INDIANAPOLIS -- The Republican candidates hoping to replace Sen. Dan Coats worked to distance themselves Monday night before next month's primary.
Congressmen Todd Young and Marlin Stutzman staked out their positions in a televised debate Monday hosted by WFYI.
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The pair took office within two months of each other in the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite that, much of their campaigns, and Monday's debate, centered around party loyalty and painting each other as a career or establishment politician.
Young introduced himself to voters with his service in the military. Stutzman described himself as a small business owner.
Both men said they would repeal the Affordable Care Act. Both anti-abortion conservatives expressed a commitment to protecting the unborn.
Stutzman says the U.S. should build a wall on the country's border with Mexico.
"I believe that we have other issues just besides economic issues at the border," Stutzman said. "We have human trafficking, we have drug trafficking problems, and all of these are hitting our country in a dramatic way. I believe we have to know who's coming in and out of this country."
When asked if he agrees, Young didn't answer directly.
"It's going to take an amalgam of different factors I learned from my time in the U.S. Marine Corps, but it is essential during a time of war that we continue to keep that southern border safe from terrorists coming in," he said.
When asked about the country's spending on defense, both point to conservative budgets. Stutzman says he'd make sure military spending is as its highest point. Young says he'd support additional funding for next-generation equipment.
Both men claimed victory in the debate. Whose message resonates with voters remains to be seen on May 3.
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