As Ambassador he also played a critical role in establishing robust relations with then opposition leader Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
and in the construction of a new United States Embassy in the heart of Berlin next to the Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
.
In 2005, Coats drew attention when he was chosen by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to shepherd Harriet Miers
Harriet Miers
Harriet Ellan Miers is an American lawyer and former White House Counsel. In 2005, she was nominated by President George W. Bush to be an Associate Justice of the U.S...
' failed nomination to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
through the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Echoing Senator Roman Hruska
Roman Hruska
Roman Lee Hruska was a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Nebraska. Hruska was known as one of the most vocal conservatives in the United States Senate during the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:...
's famous 1970 speech in defense of Harrold Carswell, Coats said to CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
regarding the nomination: "If [being a] great intellectual powerhouse is a qualification to be a member of the court and represent the American people and the wishes of the American people and to interpret the Constitution, then I think we have a court so skewed on the intellectual side that we may not be getting representation of America as a whole."
In 2007, Coats served as co-chairman of a team of lobbyists for Cooper Industries, a Texas corporation that moved its principal place of business to Bermuda, where it would not be liable for U.S. taxes. He successfully blocked Senate legislation that would have prevented a tax loophole, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Cooper Industries.
The NYT also reported that Coats was co-chairman of the Washington government relations office of King & Spalding
King & Spalding
King & Spalding LLP is an American law firm with 125 years of service. It was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1885 by Alexander C. King and Jack Spalding. The firm has expanded nationally, with offices in Austin, Charlotte, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C...
, with a salary of $603,609.
2010
On February 10, 2010, Coats confirmed that he would return to Indiana to run for the seat held by retiring incumbent Evan BayhEvan Bayh
Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III is a lawyer, advisor and former Democratic politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011. He earlier served as the 46th Governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh is a current Fox News contributor as of March 14, 2011.Bayh first held...
in the 2010 United States Senate election
United States Senate election in Indiana, 2010
-Hostettler:-Stutzman:-Polling:-Results:-Candidates:*Brad Ellsworth , U.S. Congressman*Dan Coats , former U.S. Senator*Rebecca Sink-Burris , Teacher and small business owner-Campaign:...
. Bayh announced his retirement on February 15, 2010. On May 4, 2010, Coats won the Republican primary over state Sen. Marlin Stutzman
Marlin Stutzman
Marlin Andrew Stutzman is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He previously was a member of the Indiana Senate representing the 13th district, where he served from 2009 to 2010 and he was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008 representing...
and former Congressman John Hostettler
John Hostettler
John Nathan Hostettler , was a Republican candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat in the state of Indiana held by retiring Senator Evan Bayh. On December 3, 2009, Hostettler announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, but lost to former Senator Dan Coats.Hostettler served in the U.S...
.
Coats received endorsements from National Right to Life Committee
National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee is the oldest and largest pro-life organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. The group works through legislation and education to work against abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted...
, Indiana Right to Life and the Susan B. Anthony List
Susan B. Anthony List
The Susan B. Anthony List, or simply SBA List, is a 501 non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to eliminate abortion in the U.S. by supporting pro-life politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List Candidate Fund political action committee...
.
Coats has described himself as a conservative who stands for “limited government, lower taxes, a balanced budget, [and] strong defense.” Coats said, "We need to get the economy back on track... that ought to be our priority and not the huge spending going on in Washington"
Coats defeated Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth
Brad Ellsworth
John Bradley "Brad" Ellsworth is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011, and was the unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat currently held by Dan Coats...
by a large margin to return to the Senate.
Personal life
Coats is affiliated with the Fellowship, an informal association of Christian lawmakers.External links
- Senator Dan Coats official U.S. Senate website