IN-SEN 2022: McDermott In as Indiana Dems' Sacrificial Lamb

[libertpaulian]

I see an Indiana thread hasn't been started, so I'll start one.

We know Senator Young's race is Safe R, and any Dem has a near impossible shot at winning. Looks like Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott is running as the Dems' candidate.

https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/mcdermott-files-paperwork-to-run-for-u-s-senate/article_2dd468f3-ba7f-56d8-9488-736e59905796.html

HAMMOND — Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. is running next year for the U.S. Senate.

The five-term leader of Northwest Indiana's most populous city filed paperwork Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission indicating his McDermott for Congress campaign committee now will be used for a Senate bid, instead of a second possible run for the U.S. House.

McDermott said the office change "is the next step" as he begins openly courting support among elected officials, party leaders, activists, and voters at an annual Democratic Party gathering this weekend in French Lick, Indiana, for a possible challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.

I wish him well, but...it's Indiana. Plus, Todd Young has decent appeal.

[free my dawg]

Safe R ---> Literally Two Republicans

(For context, this is the clown who had to be pressured into backing impeachment. Very shameful that Buttigieg endorsed him.)

[Tekken_Guy]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

[libertpaulian]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

This race is a pure formality. My coworker who's a mega liberal says she has no real complaints about Young.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

This race is a pure formality. My coworker who's a mega liberal says she has no real complaints about Young.

Democrats need to put up a fight here so the Republican base doesn’t ditch Young. They could do worse than a YIMBY who was prepared to back the Afghanistan withdrawal.

[Meatball Ron]

Safe R ---> Literally Two Republicans

(For context, this is the clown who had to be pressured into backing impeachment. Very shameful that Buttigieg endorsed him.)

I have no stake in this race nor Thomas McDermott's political career, but how is a ~75k-person city in Indiana's Mayor's opinion on impeachment relevant? Surprised he was even asked / it came up.

Edit: Nvm, looks like he ran for IN-01, so yes his opinion is certainly relevant. Whatever. Young is one of the less evil Republican Senators and he's safe to win anyway.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

This race is a pure formality. My coworker who's a mega liberal says she has no real complaints about Young.

Young is an empty suit, but that's to his advantage.

[Suburbia]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

This.

Does Young get at least 5%+ of the Black vote? I think Pence in 2012 got 21% of the Black vote or so....

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Hilarious news. McDermott couldn't even get Democrats in IN-01 to back him last year, but will coast to the nomination because literally no-one else cares about running statewide. I guess this means he won't be in the running for governor in '24.

[JMT]

I wonder if we’ll see a McDermott vs. Mrvan rematch here if Mrvan’s seat becomes more Republican through redistricting, and Mrvan decides to run for Senate instead of re-election?

No Democrat is going to win here, but absent a Mrvan candidacy, McDermott is probably Democrats’ best recruit in this race. Its always good to have a semi-serious candidate in every race.

[Tekken_Guy]

I wonder if we’ll see a McDermott vs. Mrvan rematch here if Mrvan’s seat becomes more Republican through redistricting, and Mrvan decides to run for Senate instead of re-election?

No Democrat is going to win here, but absent a Mrvan candidacy, McDermott is probably Democrats’ best recruit in this race. Its always good to have a semi-serious candidate in every race.

Why not just run a certain former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful?

[Skunk]

I wonder if we’ll see a McDermott vs. Mrvan rematch here if Mrvan’s seat becomes more Republican through redistricting, and Mrvan decides to run for Senate instead of re-election?

No Democrat is going to win here, but absent a Mrvan candidacy, McDermott is probably Democrats’ best recruit in this race. Its always good to have a semi-serious candidate in every race.

Why not just run a certain former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful?

Because it makes zero sense to give up a cabinet position for a Senate race with 0% chance of winning?

[JMT]

I wonder if we’ll see a McDermott vs. Mrvan rematch here if Mrvan’s seat becomes more Republican through redistricting, and Mrvan decides to run for Senate instead of re-election?

No Democrat is going to win here, but absent a Mrvan candidacy, McDermott is probably Democrats’ best recruit in this race. Its always good to have a semi-serious candidate in every race.

Why not just run a certain former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful?

Because it makes zero sense to give up a cabinet position for a Senate race with 0% chance of winning?

This.

If Buttigieg runs for office again, most likely it'll be for President or Vice President. Or if he tries to run for lower office first, I imagine it'll probably be in Virginia or Maryland (he can claim he moved there to serve in the Biden Administration). Indiana is too Republican for a Democrat to win statewide nowadays.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

I loathe Todd Young but he is pretty much the perfect Republican candidate, as he was in 2016: on the younger side for a politician, staunch conservative but not a firebrand, keeps a low profile but not too low, manages to escape negative attention, smart guy who fits his state well. When he won in 2016, I thought that he would be a lifer so long as he doesn't do anything monumentally stupid, so I stand by him winning big in 2022, 2028, etc. as long as he wants to go.

But also McDermott is a mega-HP, I will naturally vote for him in the general but I will also take some spiteful joy his concession speech next year.

[Mr. Smith]

They couldn't get Baron Hill to do the jig one more time?

[StateBoiler]

I wonder if we’ll see a McDermott vs. Mrvan rematch here if Mrvan’s seat becomes more Republican through redistricting, and Mrvan decides to run for Senate instead of re-election?

No Democrat is going to win here, but absent a Mrvan candidacy, McDermott is probably Democrats’ best recruit in this race. Its always good to have a semi-serious candidate in every race.

Why not just run a certain former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful?

Buttigieg has left Indiana politically forever and has no intention of coming back.

Some Republicans are disgruntled with Young and prefer Braun to him (I'd have it in reverse.) I don't expect anything to come of it because I'd say disgruntlement with Holcomb is higher and he's still flying high with no worries. He does have announced intended primary opposition in a Danny Niederberger. Young Niederberger finished in 11th place with 0.8% in the 5th Congressional District primary in 2020 that Spartz won. Not going to win of course, but if he can use the low-level disgruntlement to get the 4500 signatures needed to get on the ballot, probably long-term a positive for him and his name value if he intends to run for a lower-level office than Senator. Still a big ask.

18-minute-long interview with Niederberger from Indy Politics: https://indypolitics.org/candidate-conversations-9/

From my Libertarian Party sources, we are going to have 2 people seeking our Senate nomination at Convention.

[Suburbia]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

Wrong.

Young will win every county except Lake.

Young carries Marion, Black and business conservatives pull him to victory there. He gets 80% in Hamilton.

[BoiseBoy]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

Wrong.

Young will win every county except Lake.

Young carries Marion, Black and business conservatives pull him to victory there. He gets 80% in Hamilton.

That is flat out absurd. He is not winning Marion.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Hamilton County will definitely be colored Atlas blue next year, but predicting 80% for Young is pure and undiluted BS. Even Bush in '04 didn't crack 75% —with all the ways Hamilton County has changed in the last twenty years, there is no way Young outperforms Holcomb by twenty points.

[progressive85]

Still hard to believe IN went blue in '08. 

Imagine if Barack had said, "How stupid are the people of Indiana?" right before the election.  Wonder what would have happened then.

Worked like a charm for Cheeto in IA.  Won it twice and poised to win it by an even bigger margin in '24.

[Bismarck]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

This race is a pure formality. My coworker who's a mega liberal says she has no real complaints about Young.

Young is an empty suit, but that's to his advantage.

Nah I think he’s actually extremely intelligent. His ultra dumbed down 3 point campaign was annoying to wonks like us but brilliant as a strategy. I think he is actually interested in formulating good policy (see his work with Schumer and other democrats) and is willing to buck his own party (The Yemen issue earned him a direct rebuke from Trump).

[Suburbia]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

Wrong.

Young will win every county except Lake.

Young carries Marion, Black and business conservatives pull him to victory there. He gets 80% in Hamilton.

That is flat out absurd. He is not winning Marion.

He is winning Marion. Period. He gets back the Broad Ripple conservatives.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

Wrong.

Young will win every county except Lake.

Young carries Marion, Black and business conservatives pull him to victory there. He gets 80% in Hamilton.

That is flat out absurd. He is not winning Marion.

He is winning Marion. Period. He gets back the Broad Ripple conservatives.

[BoiseBoy]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

Wrong.

Young will win every county except Lake.

Young carries Marion, Black and business conservatives pull him to victory there. He gets 80% in Hamilton.

That is flat out absurd. He is not winning Marion.

He is winning Marion. Period. He gets back the Broad Ripple conservatives.

You are blatantly trolling. Period.

[StateBoiler]

Todd Young will likely win every county in the state except Marion, Lake, and Monroe.

This race is a pure formality. My coworker who's a mega liberal says she has no real complaints about Young.

Young is an empty suit, but that's to his advantage.

Nah I think he’s actually extremely intelligent. His ultra dumbed down 3 point campaign was annoying to wonks like us but brilliant as a strategy. I think he is actually interested in formulating good policy (see his work with Schumer and other democrats) and is willing to buck his own party (The Yemen issue earned him a direct rebuke from Trump).

I rate him above Braun.