You’ve probably noticed the commercials.
After months of caucuses, primaries and stump speeches across the country, the presidential candidates are turning their attention to Indiana, buying ad space on local TV networks and scheduling rallies around the state.
What was once a field of six Democrats and more than a dozen Republicans has been trimmed to just five people — two Democrats and three Republicans. And though Indiana’s late primary is often seen as just a formality (because the races are all but decided by the time May rolls around), things are a bit different this year.
Indiana has been called a “must-win” state for GOP candidate Donald Trump, and his opponents Ted Cruz and John Kasich have responded by collaborating on a strategy for the state — Kasich’s campaign agreed to pull resources from Indiana and focus on other races, letting Cruz take on Trump in Indiana.
On the Democrat side, many are calling the race in Hillary Clinton’s favor, and her campaign tone has switched in recent weeks to a greater focus on the general election. But Bernie Sanders continues to push, and his enthusiastic grassroots support hasn’t waned.
As the battle descends on the state and Hoosiers prepare to visit the polls, here’s some information about the candidates and some of the issues they’ve chosen to highlight during their campaigns:
CLINTON
On criminal justice reform:
— Work to strengthen trust between communities and police by investing in law enforcement training programs, supporting legislation to end racial profiling, providing federal funds for police body cameras and creating national guidelines on use of force
— Take action on mandatory minimum sentences by cutting in half the current minimums for nonviolent drug offenses, applying the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactively, eliminating the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine, re-evaluating policies on prior offenses
— Promote successful re-entry by supporting the “ban the box” initiative and restoring voting rights to offenders who have served their sentences
On health care:
— Build on the Affordable Care Act by making premiums more affordable and lessening out-of-pocket consumer expenses, supporting incentives for state Medicaid expansion, expanding access regardless of immigration status
— Expand health care access to rural Americans
— Ensure women have access to reproductive health care, including safe and legal abortions
On racial justice:
— Dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by providing funds to support schools in reforming disciplinary policies
— End the era of mass incarceration
— Protect the right to vote by fighting to repair the Voting Rights Act and implementing automatic voter registration
For more on Clinton’s platform, visit hillaryclinton.com/issues.
CRUZ
On the U.S. Constitution:
“We need to restore the Constitution as our standard. We need to protect the people by rolling back the federal government to the functions the Constitution sets out. We need to give power back to the states and the people so that we remain a land where liberty can flourish.”
On Second Amendment rights:
“Ted Cruz has been a tireless defender of the Second Amendment. From successfully protecting law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights at the Supreme Court to defeating legislation that sought to take away this right, Ted Cruz has always championed Americans’ right to keep and bear arms.”
On border security:
“As President, Ted Cruz will do what he says. He will stop illegal immigration. He will build a wall that works, triple border security and put in place the surveillance and biometric tracking to secure the border.
“Ted Cruz will end Obama’s amnesty on day one, will end catch-and-release, increase deportations, stop sanctuary policies and strengthen E-verify.”
For more on Cruz’s platform, visit tedcruz.org/issues.
KASICH
On health care:
“Everyone knows that Obamacare must be repealed and replaced with something that actually works in line with America’s market-based principles to help Americans be healthy. So, let’s not only oppose Obamacare but also put in motion real solutions that will work to improve health care access by holding down costs and help Americans live healthier lives.”
On education:
“Education is a state and local issue and should not be micro-managed by the federal government. The teaching curricula, choice of textbooks and lesson plans that local educators use are the responsibility of local school districts—not federal bureaucrats.”
On “the most vulnerable Americans”:
“In Congress John Kasich worked … to pass legislation that led to historic reforms to federal welfare programs. Lifetime limits on cash benefits, work requirements and flexibility for states to design their own relief programs helped people begin moving from dependency to self-sufficiency. …
“… Ohio is helping individuals with mental illness by increasing the availability of health care, expanding housing options and investing in services that save lives.”
For more on Kasich’s platform, visit johnkasich.com/issues.
SANDERS
On income and wealth equality:
— Demand that the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes
— Increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour
— Invest in infrastructure to put millions of Americans to work
On racial justice:
“We must pursue policies to transform this country into a nation that affirms the value of its people of color. That starts with addressing the five central types of violence waged against black, brown and indigenous Americans: physical, political, legal, economic and environmental.”
— Demilitarize police, promote community policing models and diverse police forces, revamp training, support for body camera programs
— Restore voting rights for ex-offenders, fix the Voting Rights Act, make Election Day a federal holiday, expand early voting options, set up automatic voter registration
On HBCUs:
— Permit low-income students to use federal, state and college financial aid to cover room and board, books and living expenses at all HBCUs
— More than triple federal work-study program at HBCUs
— Allow everyone who has attended an HBCU to refinance student loans at today’s low interest rates
Learn more about Sanders’ platform at berniesanders.com/issues.
TRUMP
On health care:
Will call for Congress to
— Completely repeal Obamacare
— Modify existing law that inhibits the sale of health insurance across state lines, allowing full competition in the market
— Allow individuals to fully deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns
On Second Amendment rights:
— “Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own.”
— “Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the (background check) system … What we need to do is fix the system we have and make it work as intended. What we don’t need to do is expand a broken system.”
— “A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state.”
On tax reform:
— Enact a revenue-neutral tax plan. “This plan simplifies the tax code by taking nearly 50 percent of current filers off the income tax rolls entirely and reducing the number of tax brackets from seven to four for everyone else. This plan also reduces or eliminates loopholes used by the very rich and special interests made unnecessary or redundant by the new lower tax rates on individuals and companies.”
Learn more about Trump’s platform at donaldjtrump.com/positions.
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Other races on the ballot
The presidential primary gets most of the press, but there will be other important races on the ballot.
U.S. Senate
Two Republicans — Marlin Stutzman and Todd Young — are vying for the nomination for Sen. Dan Coats’ soon-to-be-vacant seat. Coats announced last year he would not seek re-election. Baron Hill is unopposed on the Democratic ballot. Sen. Joe Donnelly’s seat is not up for election this year.
U.S. House
In District 7, Congressman Andre Carson is facing two Democratic challengers: Curtis Godfrey and Pierre Quincy Pullins. Three Republicans — Wayne Harmon, J.D. Miniear and Catherine Ping — are competing on the GOP ballot.
Indiana Senate
Twenty-five of Indiana’s 50 state senate seats are up for election this year, including seats of eight incumbents who will be retiring.
Indiana House
All 100 seats in the Indiana House of Representatives are up for consideration. Nine incumbents will not be seeking re-election.
To see who is on your ballot for each race, visit indianavoters.in.gov.
