INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The race to fill the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Dan Coats has turned into an increasingly hostile war of words between two sitting Indiana GOP congressmen, mimicking the broader conflict engulfing the party's presidential primary.
The tone of the campaign has some similarities to the GOP presidential race, with businessman Donald Trump and tea party-backed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tapping voter anger with Washington and forcing out of the race more mainstream candidates such as former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, both from Florida.
Stutzman is a member of the Freedom Caucus of conservative Republican House members whose aversion to compromise led to former House Speaker John Boehner resigning last year.
The harsh words followed a bitter turn in the campaign, when Stutzman and the Indiana Democratic Party challenged Young's candidacy, arguing he didn't gather enough voter signatures to legally qualify for the ballot.
Attorneys bickered during an Indiana Election Commission meeting — highlighting a schism in the state GOP that pits the chamber of commerce Republican establishment against tea party conservatives.
