Pence critic starts PAC for Indiana GOP Senate candidate
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A prominent Republican critic of Gov. Mike Pence has started a new political action committee to boost the campaign of GOP U.S. Senate candidate Eric Holcomb.
The new super PAC, called Frugal Hoosiers, was started by Bill Oesterle, the former CEO of Indianapolis-based Angie's List. Oesterle and Holcomb were top political aides to Pence's predecessor, former Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Oesterle told The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/1RJRuym ) that the super PAC will raise money for television ads that will draw distinctions between Holcomb and his two rivals, U.S. Reps. Todd Young and Marlin Stutzman. All three are running to replace retiring GOP Sen. Dan Coats, but Holcomb is far behind in fundraising.
Oesterle gave at least $150,000 to Pence's 2012 gubernatorial campaign, but talked last spring of supporting a GOP challenger to Pence's 2016 re-election bid, though no one has emerged. Oesterle has criticized Pence's support for the state's religious objections law, and in September formed a tech industry coalition that advocates for Indiana's Republican-dominated government to approve civil rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.
Oesterle said he was going to put "meaningful dollars" toward the Senate race.
"We want to make sure people understand two of these candidates want to shut down the government; one of them has said he won't do that," Holcomb said. "Two of these candidates are not supportive of the LGBT community; one of them is. Two of these candidates are very xenophobic on immigration policy; one of them isn't."
The campaigns of Stutzman and Young, who both voted last month against the federal budget-and-debt deal that averted a possible government shutdown, said they were unfazed by the new super PAC, which can raise unlimited contributions but is barred from coordinating with candidates. Holcomb's campaign had $300,000 in the bank at the end of September, compared to Young's nearly $2.3 million and Stutzman's $1.1 million, according to federal campaign reports.
Young's campaign manager, Trevor Foughty, said his campaign has built "a strong grassroots organization and broad donor network," and that residents know Young has "a record of advancing conservative principles in Washington." Joshua Kelley, Stutzman's campaign manager, said Stutzman would "continue to be a commonsense conservative leader."
Holcomb, a former chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, told The Indianapolis Star he doesn't support efforts to shut down the government, believes securing the border should be a priority, and has a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination. But he declined to take a position on whether civil rights protections for LGBT people should extend to public accommodations.
"Anyone that's worked for me or with me will say I can work with people who come from very diverse perspectives. I've always tried to approach these hard issues that need to be solved with consensus," he said.
___
Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com