Joe Donnelly | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| 12thUnited States Ambassador to the Holy See | |
| In office April 11, 2022 – July 8, 2024 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Callista Gingrich |
| Succeeded by | Brian Burch |
| United States Senator fromIndiana | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Lugar |
| Succeeded by | Mike Braun |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Chocola |
| Succeeded by | Jackie Walorski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Simon Donnelly Sr. (1955-09-29)September 29, 1955 (age 70) Massapequa, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Notre Dame (BA,JD) |
Donnelly honoringVietnam War veterans from Indiana during its 40th anniversary. Recorded December 10, 2015 | |
Joseph Simon Donnelly Sr. (born September 29, 1955) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served in theU.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013 and as aU.S. senator from 2013 to 2019.[1] A member of theDemocratic Party from Indiana, he would later serve as theUnited States ambassador to the Holy See from 2022 to 2024 under PresidentJoe Biden.
Born inMassapequa, New York, Donnelly graduated from theUniversity of Notre Dame.[2] He began his political career on the Indiana State Election Board while working as an attorney in practice. From 1997 to 2001 he was on theMishawakaMarian School Board, serving as its president from 2000 to 2001. In2004, he won the Democratic nomination for a seat in theU.S. House of Representatives, losing toRepublican incumbentChris Chocola in the general election. In2006, he challenged Chocola again, and won election with 54% of the vote. He representedIndiana's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013, winning reelection in2008 and2010.
In May 2011, Donnelly announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate, winning the Democratic nomination one year later in an uncontested primary. He then facedIndiana State TreasurerRichard Mourdock who had defeated 36-year incumbentRichard Lugar in the Republican primary. On November 6, 2012, Donnelly defeated Mourdock in thegeneral election with 50% of the vote to Mourdock's 44%; Mourdock's loss was attributed by some to hiscontroversial comments about sexual assault.[3][4][5] In2018, Donnelly ran for reelection to a second term, but he was defeated by former Republican state representativeMike Braun.[6]
On October 8, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden announced he would nominate Donnelly to serve as theUnited States ambassador to the Holy See.[1] He presented his letters of credence to Pope Francis on April 11, 2022.[7]
Donnelly was born and raised inMassapequa, New York.[8] His mother died when he was 10, and he was raised by his father.[9] He graduated from theUniversity of Notre Dame with aBachelor of Arts in government in 1977, and earned hisJuris Doctor fromNotre Dame Law School in 1981.[10]
He practiced at the law firm Nemeth, Feeney and Masters until 1996, when he opened Marking Solutions, a printing and rubber-stamp company.[11]
Donnelly served on the Indiana Election Commission from 1988 to 1989. He was a member of theMishawaka Marian School Board from 1997 to 2001 and its president from 2000 to 2001.[12]
He ran forIndiana attorney general in 1988, but lost at the Democratic state convention. He also ran an unsuccessful campaign for theIndiana Senate in 1990.[12]
In 2004, Donnelly ran for the U.S. Congress fromIndiana's 2nd congressional district. He won the Democratic nomination unopposed, but lost the election to incumbent RepublicanChris Chocola, 54%–45%.[13]
On May 2, 2006, Donnelly defeated Steve Francis for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress from Indiana's 2nd district, setting up a rematch against incumbentChris Chocola.[14] Because of PresidentGeorge W. Bush's waning popularity, the race was expected to be competitive. The websiteMoveOn.org targeted Chocola and ran advertising against him.[15] Chocola maintained a decisive lead in fundraising, raising $3.2 million to Donnelly's $1.5 million.[16] The campaign was heated, with theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee sponsoring ads attacking Chocola as beholden to moneyed interests in the insurance, pharmaceutical, and energy industries. Chocola returned fire by attacking Donnelly over a late tax filing and attempting to link him to Democratic House leaderNancy Pelosi.[17]
On November 7, 2006, Donnelly defeated Chocola 54% to 46%, a difference of 15,145 votes.[18] The key difference between the 2006 and 2004 elections lay in the results inSt. Joseph County, the location ofSouth Bend and by far the district's largest county. Donnelly won that county with 58% of the vote.[19]
Donnelly ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.[20] In the general election, he won reelection to a second term with 67% of the vote.[21]
Donnelly ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.[22] In the general election, he was challenged by Republican nomineeState RepresentativeJackie Walorski. Despite the Republican wave in the 2010 midterm elections, Donnelly won reelection to a third term, defeating Walorski by 2,538 votes.[23]
Donnelly was named to the House Financial Services Committee for the 110th Congress.[24]
On May 8, 2011, Donnelly ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination for theU.S. Senate[25] after acknowledging the difficulty of winning reelection in his new home district drawn per the 2010 census.[26] He faced aTea Party favorite,Indiana State TreasurerRichard Mourdock, who had defeated six-term incumbentRichard Lugar in the Republican primary, and Libertarian nominee Andy Horning.[27]
An issue in the campaign was theauto bailout of 2009, which Donnelly supported and Mourdock said was unconstitutional.[28] Donnelly fashioned himself "a common-senseHoosier" in the tradition ofRichard Lugar andEvan Bayh.[29][30]
Donnelly was endorsed byThe Journal Gazette and theSouth Bend Tribune.[31]
During the campaign, Mourdock became embroiled in acontroversy after stating thatpregnancy from rape is "something that God intended".[32][33] His remarks were made in a debate on October 23, 2012, during which he explained his opposition to abortion even in the case of rape.[34]
On November 6, 2012, Donnelly defeated Mourdock, 50% to 44%.[35]
Donnelly ran for reelection against RepublicanMike Braun and Libertarian Lucy Brenton. Braun won the election.[36] After the election, Donnelly stated that the debacle his fellow Democrats created during the confirmation hearings ofBrett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court was a contributing factor to his defeat.[37][38]
On January 3, 2013, Donnelly was sworn into theUnited States Senate in the113th Congress byVice PresidentJoe Biden.[39] Donnelly was the first Democrat to hold his seat sinceVance Hartke's defeat by Richard Lugar in 1977.The Lugar Center, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit Lugar founded in 2013, ranked Donnelly the fourth most bipartisan Senator in the first session of the115th United States Congress as well as the most bipartisanDemocrat in the Senate.[40][41]
Donnelly was considered amoderate Democrat who "sometimes bucks his party on issues such asabortion, defense spending and the environment".[42][43][44] According toPolitico, "Donnelly is constantly dogged by Republicans aiming to unseat him" while also facing "disgruntled Democrats who think he's far too conservative".[45] In 2013, theNational Journal gave Donnelly a composite score of 52% conservative and 48% liberal.[46] According to FiveThirtyEight, which tracks Congressional votes, Donnelly voted with President Trump's position 54.5% of the time.[47]Congressional Quarterly published a study finding that Donnelly voted with Trump's positions 62% of the time.[48] According toGovTrack, Donnelly was the second most conservative Democrat, afterJoe Manchin, and to the right of moderate Republican SenatorSusan Collins.[49] He supportedprogressive taxation andorganized labor, but opposedsame-sex marriage and abortion, even in the case of rape, during his 2012 campaign (though he supported an exception in the case of rape in the 2018 campaign).[50][51][52] On April 5, 2013, Donnelly endorsed same-sex marriage on hisFacebook page.[53]
In February 2009, Donnelly voted for theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act.[54]
Donnelly voted against the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 (a two-month extension of an expiring provision from the American Recovery Act, forestalling an increase in thepayroll tax from 4.2% to 6.2%); he voted for theMiddle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (a one-year extension of the same provision).[55][56] In 2012 Donnelly also voted for H.R. 9, the Small Business Tax Cut Act, which would allow businesses with fewer than 500 employees to receive a tax deduction equal to 20% of their domestic business income.[57]
Donnelly was one of 276 Congress members who voted for theTax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, extending theBush tax cuts and a 13-month extension ofunemployment benefits.[58] In an interview, Donnelly said that he favored making the tax cuts permanent for middle-class Americans and temporarily extending the cuts for families making at least $250,000.[59] In a speech at the 2012Indiana Democratic Convention, Donnelly said that he would support a temporary one-year extension of all Bush-era tax cuts. "Given our continued economic challenges," he said, "now is the time to keep tax rates low.... We need to create jobs, we need to help the middle class and support small businesses, and we need to avoid partisan bickering and delay."[60]
On September 27, 2013, Donnelly voted for theContinuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (H.J.Res 59).[61]
In 2016, Donnelly received a rating of 10% fromFreedomWorks and 15% fromClub for Growth; in 2015–16, theNational Tax Limitation Committee gave him a 36% rating.[62]
Donnelly opposed the Republican tax reform legislation, theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, saying in October 2017 that he was open to supporting the plan but wanted to see more detail and be assured it would focus on substantial middle-class tax relief.[63]
During his second term, Donnelly voted for theDodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.[64]
A March 2012 letter signed by Donnelly and other Democratic members of the House and Senate, urgedCommodity Futures Trading Commission ChairmanGary Gensler to curboil speculation in thecommodity market through new provisions in theWall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.[65]
In July 2012, Donnelly voted in favor of H.R. 459, theFederal Reserve Transparency Act, sponsored byTexas CongressmanRon Paul.[66] The bill requires a fullaudit of theFederal Reserve,the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, andFederal reserve banks by theComptroller General.[67] He also joined Republicans in writing a bill toderegulate certain banks.[68] He was one of four Democrats who helped write the bill.[69] In 2018, Donnelly broke with the majority of his party and voted with Republicans to loosen banking regulations.[70]
In 2007, Donnelly co-sponsored theFair Minimum Wage Act of 2007.[71] The act allowed Congress to gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour.[72] Donnelly voted in favor of theLilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.[73] Donnelly has pushed for the passage of the "Forty Hours is Full Time Act" along with Republican senatorSusan Collins, which would define a full-time employment as 40 hours a week rather than 30.[74]
Donnelly, along with 197 members of the House, was a cosponsor of theMedicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007.[75] He voted against the Prescription Drug Imports Act, which would have "allowed funds to be used to prohibit the importation of prescription drugs by anyone who is not a legally sanctioned importer of drugs, a wholesaler, or a pharmacist".[76]
In 2007, Donnelly was a co-sponsor of theChildren's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIP), which would have added $35 billion and 4 million children to the program over five years by raising thefederal cigarette tax by 61 cents to $1 per pack. After passing the House and Senate, the measure was vetoed by PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[77] Donnelly joined 217 Democrats and 42 Republicans in a failed effort to override Bush's veto.[78]
In March 2010, Donnelly voted for thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act).[79] In 2013, Donnelly proposed changing the Affordable Care Act's definition of full-time work from 30 hours a week to 40.[80] He also supported repealing the medical device excise tax, a 2.3% tax on the sale of certain medical devices by the manufacturer, producer or importer of the device.[81] In 2012, Donnelly cosponsored the Protect Medical Innovation Act, which would repeal the tax.[82][83]
After Donnelly voted in 2012 to repeal the medical-device tax that is part of Obamacare, his 2012 election opponent,Richard Mourdock, said: "Joe Donnelly wants to pick apart Obamacare, but that begs the question: Why didn't he just hold out and not vote for it?"[84]
In 2017 campaign messages, Donnelly called President Donald Trump's proposed changes to Obamacare "unacceptable and cruel" and "half-baked", asserting that Obamacare "benefits millions of Hoosiers".[85] In January 2018, Donnelly was one of six Democrats to join Republican senators in voting to confirmAlex Azar, Trump's nominee for Health Secretary.[86]
Donnelly opposed Trump's nomination ofBetsy DeVos asSecretary of Education. "After reviewing her record," he explained, "I share the concerns expressed by many Hoosier educators, students, and families that Betsy DeVos lacks the commitment to public education needed to effectively lead theDepartment of Education."[87]
In 2011, Donnelly voted to allowDepartment of Defense funds to be used for military actions as part of theNATOIntervention in Libya. He also voted in support of the failed resolution to authorize the President to continue the limited use of U.S. Forces in Libya. The resolution stated that Congress does not support deploying, establishing, or maintaining the presence of units and members of U.S. Armed Forces on the ground in Libya unless the purpose of the presence is limited to the defense of U.S. government officials or NATO member forces from imminent danger.[88]
Donnelly voted against theIraq War troop surge of 2007.[89] In July 2007, he joined 221 other House members in voting for HR 2956, the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act. This legislation contained a deadline for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.[90]
In 2011, Donnelly aligned himself with Republicans and seven other members of theBlue Dog Coalition in a 204–215 House vote against an accelerated withdrawal from thewar in Afghanistan.[91]He reaffirmed opposition to an accelerated withdrawal fromAfghanistan in voting against theLee amendment, proposed in H.R. 4310, theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. The Lee amendment would have prohibited the military spending any money in Afghanistan except for non-combat humanitarian activities, and on activities leading to the withdrawal of American military forces from the country.[92]
Donnelly supported a Senate resolution condemning the UN Security Councilresolution onIsraeli settlements built on theoccupied Palestinian territories in theWest Bank.[93]
In May 2017, Donnelly co-sponsored theIsrael Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), which would have made it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.[94][95]
In 2011, Donnelly voted against H.R. 2219, which would have cut theU.S. military budget by $8.5 billion, stipulating that no cuts were to be taken from pay or benefit programs supporting members and veterans of the armed forces. These cuts would have reduced the emphasis of theU.S. budget on weapons programs.[96] Donnelly also voted against the failedPolis amendment, which would have cut $640 million in a 2% across-the-board reduction in spending from the 2012United States Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill.[97] He voted for the2012 National Defense Authorization Act. Civil liberties advocates have criticized Donnelly for voting for Section 1021, expanding the president's authority to detain suspectedal-Qaeda,Taliban, or associated forces (including U.S. citizens) without a trial.[98]Donnelly has voted to reauthorize thePatriot Act,[99] and to requireFISA warrants for wiretaps in the U.S., but not abroad.[100]
Donnelly voted against theDREAM Act on December 8, 2010.[101] In 2018, Donnelly voted in favor of the McCain-Coons comprehensive immigration bill, which would have provided a pathway to citizenship but did not include any funding for a border wall; he also voted to withhold funds fromsanctuary cities, in favor ofSusan Collins's bipartisan proposal that included both a pathway to citizenship forDreamers and funding for border security, and in support of Trump's proposal to allow a pathway to citizenship while funding a border wall and reducing legal immigration.[102] Donnelly said that he supports more funding for theborder wall proposed by Trump.[103]
In 2017,NumbersUSA, which seeks to reduce both legal and illegal immigration, gave him a 0% score; in 2015–16, theFederation for American Immigration Reform, which also supports immigration controls, gave him a 25% rating.[62]
In 2016, theDefenders of Wildlife Action Fund gave him a 77% rating; in 2015–16EarthRights International gave him a 40% rating; in 2015–16,Environment America gave him a 55% rating.[62]
In 2018, Donnelly was rated a "D" by theNRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) for his vote "to criminalize the private transfer of firearms between close friends and some family members, which according to the Obama Justice Department, is only enforceable through a federal firearms registry. Donnelly also supports ammunition restrictions on law-abiding citizens."[104][105]
Donnelly was previously one of the few Senate Democrats who had received an "A" rating from the NRA-PVF for his consistent support of policies that the NRA supports.[106] He has commended the NRA for its work with children ongun safety.[107]
In 2007, he co-sponsored a bill that repealed the requirement in Washington, D.C. to have guns registered. The bill also repealed the ban onsemi-automatic firearms andtrigger locks. Two years later, Donnelly supported a law that would enact concealed carry reciprocity across state lines.[107]
In 2013, Donnelly joined fourteen other Senate Democrats in voting against the proposedban on assault weapons.[108][109] He also voted to support expanded background checks that same year.[110]
In 2017, he participated in theChris Murphy gun control filibuster that was intended to persuade Republicans to support legislation that would have barred suspected terrorists and convicted criminals from purchasing guns. "I am a supporter of the Second Amendment," he said. "I'm also someone who believes it's reasonable for all of us to consider smart and responsible ways to reduce gun violence. Those things are not in opposition to each other."[111] Despite Donnelly's participation in the filibuster, a liberal Donnelly supporter,Indianapolis Star columnist Matthew Tully, complained on June 15, 2016, that "Donnelly's overall record on gun policies, first in the House and now in the Senate, and his general avoidance of taking a leadership position on the issue, seems much less tolerable than it did four years ago."[106]
Donnelly opposes abortion, and identifies aspro-life.[112] He has described himself as "committed to protecting the sanctity of life". He has mixed ratings frompro-choice andanti-abortion political action committees.Planned Parenthood, which supports legal abortion, has given him a lifetime score of 67% in line with their positions.[113]NARAL Pro-Choice America gave him a 0% score based on their 2016 pro-choice positions.[62] TheNational Right to Life Committee, which opposes legal abortion, has scored him as voting 40% in line with their positions in 2018, 25% in 2015, 70% in 2012, and 83% in 2010, his highest score.[113] The anti-abortion Campaign for Working Families gave him a 38% grade in 2018.[62] He was endorsed byDemocrats for Life of America, a pro-life Democratic PAC.[114]
He has voted for a 20-week abortion ban and co-sponsored a bill that would prohibit transporting a minor across state lines for an abortion.[115] In 2011, he co-sponsored HR 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.[116] He voted to defund Planned Parenthood before 2015, but has since voted in support of Planned Parenthood.[115] In August 2015, his campaign treasurer, Kathy Davis, who had worked on a volunteer basis for four years, resigned from his campaign because he voted to defund Planned Parenthood after videos surfaced of Planned Parenthood officialsdiscussing fetal tissue donations.[117] He was one of only two Democratic Senators who voted to defundPlanned Parenthood on this occasion, the other beingJoe Manchin ofWest Virginia.[118]
On March 30, 2017, Donnelly voted against H.J. Res. 43, which, when signed by President Trump,[119] nullified a pending federal regulation that would have disallowed states to withhold money from abortion providers.[120]
In November 2017, Donnelly was criticized by pro-life groups when he did not speak out against theDNC's presentation of a lifetime achievement award to the CEO of Planned Parenthood. "Donnelly is making it clear that he's willing to get in line with the party on abortion to maintain his support from Washington Democrats," complained theNRSC.[121][122][123][124]
In 2018, he was one of three Democratic Senators who voted to ban abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy.[125]
Donnelly has an overall mixed voting record onLGBT rights, receiving a rating of 30% from theHuman Rights Campaign in 2010.[126] In 2007, Donnelly cosponsored theEmployment Non-Discrimination Act, but in 2009, he voted against theMatthew Shepard Act.[127][128] In October 2009, Donnelly voted for 2009–2010 Defense Appropriations, which included theMatthew Shepard Act, which expanded federal hate crimes to include sexual orientation, gender identity and disabilities.[129] On May 27, 2010, Donnelly voted against repealingDon't Ask, Don't Tell after military review and certification, though the next day, he voted for the 2010-2011 Defense Appropriation Authorizations bill, which included a provision repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell.[130][131] In December 2010, Donnelly voted for theDon't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.[132] He was one of 17 Democratic Representatives to vote for H Amdt 1416 the Prohibits Use of Funds in Contravention of theDefense of Marriage Act in July 2012.[133]
Having opposed same-sex marriage during his 2012 senatorial campaign, Donnelly announced in April 2013, five months after his election, that he had changed his position.[134][135]
Donnelly received a rating of 80% from the Human Rights Campaign in 2017 for his time in the 114th Congress.[136]
In 2013, Donnelly co-sponsored the Senate bill to reauthorize theViolence Against Women Act.[137]
In 2015, Donnelly voted forCISPA.[138]
Donnelly was one of four Democrats to vote against theStream Protection Rule.[139] He was one of three Democrats to vote to confirm President Trump's first Supreme Court nominee,Neil Gorsuch,[140] and the second Democrat to announce that he would meet withBrett Kavanaugh, Trump's second Supreme Court nominee.[141] He ultimately voted against confirming Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.[142]
In March 2019, Donnelly joined Washington, D.C. law firmAkin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as a partner.[143]
In April 2019, with fellow former SenatorHeidi Heitkamp (who also lost reelection in 2018), Donnelly launched One Country Project, an organization dedicated to helping Democrats reconnect with rural voters.[144][145] He is also a member of the ReFormers Caucus ofIssue One.[146]
On October 8, 2021, President Biden nominated Donnelly to be the ambassador to theHoly See.[147] TheSenate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings on his nomination on December 14, 2021. The committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on January 12, 2022. On January 20, 2022, Donnelly was confirmed by theU.S. Senate viavoice vote.[148] On February 25, 2022, he was sworn into office.[149][150] He presented his credentials toPope Francis on April 11, 2022.[151] On May 30, 2024, he announced that he would be stepping down from the post, effective July 8, 2024.[152]
Donnelly met his wife, Jill, while attending theUniversity of Notre Dame; the two married in 1979. They have two children.[153] They live inGranger, an unincorporated suburban community northeast of South Bend.
As of 2013[update], Donnelly was the 26th poorest member of the U.S. Senate, with an estimated net worth of $781,504.[154]
Donnelly is a practisingRoman Catholic.[155]
In July 2017, the AP reported that despite Donnelly's vocal criticism of free-trade policies and outsourcing to Mexico, he had financial ties to a family business, Stewart Superior Corp., which utilized Mexican labor for its operations. Donnelly, who previously owned company stock and served as a corporate officer and general counsel, faced criticism from trade experts for what they perceived as hypocrisy in light of his opposition toNAFTA.[156] After the AP report, Donnelly agreed to sell his stock in the family firm.[157] In August 2017, the NRSC hired amariachi band to play at a campaign stop as a way of reminding voters about the issue of exporting jobs to Mexico in relation to this accusation.[158]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chris Chocola (incumbent) | 140,496 | 54.2% | ||
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly | 115,513 | 44.5% | ||
| Libertarian | Douglas Barnes | 3,346 | 1.3% | ||
| Turnout | 259,355 | 62% | |||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Indiana's 2nd congressional district Democratic primary election, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +% |
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly | 30,589 | 83.0% | |
| Democratic | Steve Francis | 6,280 | 17.0% | |
| Turnout | 36,869 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly | 103,561 | 54.0% | ||
| Republican | Chris Chocola (incumbent) | 88,300 | 46.0% | ||
| Turnout | 191,861 | 44% | |||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly (incumbent) | 187,416 | 67.1% | ||
| Republican | Luke Puckett | 84,455 | 30.2% | ||
| Libertarian | Mark Vogel | 7,475 | 2.7% | ||
| Turnout | 279,346 | 62% | |||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly (incumbent) | 91,341 | 48.2% | ||
| Republican | Jackie Walorski | 88,803 | 46.8% | ||
| Libertarian | Mark Vogel | 9,447 | 5.0% | ||
| Turnout | 189,591 | 41% | |||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly | 207,715 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 207,715 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly | 1,281,181 | 50.04% | +50.04% | |
| Republican | Richard Mourdock | 1,133,621 | 44.28% | −43.08% | |
| Libertarian | Andy Horning | 145,282 | 5.67% | −6.92% | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 18 | 0 % | n/a | |
| Majority | 147,560 | 5.76% | −69.49% | ||
| Turnout | 2,560,102 | 57.46% | +26.24% | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Braun | 1,158,000 | 50.73% | +6.45% | |
| Democratic | Joe Donnelly (incumbent) | 1,023,553 | 44.84% | −5.20% | |
| Libertarian | Lucy Brenton | 100,942 | 4.42% | −1.25% | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 70 | 0.01% | +0.01% | |
| Total votes | 2,282,565 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | |||||
But with the Christine Blasey Ford allegations, they did. It turned into a bizarre drama, which intensified Republican turnout. Donnelly would vote against Kavanaugh, but even red state Democrats like West Virginia's Joe Manchin who voted to confirm saw poll numbers decline. "It wasn't so much the vote," Donnelly said. "It was about this whole mess."
Senate Democrats say they want to avoid a replay of the bitter fighting that characterized Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's 2018 Senate confirmation hearings, which centrist former Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) thought cost them their reelection bids that year.
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 2nd congressional district 2007–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Vacant Title last held by David Johnson2000 | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromIndiana (Class 1) 2012,2018 | Succeeded by Valerie McCray |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Indiana 2013–2019 Served alongside:Dan Coats,Todd Young | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Patrick Connell Acting | United States Ambassador to the Holy See 2022–2024 | Succeeded by Laura Hochla Acting |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
 | ||
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
