Actions in Public

Todd Young has appeared many times on Fox News, often in a response major legislation. He appeared twice last summer while the 'Build Back Better' bill was being discussed in congress. 

He famously read 'The Nightmare before Christmas' on the Senate floor.

With the republicans being the Senate Minority, and Young being- in line with his name- young compared to many in the GOP, he is expected to be one of the major actors in any upcoming filibuster.

https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/videos

https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-senator-young-discusses-inflation-and-the-rising-cost-of-living-with-fox-business

Todd Young's Online Presence

 Todd Young is very active on twitter. 

His account @ToddYoungIN has tweeted multiple dozens of times a week, responding to everything from Joe Biden's state of the Union to storms and celebrations in Indiana.

His tweet responding to the State of the Union read.

"Last night in his SOTU address, Joe Biden said, “We need to secure the border”.

With all time high illegal crossings due to open border policies, I hope he's serious about securing the border by finishing the wall and ending catch & release."

This is an example of position taking, where he aligns himself with Donald Trump's border wall and the policies of immigration services. These issues wouldn't impact the people of Indiana the same way they would States further South, but voters might be attracted to Young for these connections to Trump.

https://twitter.com/toddyoungin?lang=en

Bills and Sponsorships

The last bill that the Senate passed that Todd Young was a co sponsor for was S.1872, or the "United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act" 

Todd Young has a reputation for introducing and supporting many bills in the realm of foreign affairs. He is viewed as one of the most bipartisan Senators that the democrats can turn to on issues regarding the military, foreign aid, and conflict intervention.

Some of these bills that deal with the military include:

S.2759  Restore Honor to Service Members Act of 2021/22. 

S.2863 Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act of 2021Restore Honor to Service Members Act of 2021Protect Our Disabled Heroes Act of 2021\

S.2678 Protect our Disabled Heros Act of 2021.
Some of the bills he has cosponsored are statements of recognition or other foreign affairs.
S.2395 Taiwan Partnership ActS.3063 Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021S.1904 Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act of 2021
More Bills Senator Young has cosponsored or introduced can be found at:

https://www.congress.gov/member/todd-young/Y000064

Campaign Releases

 Todd Young's official website: toddyoung.com and is used as the primary campaign website as well. The congressional website: young.senate.gov holding more official information on office locations and how to contact the senator.

Most of the recent activity has been a response to President Biden, and requesting donations for Young's reelection. 

As he is up for reelection this year, hot button issues like "Biden's Border Crisis" and the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia appear on the front page. 

Indiana has been moving farther from being a competitive district with each election. There is no mention of Young's bipartisan work, with the major images being the national hot-button issues like law enforcement and abortion.

https://toddyoung.org/

https://www.young.senate.gov/

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Trends in Politics

All data from Pew Research Center:

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/indiana/party-affiliation/

Indiana's political makeup follow the expected trends in many ways

• African Americans represent 17% of poll respondents who identify as democrats or lean democratic, compared to only 1% for republican/lean republican (Pew)
• 71% of republican-identifying responders believe in god, compared to only 58% among democrats. (Pew)

Where Indiana stands out:

• Over 10% of the state voted Libertarian in the governor election. (Ballotpedia)
• There is only minor political differences due to education
• The difference between people of one education level having support for one party was never more than 3% off from the same education level's support fro the other 
• There is only minor variation in political party preference among age groups (Pew)
• People aged 18-29
• make up 20% of Republican Party
• make up 22% of Democratic Party
• Both parties composed of 33% People aged 30-49
• People 50-64
• make up 30% of Republican Party
• make up 27% of Democratic Party
• Both parties composed of 18% People 65 and older

https://ballotpedia.org/Governor_of_Indiana

Political Outcomes

Indiana has been the home state to 2 of the last 3 Republican Vice Presidents. Both Dan Quayle and Mike Pence.

Indiana has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1940 except 1. In 2008, Barack Obama carried the state by a slim 50.0% D - 48.9% R. (270toWin)

The margin of victory for the republicans has varied a great degree for each state-wide vote. Indiana had often been labeled as a swing state for this reason, but has shifted further in support of the Republican Party in the last decade. 

2020

Donald Trump won the election in Indiana with 57% of the vote (270 to win)

Biden only received 41% of the vote in 2020.

Eric Holcomb won his reelection for Governor with 53% of the vote (Ballotpedia)

https://www.270towin.com/states/Indiana

https://ballotpedia.org/Governor_of_Indiana

Economy of Indiana

 Indiana shares the historical importance of other Rust Belt States.

During the 1800's and early 1900's, the landscape was dominated by the rise of factories and industry. These manufacturing centers have declined in importance in recent decades, but remain a staple of the Indiana economy, especially in the northern third of the state.

Median Household Income in 2019: $56,303 (Census.gov)

Regional Economic interests:

Northern Indiana is home to the factories and power plants. Roughly 25% of Indiana's GDP comes from manufacturing. The industries here range from Automotive, to steel, to furniture. Indiana's car industry is the second largest in the country behind Michigan. The nearby city of Chicago influences much of the demographics and economy of nearby cities such as Gary Indiana.

Rural Central Indiana is blanketed in farmland. As part of the corn belt, the plains of central Indiana are rural and heavily reliant on agriculture. The countryside is crisscrossed by highways and railroads converging around Indianapolis.

Indianapolis dominates central Indiana in terms of population. Like most other large cities, the economy of Indianapolis has more service and transportation jobs than heavy industry. Healthcare, food, and retail are among the city's largest employers. (Best Places)

Southern Indiana is much less populated than the rest of the state. Covered in Mountains, the economy of the south is heavily reliant on coal mining and burning as a fossil fuel. Indiana is home to both the largest coal power plant in the US, as well as the most polluting. (World Atlas) The major population centers in the area are in nearby states, such as Cincinnati and Louisville.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/IN

https://www.bestplaces.net/economy/city/indiana/indianapolis

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-biggest-industries-in-indiana.html

Indiana at a glance

https://twitter.com/terriblemaps/status/1276866021350088715

Facts about Indiana:

• Home to ~6.8 million people
• Residents called, "Hoosiers"
• Majority Religion Protestant Christian
• ~85% white 
• The ~10% african American population is concentrated in the Indianapolis area, and along the coast of Lake Michigan, around the greater Chicago area.
• About 40% of Hoosiers live in rural areas, a large percentage given the population of the state
• Largest city is Indianapolis, with a 2022 population of 892,656 people. The city is located in the heart if Indiana, and connects much of the state through highways and railroads.
• Indiana is known as the "crossroads of America"
• Another city is Fort Wayne in Northern Indiana, with a population of 279,228

https://www.britannica.com/place/Indiana-state/History

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/IN

Position in the Senate

Young served as the Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2019 to 2021.

He is currently on the following committees:

• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on Security
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development
  • Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
  • Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy and Environmental Policy (Chair)
• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
  • Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Todd Young is labeled as a one of the more "bipartisan" politicians in the Senate, particularly on issues of Foreign policy. 

Interesting Legislation

Young Sponsored S.1869, an introduced bill, the "Blockchain Promotion Act of 2021" which directs the department of Commerce to create a committee to advise congress on cryptocurrency and the ledger technology behind it. 

        Congress.gov

Todd Young before Politics

Born: August 24, 1972. Lancaster Pennsylvania

Family: Young married Jennifer Tucker in 2005, and has 4 children- Tucker, Annalise, Abigail and Ava. The Youngs live in Bloomington Indiana.

Education: 

• BS in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy (1995)
• MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (2000)
• MA of American Politics from the University of London (2001)
• J.D. from the University of Indiana (2006)

Military Career: After graduating from Carmel High School, Young enlisted in the United States Navy. After advancing to naval officer position, Young moved to the Marines where he would remain until he was honorably discharged in 2000.

Rank: Captain

Fun Fact: Young played Soccer throughout his childhood and college career. At one point even playing on the team that won an Indiana State soccer competition.