Indiana Poll Has Pro-Life Senate Candidate Dan Coats Leading Brad Ellsworth
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 12, 2010
Indianapolis, IN (LifeNews.com) — Fresh from his endorsement by two pro-life organizations, pro-life Senate candidate Dan Coats has a solid lead over his opponent Brad Ellsworth. The new Rasmussen Reports poll comes on the heels of the Susan B. Anthony List supporting Coats over Ellsworth, despite the latter saying he is pro-life.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters finds Coats with 51% support, while Ellsworth earns 30% of the vote, his poorest showing to date.
Another 6 percent of Hoosiers favor another candidate while 12 percent remain undecided.
Last month, Coats dropped below 50% but still led Ellsworth 47% to 33%. In five previous surveys back to February, support for Coats has ranged from 46% to 54%. In that same period, Ellsworth has picked up 32% to 36% of the vote.
Pollster Scott Rasmussen commented on the results: "Indicative of voter unhappiness in Indiana is that Ellsworth’s first statewide TV ad which just began airing in the last few days mentions his background as a sheriff and criticizes Washington lawmakers. But the ad never says that Ellsworth is currently a member of Congress."
The two candidates are contending for the seat held by pro-abortion Senator Evan Bayh — who surprised his fellow Democrats with his announcement in January that he would not seek reelection. Now, it appears Coats, the Republican, will pick up the seat for pro-life advocates looking for another vote in the Senate.
Coats, who previously served as a senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999, holds double-digit leads among both male and female voters. He holds a better than three-to-one lead among voters not affiliated with either major party.
Opposition to the pro-abortion national health care bill remains high in Indiana as 59% favor repeal of the bill that Ellsworth supported as a member of the House, while 35% oppose repeal. This is a higher level of support than is found nationally.
Last week, SBA List endorsed Coats and the endorsement is important because Ellsworth, who calls himself pro-life, let down pro-life groups when he supported the government-run health care bill that includes massive abortion funding with taxpayer dollars.
"Once again, the Senate is in great need of the pro-life statesmanship — which Dan Coats has already proven time and again to possess. His commitment to rescind taxpayer funding of abortion in health care and in every aspect of federal spending is urgently needed in the coming Congress," Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com.
Leading up to the health care vote, Ellsworth also upset pro-life groups when he proposed a so-called compromise on abortion funding that essentially did not ban taxpayer-funded abortions in the national health care plan.
National Right to Life has alsoendorsed Coats over Ellsworth. https://www.lifenews.com/state5126.html
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