Daniel Coats (Republican) defeated Brad Ellsworth (Democrat) to win the Senate seat from Indiana in the 2010 US Senate Elections. Brad Ellsworth was the incumbent, and Daniel Coats had served as Senator from Indiana 1989 and 1999.
Comparison chart
 | Brad Ellsworth | Daniel Coats |
|---|---|---|
| Political Party | Democratic | Republican |
| Website | http://www.ellsworthforindiana2010.com/ | http://www.coatsforindiana.com/ |
| Preceded by | John Hostettler | Dan Quayle |
| Spouse(s) | Beth Ellsworth | Marcia Coats |
| Residence | Evansville, Indiana | Virginia |
| Alma Mater | University of Southern Indiana Indiana State University | Wheaton College Indiana University – Indianapolis |
| Occupation | Law enforcement | Politician, lawyer, lobbyist |
| Religion | Roman Catholic | Presbyterian Church |
| Current Position | Member of the US House of Representatives | United States Senator from Indiana |
| Serves on committees | Agriculture, Armed Services, Small Business | - |
| Position on health care | Supports reduction in cost of health care and providing access to affordable insurance options. | Wants to put an end to the rising health care costs. |
| Position on economy | Supports tax cuts and cutting red tape for small business. | Intends to stop fiscal bleeding and incentivizing the economy. |
| Position on National Security | Believes in strong national defense; focuses on adequate provision of weapons, equipment and training to uniformed officials. | Believes in supporting tools that are used for gathering intelligence. |
| Position on Energy | Supports domestic drilling, construction of nuclear power plants and production of home grown energy sources. | Supports climate change regulations to restrict use of energy by the US. |
| Age | 51 | 66 |
| Place of birth | Jasper, Indiana | Jackson, Michigan |
| Date of birth | September 11, 1958 | May 16, 1943 |
Economic Policy
Brad Ellsworth is not in favor of economic policies that prioritize profits over personal responsibility. He says the only way the economy will recover is by through hard work and honesty. Hence he supports tax cuts for about 95% of the families and reducing health care expenses and cutting government red tape for small businesses. He focuses on infrastructure development and access to quality education.
Dan Coats believes that the economy can be saved only by way of stopping fiscal bleeding and eliminating wasteful spending. He also believes that the nation should take steps to incentivize the economy through tax reductions for businesses, tax incentives for innovation and simplifying the tax code.
Health Care Policy
Ellsworth has taken steps to reduce health care expenses, prevent abortion funding, bringing down the deficit by more than $1 trillion and to ensure access to affordable insurance options for the people. He supported bringing an end to the Medicare donut hole thereby protecting the seniors.
Coats is for privatization of health care. He wants to promote competition across state lines and transparency in costs, encourage innovation, provide incentives for healthy lifestyle, expand health savings account, , use electronic medical records with privacy factor beheld and allowing creation of association health plans for all small business.
Foreign Policy
Brad Ellsworth has over 24 years of experience in the local Sheriff’s office in Indiana. He thinks national defense is critical and would like to provide uniformed men and women with the necessary equipments, training and weapons. He works towards bringing the nation’s troops from Iraq back home
Dan Coats wants to get to the grassroots of the gravity of terrorism and ensure that access to the nation, for these anti social elements, is denied. He champions the need for protecting the rights of American citizens and hence does not believe in handling anti social elements or nations in a diplomatic way.
Early Life and Political Career
Ellsworth comes from a humble background and is the youngest of four. He was born in Jasper in Indiana and received his Bachelors degree from Indiana State University. He worked in the hardware and paint department at Sears to meet his education expenses. He also received a Masters degree in Criminology from Indiana State University. He started his career in the local Sheriff’s office and gradually moved to the position of the Sheriff and served in that position for a long time.
Born in Jackson in Michigan, Coats received a Bachelors degree in political science at Wheaton College in Illinois. Between 1966 and 1968, he served in the Army and later received a JD from Indiana University School of Law. He started practice as a Lawyer in Fort Wayne. He was also an assistant vice president at Fort Wayne Life Insurance Company.
Brad Ellsworth vs. Dan Coats Opinion Polls (from Wikipedia)
Republican Dan Coats has a higher majority and is ahead in the opinion polls as on date.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Brad Ellsworth (D) | Dan Coats (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | June 2-3, 2010 | 33% | 47% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 5-6, 2010 | 36% | 51% |
| SurveyUSA (report) | April 22-26, 2010 | 31% | 47% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | April 13-14, 2010 | 33% | 54% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 17–18, 2010 | 34% | 49% |
| Research 2000 (report) | February 22–24, 2010 | 36% | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | February 16–17, 2010 | 32% | 46% |
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Comments: Brad Ellsworth vs Daniel Coats