INDIANAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� Democrat Thomas McDermott tried to spark his underdog challenge to Indiana Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young on Sunday by attacking his positions on issues spanning abortion, federal spending and marijuana legalization.
Young responded with criticism of President Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress for sparking higher inflation and gasoline prices as the candidates faced each other during their only scheduled televised debate ahead of the
, who is the mayor of Hammond, and other Democrats have campaigned heavily on protection of abortion rights in the wake of Indiana鈥檚 Republican-dominated Legislature voting over the summer to make it the after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated federal abortion protections by overturning Roe v. Wade in June.
McDermott has called for a federal law reinstating abortion rights and criticized Young for voting to confirm three conservative Supreme Court justices nominated by former President Donald Trump who helped form the court鈥檚 majority in the abortion ruling.
鈥淗e gerrymandered the Supreme Court so that Roe vs Wade was overturned,鈥� McDermott said.
Young said he believed that state Legislatures should decide what abortion policies should be and that what he called a 鈥渃onversation鈥� in all 50 states should continue.
鈥淚 do accept exceptions and I鈥檒l accept whatever the people of Indiana decide,鈥� Young said.
The Indiana ban, which following a lawsuit filed by abortion clinic operators included exceptions allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest, before 10 weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly.
Libertarian candidate James Sceniak said 鈥減oliticians should not act as physicians鈥� and called, instead, for working to reduce the number of abortions not through bans but by looking for ways to help pregnant women and making contraception more easily available.
Young, who is s has followed a front-runner strategy of mostly ignoring McDermott, who has been Hammond鈥檚 mayor since 2004 but is little known outside northwestern Indiana. Sunday鈥檚 debate, which was organized by the nonprofit and broadcast on several TV stations around the state, will likely be their only face-to-face meeting.
Despite Democrats and Republicans fiercely fighting for control of the current 50-50 Senate, Indiana鈥檚 Senate race hasn鈥檛 seen the tens of millions in outside spending that it attracted four years ago when Republican Mike Braun defeated Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and in 2016 when Young won the Senate seat over former Democratic U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh.
McDermott assailed Young for numerous votes to increase federal spending during his six years as a senator and previous six years in the U.S. House and then trying to blame the Biden administration for the worldwide problems with inflation.
鈥淗e wants us to believe that Joe Biden is responsible for 100% the nation鈥檚 problems right now and he shares responsibility for that,鈥� McDermott said. 鈥淪enator Young鈥檚 been in office for 12 years and he needs to take responsibility for the spending that he鈥檚 created.鈥�
Young countered that the economy was improving before Biden and congressional Democrats pushed through the earlier this year.
鈥淯nfortunately, the first thing they did in the office is rush through a stimulus bill,鈥� Young said. 鈥淭his is the last thing you want to do a stimulus bill which led to all manner of inflation.鈥�
Young defended his push in the Senate for providing billions in federal money to encourage more semiconductor companies to in the United States, saying it was needed in the face of an ambitious China.
McDermott, a lawyer and U.S. Navy veteran, also advocated for as the drug remains illegal for all uses in Indiana.
McDermott called Indiana鈥檚 law an 鈥渁ncient policy鈥� retained by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and GOP legislative leaders that threatens people who legally buy recreational marijuana in Michigan or Illinois with jail once they enter the state.
Young said marijuana legalization would 鈥減robably be a third-tier priority鈥� for him, citing inflation, national security and crime among those needing more attention first, while saying he would work with states that enact their own marijuana laws.
Tom Davies, The Associated Press
