Young Campaign Says Donations Mean He Could Be Competitive In Senate Race

INDIANAPOLIS – U.S. Rep. Todd Young’s campaign announced Tuesday that the Republican has raised more than $500,000 since Sen. Dan Coats announced he would not seek reelection.

That’s a sign that Young has the support to seek the seat, his spokesman said.

“These fundraising numbers show there is an overwhelmingly positive response around the state to the idea of a Todd Young senate campaign,” said campaign spokesman Trevor Foughty. “As the congressman continues to work through a decision, this gives us confidence that such an effort would have the resources needed to win.”

Coats announced last month that he would not seek reelection, which led a number of Republicans – including Young – to say they are thinking about seeking the GOP nomination for the seat in 2016.

Already, Eric Holcomb – a former aid to Coats and former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels – has jumped into the race and several other members of the U.S. House are thought to be considering a run.

Young’s latest campaign report – which covers the first quarter of 2015 – shows he raised $410,000 and finished the period on March 31 with more than $1.1 million in cash. Most of that money came in the last week of the quarter, after Coats announced he wouldn’t run.

In addition, Young has raised another $155,000 after the first quarter ended. That money is not reflected in the campaign finance report.

The quarterly report shows that Young raised more than 80 percent of his contributions from individuals. The campaign said the report is evidence Young’s potential Senate campaign “would be starting from a position of strength.”

Lesley Weidenbener is executive editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.