INDIANAPOLIS – Former Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), a man known to most for single-handedly stopping a bill to prevent veteran suicides and to Rep. Braun as his role model and political “hero,” comes to Indianapolis today to campaign with the Senate candidate, but it’s unclear if Rep. Braun supports his policies that were deadly for veterans.

Coburn’s visit to Indiana comes shortly after Rep. Braun brought him up in Monday’s debate, calling the Oklahoma senator his political “hero.” It was a surprising show of support for an anti-veteran senator notorious for advocating for deep cuts to military spending and repeated attempts to block legislation designed to help veterans. Yet it was in keeping with the rest of Rep. Braun’s debate performance, where he refused to deny he supports cuts to defense spending and would have voted against the largest pay raise for service members in nine years.

If elected, Rep. Braun would have to work hard to match his “hero’s” long record of voting against protecting the lives of veterans. Coburn is most known for single-handedly blocking the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. Coburn’s decision to block the bill in the face of overwhelming bipartisan support was called “dangerous and dishonorable” by the Afghanistan Veterans of America, who decried the efforts of “one single senator to simply complain about and block efforts to combat veterans suicide.”

Rep. Braun has heaped praise on Senator Coburn throughout the campaign, and even received his endorsement in the GOP primary. However, he’s failed to say whether he supports any specific vote in the Senator’s long history of siding against Hoosier veterans.

“If Rep. Braun cared about helping Hoosier veterans, he would have refused to accept the endorsement of a man best known for single-handedly blocking legislation to help prevent veterans from committing suicide and denounced him. Instead, he started this week by anointing him as his political hero and campaigns with him today,” said Michael Feldman, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “If Rep. Braun was in the Senate with Senator Coburn, would he have spoken out against his efforts to block the Clay Hunt Act, or joined his hero? Hoosier veterans need to know if they’re ever going to trust him.”

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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody issued the following statement after the Indianapolis Star detailed allegations of intimidation by House Speaker Brian Bosma.

“We believe that Speaker Bosma’s actions appear to be tactics used to intimidate. That women must fear coercion and strong-arming by powerful elected officials to discredit and deter them from coming forward is sickening. If the allegations of intimidation are true, they are deeply troubling. What’s clear is there are more questions than answers here. In the past, Governor Holcomb has rightfully supported a ‘thorough’ investigation into similar matters. The governor must step up and lead by calling for an exhaustive, impartial investigation into this serious allegation of intimidation.”

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Rep. Braun backs three major proposals to strip away those protections including his own company’s plan, which does not offer protections for employees with pre-existing conditions

INDIANAPOLIS – Rep. Braun stared Hoosiers down and lied to them at Monday’s debate, saying that he’d never be for a plan that didn’t cover pre-existing conditions despite supporting multiple proposals that would destroy protections for pre-existing conditions, including a lawsuit intended to do just that.

Rep. Braun has been lying to Hoosiers about pre-existing conditions protections for much of the campaign, but he saved his most blatant lie for his biggest stage yet on Monday night. During the debate’s question about a lawsuit expressly intended to take away pre-existing conditions, Rep. Braun looked directly into the camera to lie right to Hoosiers’ faces, claiming he’d “never be for a plan that did not cover pre-existing conditions.” That’s despite the fact that Rep. Braun supports the lawsuit in question, as well as two other proposals that would have stripped away protections for 1.1 million Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions, as independent fact checkers have made clear.

Watch Rep. Braun’s direct-to-camera lie:

Additionally, his lie directly contradicts what independent fact checkers at WRTV-TV said about his own company’s health care plan just hours before the debate, which force employees with pre-existing conditions to shell out $10,000 before their insurance even takes effect.

“Rep. Braun cannot square his hypocritical position on protections for pre-existing conditions – so instead of changing his position, he simply doubles down on his lie,” said Michael Feldman, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Monday’s debate showed the true Rep. Braun: a man who’d rather look Hoosiers in the face and lie about his record than represent them.”

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INDIANAPOLIS – Joe Donnelly called on Rep. Braun to denounce a lawsuit expressly intended to gut protections for pre-existing conditions, which Rep. Braun refused to do in one of the defining moments of last night’s Indiana Senate debate.

“Health care [dominated the] Senate debate,” as the Times of Northwest Indiana put it, and in no moment was that clearer then during the discussion over the lawsuit to take away coverage protections for 1.1 million Hoosiers under 65 with pre-existing conditions. Rep. Braun once again tried to lie to Hoosiers, telling them he supported protections for pre-existing conditions despite previously having come out in support of the lawsuit while failing to support any proposal that would keep those protections.

At one of the tensest moments of the debate, Joe called out Rep. Braun’s hypocritical claim of supporting protections and challenged him to prove it by denouncing the lawsuit. Instead, Rep. Braun dodged the question and lied again about his stance, reminding Hoosiers that they can’t trust him with their health care.

Watch here:

“If Hoosiers took away only one thing from last night’s debate, it’s that Rep. Braun can’t be trusted with anything, and especially not their health care,” said Michael Feldman, Indiana Democratic Party spokesman. “Joe gave Rep. Braun the chance to put his money where his mouth is last night, and instead Rep. Braun failed to point to any solution he’d support which protects Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions. The 1.1 million Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions saw first-hand that Rep. Braun won’t protect their health care.”

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INDIANAPOLIS – On Tuesday, Hoosier Democrats presented a helping hand and a set of wheels to debate-ducking Indiana Republicans. At a press conference, Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody offered a ride in the chicken limo to any Republican who may be considering skipping public appearances or debates.

“Part of the job for any elected official is showing up and Indiana Republicans can’t even clear that bar,” said Zody. “We wanted to offer a helping hand and thought the chicken limo would be the perfect transportation for hesitant Republicans.”

The press conference comes after a growing number of Indiana Republicans have signaled they will not debate their Democratic opponent or attend candidate forums. Indiana Democrats labeled it Debate Dodge Fever and Zody believed the outbreak speaks to Indiana Republicans’ aversion to accountability.

“Being accountable to the folks that sign your paycheck is in the job description,” said Zody. “Republicans don’t even bother showing up. It’s not representative government, it’s just plain arrogant.”

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