Kavanaugh fight at center of Indiana
Senate debate
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[October 09, 2018]
By James Oliphant
(Reuters) - The bitter fight over the
confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh spilled over into
a key U.S. Senate race in Indiana on Monday, as the Republican
challenger, Mike Braun squared off against Joe Donnelly, the Democratic
incumbent.
Braun, a businessman, hammered Donnelly over his opposition to President
Donald Trump's latest nomination to the top court, seeking momentum in a
race that polls show to be tight a month before Nov. 6 elections that
will determine control of Congress.
Democrats need to gain a net total of two seats to win control of the
Senate, which will require defending seats in several states that voted
for Trump in 2016, including Indiana. Control of the Senate would allow
them to block moves by Trump, including Supreme Court nominees.
Donnelly, who is seeking a second Senate term, has been a top target of
Republicans in a state Trump won by almost 20 percentage points two
years ago.
"I voted against Judge Kavanaugh because of concerns about his
impartiality and concerns about his judicial temperament," Donnelly said
early in the first debate between the candidates, held in Westville,
Indiana, a small town in the northwest corner of the state.
Kavanaugh was accused by California university professor Christine
Blasey Ford of sexual assaulting her when they were high school students
in 1982. He mounted a passionate defense of his innocence in the Senate
and was confirmed by 50-48 in a near-party-line vote on Saturday.

Braun's campaign has pointed to Donnelly's "no" vote as a lack of
support for the Republican president's agenda. On Monday, Braun charged
that Donnelly was unwilling to buck his party in opposing Kavanaugh.
"Democrats including Joe Donnelly will do or say anything when it comes
to their political interests," Braun said. "It is a blood sport."
Republicans believe the fight over Kavanaugh has engaged conservative
voters who otherwise have not been paying attention to the elections and
may make a difference in several close Senate races.
WORKING WITH TRUMP
Donnelly has emphasized his ability to work with Trump, and he did so
again on Monday, saying he had supported the president's agenda the
majority of the time.
Last year, Donnelly voted to confirm Trump's first Supreme Court
nominee, Neil Gorsuch. He said his vote against Kavanaugh showed
independent judgment.
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L-R: Libertarian Lucy Brenton, Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and
Republican former state Rep. Mike Braun, participate in a U.S.
Senate Debate, in Westville, Indiana, U.S., October 8, 2018. Darron
Cummings/Pool via REUTERS

"Mike was for Judge Kavanaugh on the first day. If President Trump
put up Bugs Bunny, Mike would have said he should go on the court,"
Donnelly said. "My job is to protect the court and to put people on
who are qualified."
Braun, who served for three years in the Indiana legislature,
repeatedly stressed his Trumpian "outsider" credentials. He
criticized Donnelly for failing to support tax overhaul legislation
that passed Congress last year and for supporting the Iran nuclear
deal crafted by the Obama administration, which Trump has abandoned.
Donnelly accused Braun of not supporting insurance coverage for
pre-existing healthcare conditions in the Affordable Care Act,
popularly known as Obamacare, an attack line that has been a staple
of Democratic campaigns.
Braun pledged during the debate that he would never support a
replacement for Obamacare "unless it covered pre-existing
conditions."
A Democrat in a Republican-heavy state, Donnelly has shown staying
power, with polls largely showing him keeping a slight edge over
Braun and Libertarian candidate Lucy Benton, who also participated
in Monday's debate.
He supported steel and aluminum tariffs the administration placed on
imports this year, saying they benefited Indiana industries.
Donnelly has criticized other tariffs that have hurt the state's
farmers and contended they had gone too far in spurring retaliation
by China. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce, which has long backed
Republicans, declined in the summer to endorse anyone in the Senate
race, showing the potency of the tariff issue.
(Reporting by James Oliphant in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone
and Peter Cooney)
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