2016 IN Senate race: on Civil Rights


Eric Holcomb: Supportive of the LGBT community: zero discrimination

Holcomb said about his two opponents Stutzman and Young, "We want to make sure people understand two of these candidates want to shut down the government; one of them has said he won't do that. Two of these candidates are not supportive of the LGBT community; one of them is. Two of these candidates are very xenophobic on immigration policy; one of them isn't."

Holcomb said he doesn't support efforts to shut down the government, believes securing the border should be a priority, and has a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination. But he declined to take a position on whether civil rights protections for LGBT people should extend to public accommodations. "Anyone that's worked for me or with me will say I can work with people who come from very diverse perspectives. I've always tried to approach these hard issues that need to be solved with consensus," he said.

Source: Chicago Tribune on 2016 Indiana Senate race Nov 10, 2015

Baron Hill: 2006: Marriage is sacred; 2015: guarantee marriage equality

Baron Hill is casting himself as a champion of gay rights, in an attempt to shift away from the anti-marriage equality image he had during his previous stint in Congress. "Marriage equality is especially close to my own heart," said Hill in an email to supporters. "In 2004, I voted against the Constitutional Amendment banning marriage equality. I'm proud of Hoosiers who are fighting to make sure our friends and neighbors are guaranteed equal rights."

During his final years in Congress, in 2011, the pro-LGBT Human Rights Campaign gave Hill a 70% rating on issues of equality. Though Hill did oppose amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, he didn't exactly champion the right for same-sex couples to wed either. In fact, he campaigned against it. During his 2006 re-election campaign, Hill ran an ad in which he said that "marriage between a man and woman is sacred." But support for same-sex marriage has become significantly more mainstream since Hill's time in office.

Source: Huffington Post on 2016 Indiana Senate race Jun 19, 2015

Baron Hill: For ENDA & against DADT & in Congress; evolved on marriage

Baron Hill's campaign said in a statement that Hill had evolved on the issue of same-sex marriage over time. In addition to touting his opposition to the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and support for DADT repeal, the campaign pointed out that he voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act--which would bar workplace discrimination against LGBT people--in 2010.

"Baron is proud to support marriage equality--bottom line, everyone deserves equal rights," the statement read, adding, "Like many Americans, Baron's personal views have continued to evolve on this issue and he feels strongly that no Hoosier should be made to feel less equal because of who they love."

LGBT equality has been a hot topic in Indiana since Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed a so-called religious freedom law that could have allowed businesses to deny service to same-sex couples. After significant national backlash, Pence signed a revised version of the measure.

Source: Huffington Post on 2016 Indiana Senate race Jun 19, 2015

  • The above quotations are from 2016 Indiana Senate race: debates and news coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Civil Rights.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
Candidates and political leaders on Civil Rights:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Dec 08, 2018