By Pete Seat

Just moments ago, the race was called and the voices of Hoosiers made clear – Dan Coats will be the next U.S. Senator from Indiana.

As Dan will say during his remarks tonight, “we have every reason in Indiana to be proud” because we have done our part by turning a U.S. Senate seat held by an Obama enabler to someone who firmly opposes that agenda.

Come January, Dan will take office with a clear directive from Hoosiers to stand as a check-and-balance against the tax-and-spend policies of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi. Tonight’s victory signals a broad mandate to carry the voices and values of Hoosiers to the U.S. Senate to deliver the meaningful change Hoosiers crave.

Dan has demonstrated both during his previous service and this campaign to have a keen ability to understand what voters want, what Hoosiers need and to represented those voices in the U.S. Senate.

The past nine months on the campaign trail have offered Dan an opportunity to listen to Hoosiers in every corner of the state who are concerned that the leadership of Obama-Pelosi-Reid has increased unemployment and spending – saddling future generations with unsustainable – and perhaps insurmountable – debt burdens. Businesses continue to feel uncertainty and are looking for representation willing to tackle these real problems by lowering taxes, reducing regulations and encouraging innovation to reignite our economic engines.

As we watch a number of Republican victories around Indiana and the country tonight, it is important to remember that it is the plans and ideas offered by and presented to Hoosiers that have elected Dan Coats to the United States Senate tonight.

Here’s a look back at those ideas.

Economic Growth & Job Creation

“My Plan for Economic Growth and Job Creation is an effort designed to reignite our economic engine by incentivizing the employment sectors Hoosiers count on for jobs the most by fighting for lower taxes, less regulation and encouraging innovation.” – Dan Coats, 8/18/10

Oppose Tax Increases, Reform the Tax Code, Support Small Business & Manufacturing, Prioritize Education and Job Training

· Fight Tax Increases

· Reform a complicated tax code

· Make the 2001 & 2003 bipartisan tax cuts permanent

· Repeal the estate tax

· Reduce regulations being placed on entrepreneurs

· Lift the burden of the costly, mandatory health spending bill

· Reduce the corporate tax rate to match industrially competitive countries

· Provide tax incentives to encourage businesses to return jobs to the U.S.

· Promote Flexibility in job training programs

· Encourage lower cost post-secondary educational options

Restoring America’s Fiscal Health

“In order to turn away from our present disastrous course we must stop the fiscal bleeding. Spending at our current levels cannot be sustained and will only add to the growing number of problems for future generations to fix.” – Dan Coats, July 2010

Reduce Spending, Reform Entitlements and Balance the Budget

· Reform the broken earmark process

· Implement a Line Item Veto

· Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment

Hoosier Health Care Plan

“Hoosiers have spoken: the goal should not be expansion of government involvement in health care, but instead a prescription for a healthier system that lowers costs while preserving personal freedoms,” Coats said. “The elements of this plan are based on the principle that individual consumer retain control over their own decisions and calls for policy changes only where there is broad public support – without burying our children and grandchildren in debt.” – Dan Coats, 4/8/10

Preserve Personal Freedoms, Consumer Control While Driving Down Costs

· Allow Competition Across State Lines

· Encourage Innovation in States

· Liability Reform

· Improve Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance

Program (SCHIP)

· Allow for the Immediate Creation of Association Health Plans for

Small Businesses

· Incentives for Healthy Lifestyles

· Expand Health Savings Accounts

· Advance the use of Electronic Medical Records While Retaining

Privacy

· Cost Transparency

· Keep our promises to our military personnel, veterans, and

their eligible family members

Energy Solutions for Hoosiers

“Rising energy costs are consuming a larger share of our family budgets and hindering job creation. I support developing and implementing clean energy technologies and energy efficiency to reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil and make us less reliant on those sources of energy.” – Dan Coats, 9/7/10

Protect the Environment, Promote Energy Independence, While Not Hurting Business or Costing Jobs

· Reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil by increasing domestic supply and creating predictable vehicle efficiency standards for auto-makers

· Encouraging producing of baseload electricity including clean coal, hydropower, natural gas, nuclear, geo thermal; renewable and alternative fuels such as clean coal-to-liquid technology; and wind power

· Working toward policies allowing Ethanol to compete in a fair and open market

· Doubling the amount of nuclear reactors over the next twenty years.

Honoring and Protecting Hoosier Veterans

“In the closing of his second inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln reminded America that it is the duty of the people ‘to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.’ Lincoln’s message rings true to this day for those who have honorably served and the brave members of the Armed Forces currently working on our behalf.” – Dan Coats

Honor Our Commitments to Veterans and Provide the Benefits They Have Earned and Deserve

· Find ways for our service members leaving the military to have the best job-training opportunities and job-search assistance available

· Ensure the various G.I. Bill and other education benefits keep pace with the times

· Encourage the VA to explore modernizing the verification process and improve coordination with the Department of Defense

· Ensure programs treating military personnel, veterans, and their families are either protected or enhanced to their benefit

· Promote outreach to returning veterans to ensure they are aware of the benefits they have earned

Promoting Hoosier Agriculture

“Indiana’s agriculture sector is at the cutting edge, but concerned about rising taxes, new mandates and other regulations coming from Washington. I support repealing the estate tax, keeping capital gains taxes low and fighting Obama’s cap-and-tax scheme as just some of the necessary steps to support a vibrant agriculture community.” – Dan Coats, 9/10/10

Take Steps to Support Indiana’s Farmers

· Repeal the estate tax

· Keep capital gains taxes low

· Oppose cap-and-trade

· Oppose modifications to the Clean Water Act that would give the federal government more authority

· Force the EPA to produce economic impact studies before implementing Clear Air Act regulations

· Support animal welfare laws or regulation impact

· Encourage Biotechnology

· Promote Trade