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Coats Will Not Seek Re-election in 2016

Courtesy
/
Dan Coats

U.S. Senator Dan Coats Tuesday announced he will not run for re-election in 2016.

Coats had spoken in recent months about whether to run again, noting that how Congress functioned with Republican majorities would play a major role. 

In a video statement Tuesday, the Hoosier Senator said choosing not to run was not an easy decision. 

“While I believe I am well-positioned to run a successful campaign for another six-year term, I have concluded that the time has come to pass this demanding job to the next generation of leaders,” he said.

Coats spent 18 years in Congress, in both the House and Senate, from 1981 to 1999 before retiring to fulfill a self-imposed term limits promise. 

After serving as U.S. ambassador to Germany, he successfully ran for Evan Bayh’s vacated Senate seat in 2010. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnaIj8kqqLU

In a statement, Governor Mike Pence says he greets Coats’ news with mixed emotions and expressed his gratitude to the senator. Senator Joe Donnelly also praised Coats’ service and wished him well in the rest of his term and retirement.

The potential GOP field for the seat is wide open, with many names mentioned as possibilities in a primary race, including Congressmen Todd Rokita and Marlin Stutzman and Coats chief of staff Eric Holcomb.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.