by Tom McDermott

As I write this, I am fresh off an exciting Indiana State Democratic Party Convention weekend where thousands of Hoosiers gathered to hear my message about why we need to #FireToddYoung and elect me the next United States Senator from Indiana. The clear feeling I got from the weekend is that Democrats are unified and fired up.  We have a qualified, diverse ticket with three women and two veterans. I am proud to be the top of the ticket and take that responsibility seriously with the understanding that my campaign for Senate is about making sure Hoosiers have elected officials that represent all people and are not just there pushing an extreme partisan agenda.

As I continue to travel all around the state to listen to what issues are important to Hoosiers, my opponent continues to focus on building a war chest that he thinks the bigger it gets the easier his election gets.  If Todd Young thinks that whoever has the most money wins, he’s got another thing coming.  I am Todd Young’s worst nightmare.  I’m a Veteran, just like him. I’m never going to let him get away with doing or saying things that hurt Hoosiers and will call him out on it every chance I get. I’m a no B.S. candidate. You’re going to hear it from me straight and clear with no Washington D.C. double speak. I’m an experienced and battle tested five-term mayor who gets things done instead of just complaining about things and blaming others.

Todd Young has been in Washington for over 11 years. Some of those years he was in the majority and had a president from his own party. What has he done? Has he helped try and fix inflation or does he want inflation to continue because it helps him politically to point fingers at the president and the other party?  As a mayor all I do everyday at work is address and try and fix problems. As Senator, Todd Young sits in Washington and complains about problems.  As your Senator I will bring the same can-do attitude to Washington that I’ve been bringing to Hammond for the last 18 years.

As a country, we need to get rid of extreme partisanship and get the US Senate back to working for the American people.  Todd Young voted against $8B to come to Indiana to help build back our infrastructure, fix our crumbling bridges and roads, increase broadband access to rural areas, bring money to schools, and increase good paying jobs around the state (I’d never vote against that just to make my party happy). He is also responsible for putting justices on the Supreme Court that are about to overturn 50 years of precedent and strip Hoosier women of control over their own bodies (I support Hoosier women and their right to choose). Instead of taking $3M from the NRA like Todd Young has, I would do what’s right and get expanded background checks passed, increase mental health spending, and push to get military style assault weapons off our streets to avoid our children and fellow citizens from being killed over and over again both on the streets of our cities and even while doing things that should seem safe (like grocery shopping in Buffalo or going to school in Uvalde).

As the campaign moves forward this year, I look forward to getting my message out to Hoosiers. I look forward to getting on the debate stage (Todd Young hasn’t responded to my call for 9 debates, 1 in each Congressional District) and showing you the difference between a Washington DC insider and someone who will work hard for every Hoosier.  If you would like information on my campaign, please go to GoMcDermott.com or to donate to help me bring common sense to Washington D.C. please go to GoMcDermott.com/Donate


McDermott is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate and the Mayor of Hammond.