Over the last several weeks, President Trump has thrown out endorsements to incumbents and challengers alike in Indiana Senate Republican primaries.
The thing that ties these people together is not that they have espoused Republican principles like lowering taxes, cutting spending or reforming government. A lot of the challengers have refused to divulge their positions on any of those. The incumbents certainly have not delivered either. These individuals earned the president’s support simply because they supported his congressional redistricting effort in December.
The president endorsing numerous people he knows nothing about is beneath his office and harmful to our state.
Trump has no idea about candidates or their politics
Trump knows very little about Indiana. He probably remembers we are in the middle of the country, Mike Pence is from here, Mike Braun is the governor and Jim Banks is one of our U.S. Senators. He knows zero about our property tax crisis, skyrocketing utility bills, Medicaid debacle, Indiana Economic Development Corp. corruption or a litany of other pressing issues facing our state.
Trump also has no idea about the voting record of incumbents or what challengers would do if elected. He is so unfamiliar with them he even misstated the office held by Brenda Wilson, one of the challengers.
Announcing support of these people to his massive social media audience allows them to avoid telling the public what their positions are on issues. Rather, they use Trump’s endorsement as some sort of gold standard, which becomes the focus of their entire campaign. Everywhere they go, whoever they talk to, the candidates lead with being endorsed by Trump.
The president’s approval serves as a get-out-of-jail-free card that makes candidates immune from having to explain their previous positions or ones they will take if elected. This means taxpayers get screwed in the end.
Trump will have very little impact on policy in Indiana the final two years of his presidency. His support will not translate into lower taxes for homeowners, more common-sense education policies that reward good schools or finally holding utility companies accountable for skyrocketing bills despite record profits. The only way these things will occur is if candidates are forced to debate them on the campaign trail and take specific positions before being elected.
Trump is harming his allies to serve his own agenda
The president’s lone criteria of doing whatever he demands to earn his blessing has also put him in direct conflict with allies. Recently, Trump threw his support behind state Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne. Brown is public enemy No. 1 to Banks and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.
The pair have publicly feuded with Brown for years and are two of the leading voices trying to elect challengers to senators who voted against redistricting. Yet Trump rewarded their efforts by throwing his weight behind the person they want to get rid of the most.
Beyond Trump sticking it to his political allies, Brown has also been an obstructionist on causes important to a large part of Trump’s base. Brown held up constitutional carry in Indiana, a direct thumb in the eye to gun rights activists. Most recently, she feuded with Rokita over his allegations she watered down immigration language in Senate Enrolled Act 76.
The feud between Rokita and Brown got so nasty, Brown filed a complaint against Rokita with Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. The complaint was ultimately dismissed.
Promises made, promises broken
Republicans, as they have done for the past quarter century, have failed to deliver on campaign promises. Nationally, spending is still completely out of control. Our national debt has ballooned past $39 trillion. Inflation has not been tamed. Affordability, especially in areas like food and housing, is not improving. These were key promises by Trump and his party in 2024.
In Indiana, utility bills have reached a crisis point. People are not optimistic about long-term relief on property taxes. Motorists face one of the highest gas taxes in the nation at a time of huge price spikes, while Braun and Republican supermajorities in the Indiana General Assembly raised taxes by $1 billion last year to balance the budget.
If Trump and Republicans wanted to win the 1st Congressional District in Northwest Indiana, which was likely the top target of redistricting, the best way to do that would be to deliver on campaign promises.
I am not a fan of many of the incumbent senators who voted against redistricting. But on the issue, they made the right call. Changing the rules in the middle of the game to bail out poor governance would just encourage more poor governance.
Trump is trying to tip the scales against change
I believe Trump loves his country. I believe he has done some good things as president. But Trump will always put himself first. Total subservience is his demand. People who refuse to do exactly what he says get punished. These single-issue endorsements are his way of fighting back.
However, Trump is playing a dangerous game with the people of Indiana. He is trying to tip the scales in favor of people who do what he wants, rather than forcing would-be politicians to explain how they will get to work solving many of the issues affecting all of us.
Hoosiers will be stuck with whoever is elected, while Trump forgets their names.
Voters must hold every candidate running for senate accountable, demand answers on key issues and refuse to vote for anyone who will not provide them. Otherwise, the public will regret voting for someone whose entire campaign was pledging to be Trump’s best friend.
Rob Kendall is the host of The Rob Kendall Show, which broadcasts 10 a.m. to noon weekdays on YouTube and is available on-demand on most major podcast platforms.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Trump’s Indiana Senate endorsements help no one but Trump | Opinion
Reporting by Rob Kendall, Contributing Columnist / Indianapolis Star
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