Battle for the Senate: Indiana

The Indiana race pitts an anti-regulatory incumbent against a pro-environmental challenger.

Indiana presents another strong contrast in environmental views.  The Republican, Todd Young, has a rating of 3% from the League of Conservation voters.  His opponent, Evan Bayh, has a 74% rating.

Young is an Annapolis graduate and former Marine officer, who earned his MBA from night classes at the University of Chicago.  After a short stint at the Heritage Foundation, he worked as a management consultant while taking more classes at night and getting a law degree from Indiana University.  His link with the Heritage Foundation tells you pretty much everything you need to know about his policy views.  He introduced the REINS Act, a law that would block agencies from issuing major rules without specific approval from Congress. As his LCV score indicates, his voting record is consistently anti-environmental (or anti-regulatory, if you prefer).  His House website says that environmental regulations cost small businesses $281 billion per year.

His opponent, former Senator, Evan Bayh, is a lawyer and also the former Governor.  His voting record as a Senator was solidly environmental, with votes in favor of the mercury MACT, the Cash for Clunkers program and the Great Lakes interstate compact — and more notably, with a vote against confirming Bush nominee Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. But the 74% LCV ranking is considerably lower than some other Democrats, so Bayh isn’t particularly notable for his environmentalism.

I’d summarize this race by saying that it pits an able anti-regulatory stalwart against a moderately environmental candidate.  This race, along with the seven others discussed in this series of blog posts, will determine which stance dominates the new Senate.

Reader Comments

About Dan

Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…

READ more

About Dan

Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…

READ more

POSTS BY Dan