INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana tea party activists might never fully embrace former Sen. Dan Coats, but the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate is making a concerted effort to court the antiestablishment vote and win their support in the general election.
After the tea party's favored candidate lost the May primary to Coats, those voters weary of big government were expected to either stay home Nov. 2 or begrudgingly back Coats over Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth. But Coats' wooing has persuaded some to actively seek to help him win Indiana's open Senate seat.
This weekend, the Tea Party of Michiana Action Coalition is holding a cookout in Elkhart to raise money for Coats and two tea party favorites, Republicans Jackie Walorski in the 2nd Congressional District and Marlin Stutzman in the 3rd District.
"That as much as anything shows that the tea party movement has embraced Dan," said Peter Recchio, a cofounder of the group. "We have seen more and more building of support for Dan among tea party groups."
That Coats is making any progress with tea party voters symbolizes a thawing of the sometimes uneasy relationship between the groups and the Republican Party. The independent tea partiers are wary of the GOP establishment and Coats' work as a Washington lobbyist, but they share Republican concerns about the Obama administration's policies and federal spending.
"Some of the policies there that the tea party endorses are good ones," Coats said Monday at a campaign stop in Indianapolis. "Line-item veto, balancing our budget, being responsible fiscally and keeping our taxes low are all proposals that conservatives can rally around, and we've had constructive talks.
"They are engaged in the process, and we're happy to have as many people involved as we can get wherever they are in the spectrum."
Monica Boyer, a leader of the Kosciusko County tea party group Silent No More, said she gained a better understanding of Coats after a June meeting with several tea party leaders in northern Indiana. She said he clarified some of the votes he cast when he represented Indiana in the Senate from 1989 to 1999 and discussed his stance on issues including guns, abortion, spending and religion.
"I left there with a confidence that I could campaign for Dan," Boyer said.
But she acknowledged that not everyone feels that way.
"There's a lot of people who are still questioning and don't understand the votes," she said. "We're still going to support him, but he's going to have to win it on his own, without the grass-roots support of us."
Kelly Khuri, one of the organizers of the Clark County Tea Party Patriots, said her group hasn't fully endorsed Coats and wants to talk to him about the issues.
"It's unfortunate that this is what we've got," she said. "We're just going to have to work with Dan."
Coats spokesman Pete Seat said more meetings would be planned as the campaign schedule allows.
Even with the budding trust with tea party voters, Coats has to tread carefully. He risks alienating moderate GOP voters if he closely aligns himself with tea party leaders who are too controversial, said Sean Savage, a political science professor at St. Mary's College in South Bend.
Tea party groups have pledged to keep a close watch on Coats if he's elected to ensure his votes don't violate that trust.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker said Coats' effort to reach out to the tea party is a reminder of how divided the GOP remains. He pointed out that Coats got less than 40 percent of the vote in the five-way primary.
"Over three months later, he's still trying to shore up his base," Parker said.
State GOP Chairman Murray Clark said Coats is "very comfortable in his own skin" and directly confronts criticism about his previous votes when talking with tea party voters.
"The more they meet with Dan Coats, the more they like him," Clark said.
Read More
Fire outside Manhattan courthouse where Trump trial is adjourned
By Staff Reports / 33 minutes agoA person was set on fire outside of the Manhattan courthouse where former president Donald Trump is on trial. The individual was extinguished and rushed away by emergency services. The condition of the individual is unknown as of this time.
The closure of the historic Mark III Tap Room impacts Muncie’s LGBTQ+ community.
By Meghan Holt / 5 hours agoPatrons of the oldest gay bar in Indiana reflect on how it affected their lives.
Retired high school teacher holds presentation about history of Berlin Wall
By Emma Matlock / 23 hours agoTom Schwartz, a retired Bluffton High School Teacher, talks about the art on the Berlin Wall on April 15, 2024.
