#TBT: Senator Richard Lugar Todd Young Receives U.S. Chamber Endorsement

INDIANAPOLIS – Does Todd Young’s U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsement sound familiar? Maybe it’s because in 2012 then Senator Richard Lugar received the exact same endorsement at almost the same time frame during his failed re-election campaign.

The result? Even with a bailout by his D.C. friends, Senator Lugar lost his primary to opponent Richard Mourdock. So on this Throwback Thursday, let’s compare Senator Lugar’s last minute bailout with Todd Young’s last minute bailout by their D.C. friends.

SHOT: “Chamber of Commerce endorses Lugar” [The Hill, 4.17.2012] // “U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Endorses Todd Young For Senate” [Indiana Public Media, 3.30.2016]

2012: “With small businesses in Indiana and across the nation facing prolonged uncertainty over rising energy costs, pending regulations and the threat of new taxes, we need leaders in the United States Senate who will fight through the gridlock,” he continued. “Senator Lugar is a demonstrated leader who has shown his commitment to protecting and advancing the interests of Indiana’s job creators.”

2016: “[Engstrom] says the group is backing Young because of his record. ‘He’s an effective conservative who actually gets things done,” Engstrom says. “Anybody can say that they’re conservative on economic issues.’”

CHASER: “Lugar Loses Primary Challenge in Indiana” [New York Times, 5.8.2012] // Young — ???

2012: “Mr. Lugar, a six-term senator from Indiana who had won most of his recent elections with more than 60 percent of the vote, only received 39.4 percent of the vote on Tuesday, losing a hard-fought Republican primary to Richard E. Mourdock, the state treasurer. Mr. Mourdock’s campaign was fueled by Tea Party groups and national conservative organizations that deemed Mr. Lugar too willing to compromise and poured millions of dollars into the campaign to defeat him.”

2016: ???

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