Todd Young | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2021 | |
| United States Senator fromIndiana | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2017 Serving with Jim Banks | |
| Preceded by | Dan Coats |
| Chair of theNational Republican Senatorial Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Leader | Mitch McConnell |
| Preceded by | Cory Gardner |
| Succeeded by | Rick Scott |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's9th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Baron Hill |
| Succeeded by | Trey Hollingsworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Todd Christopher Young (1972-08-24)August 24, 1972 (age 53) Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Dan Quayle (uncle-in-law) |
| Education | |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service |
|
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | VMUT-2 |
Todd Christopher Young (born August 24, 1972) is an American politician and attorney serving as theseniorUnited States senator fromIndiana, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of theRepublican Party, Young previously served as theU.S. representative forIndiana's 9th congressional district. He was elected to theUnited States Senate in the November 8, 2016,general election, succeeding retiring RepublicanDan Coats, and became Indiana's senior senator in January 2019 whenJoe Donnelly left the seat followinghis defeat. From 2019 to 2021, he served as the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Young was reelected in2022.
Young was born on August 24, 1972, inLancaster, Pennsylvania, the second of three children of Nancy R. (née Pierce) and Bruce H. Young.[1] He lived inMarion County, Indiana, for several years before settling inHamilton County, Indiana, where he attended public schools and won a state soccer championship.[2] In 1990, Young graduated fromCarmel High School inCarmel, Indiana.[3]
After graduating from high school, Young enlisted in theUnited States Navy and reported for duty inNewport, Rhode Island. In May 1991, he received an appointment from theSecretary of the Navy to attend theUnited States Naval Academy inAnnapolis, Maryland, where his classmates elected him a class officer and he earned a varsity letter as a member of Navy'sNCAA Division I soccer team. He graduatedcum laude in 1995,[4] earning aBachelor of Science degree inpolitical science, and accepted a commission in theUnited States Marine Corps.
Upon graduating from Annapolis, Young trained for six months atthe Basic School inQuantico, Virginia. In 1996, he completed the Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course inDam Neck, Virginia. Young then led the intelligence department ofVMU-2, anunmanned aerial vehicle squadron based inCherry Point, North Carolina. In 2000, while stationed in the Chicago area, Young earned aMaster of Business Administration from theUniversity of Chicago Graduate School of Business.[5]
Young was honorably discharged from active duty in 2000 as aU.S. Marine Captain. After leaving active duty, he spent a year in London, attending theUniversity of London'sInstitute of United States Studies. After writing a thesis on the economic history of Midwestern agriculture, in 2001 Young received hisMA in American politics.[6]
In the summer of 2001, Young traveled to formercommunist countries in Eastern Europe, where he studied the transition from centrally planned economies to free markets through an executive education program with theLeipzig Graduate School of Management, the first private business school in eastern Germany. He worked as an adjunct professor of public affairs at Indiana University'sSchool of Public and Environmental Affairs and attended law school at night.[7] In 2004, he joined Indiana-basedCrowe Chizek and Company as amanagement consultant, helping state and local government clients improve service delivery to Indiana citizens.[citation needed]
In 2006, Young earned hisJ.D. from theIndiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where he was president of the school'sFederalist Society chapter. Upon graduation he joined thePaoli, Indiana-based firm Tucker and Tucker, P.C.[7] Young is a member of the 2007 class of the Indiana Leadership Forum.[8]
In 2001, Young moved to Washington, D.C., where he briefly worked atThe Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Then he became a staffer for U.S. senatorRichard Lugar.[9] In 2003, Young volunteered forMitch Daniels's campaign forgovernor of Indiana. He was a delegate to the Indiana Republican state convention. From 2007 to 2010, Young served as Assistant Deputy Prosecutor forOrange County, Indiana.[10] In 2007, Young founded a fiscal responsibility advocacy group, the National Organization for People vs. Irresponsible Government Spending.[7]
On January 26, 2009, Young announced that he would run for the United States congressional seat inIndiana's 9th district as aRepublican.[11][12][13]
Young competed with fellow RepublicansMike Sodrel and Travis Hankins for the party's nomination for Congress and won, challenging incumbent DemocratBaron Hill in the general election. Young was endorsed by formerVice PresidentDan Quayle,[14]Lieutenant GovernorBecky Skillman,Attorney GeneralGreg Zoeller,Secretary of StateTodd Rokita, AuditorTim Berry, and TreasurerRichard Mourdock.[13]
Young won the primary and general elections, defeating Hill, and was seated in the 112th Congress in January 2011.[15]
Young defeatedShelli Yoder, winning 55% of the vote in the newly redrawn 9th district.[16]
Young defeated Bill Bailey, winning 62% of the vote.[17]
Young is a member of theRepublican Main Street Partnership, along with three other Republican senators.[18] The Main Street Partnership is considered an association of moderate Republicans.[19] In 2013 theNational Journal gave Young an overall composite rating of 69% conservative and 31% liberal, an economic rating of 69% conservative and 30% liberal, a social rating of 57% conservative and 42% liberal, and a foreign policy rating of 77% conservative and 15% liberal.[20]
In the 112th Congress, Young voted with the Republican Party 95% of the time.[21] During the 113th Congress, theHuman Rights Campaign, which rates politicians' support forLGBT issues, rated Young 30%, indicating a mixed record.[22] In July 2012, Young took over as the lead sponsor of the REINS Act, a bill that passed the House in 2011 and would require congressional approval for rules with greater than $100 million in economic impact.[23]
In the 112th Congress, Young was a member of theHouse Budget Committee and theHouse Armed Services Committee. On the latter, he focused onseapower,electronic warfare, and military grand strategy of the United States. During the first session of the 112th Congress, he employed one of theGerman Marshall Fund's Congressional Fellows as military legislative aide.[24]
In 2010, Young said he was uncertain what was causing the observed heating of the planet, that it could be sunspots or normal cycles of nature, and that "the science is not settled".[25] That same year he signed a pledge sponsored byAmericans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes.[26]
In 2011, he voted for theEnergy Tax Prevention Act of 2011.[27] In 2014, he said that it is "not necessarily the case" that there is ascientific consensus on climate change.[28]
When he introduced the Fairness for American Families Act, Young argued that "rather than driving healthcare costs down, the individual mandate is imposing a new tax and burdensome costs on middle class families" and therefore "hardworking Americans deserve the same exemptions that President Obama is unilaterally granting to businesses and labor unions."[30]
Rather than run for reelection to the House, Young announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 election to fill theSenate seat of the retiringDan Coats.[37] Also filing for the Republicanprimary was U.S. RepresentativeMarlin Stutzman. Although Young was certified as having submitted enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot, that official certification was challenged, and a tally by theAssociated Press concluded that Young had fallen short.[38] The state Election Commission scheduled a hearing on the challenge for February 19, 2016.[38] The commission voted down the challenge with a 2–2 vote and Young remained on the ballot.[39]
Young defeated Stutzman in the May 3 primary with 67% of approximately one million votes cast.[40] He was initially slated to face former U.S. RepresentativeBaron Hill, whom Young had defeated in 2010 to win his congressional seat, but on July 11, Hill announced he was dropping out of the Senate race.[41] Hill was replaced byEvan Bayh, who had held the seat from 1999 to 2011.[42] Young defeated Bayh in the November 8 general election, winning 52% of the vote to Bayh's 42%.[43][44][45]
Young was reelected in 2022, defeating Democratic nominee Thomas McDermott Jr., 58.6% to 37.9%.
On January 3, 2017, Young was sworn into theU.S. Senate in the115th Congress by Vice PresidentJoe Biden. Young was ranked the ninth-most bipartisan senator in the first session of the115th Congress by the Bipartisan Index, a metric created by theLugar Center andGeorgetown'sMcCourt School of Public Policy to assesscongressional bipartisanship.[46][47] GovTrack noted that during the same period, Young joined more bipartisan bills than any other freshman senator.[48]
Young planned to vote in support of certifying theElectoral College count on January 6, 2021. He also said he supported efforts to create a bipartisan "Election Integrity Committee" to review the 2020 presidential election.[49] While entering the US Capitol to participate in the certification on January 6, 2021, Young was accosted by pro-Trump protesters.[50] He was asked why he would vote to support the count, claiming voter fraud.[50] Young said, "When it comes to the law, our opinions don't matter; the law matters."[50] TheSouth Bend Tribune's editorial board wrote: "Young was right to reject the move that Braun had embraced—but his words should have come two months earlier, not at the last minute. That would have been upholding his duty and fulfilling his oath of office."[51] Young, however, publicly acknowledged Biden as president-elect immediately following the official Electoral College tally on December 15, 2020.[52][53] He was participating in the count when thestorming of the Capitol happened. Upon the storming, Young tweeted, "This is not a peaceful protest—it is violence and reprehensible. It must stop."[54] He voted in support of certifying the count when Congress returned to session.[50] In the wake of the attack, Young would not say whether he supported using theTwenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution to remove Trump, saying he trusted the Vice President and Trump cabinet members to "conscientiously and legally carry out their duties until January 20."[55]
In 2022, Young cosponsored, with Democratic Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumer, theCHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion bill intended to promote basic and advanced technology research and development, with a focus on the American semiconductor industry, aiming to outcompete China in technological fields in the coming years.[56][57] Young had also been involved in stalled efforts along similar lines on a bill known asUnited States Innovation and Competition Act in 2021.[58][59] The CHIPS and Science Act passed the Senate on July 27, 2022, and was signed into law by Biden on August 9, 2022.[60]
During the118th Congress (January 2023–January 2025), Young occupied theSenate Candy Desk.[61][62] In January 2025, SenatorMarkwayne Mullin replaced Young at the Candy Desk.[63]
Young is a member ofRepublican Main Street Partnership, a group that presents what it describes as centrist Republican solutions in politics; it is considered a center to center-right Republican organization.[66] He was given a 0% grade in 2016 by the progressiveAmericans for Democratic Action. TheAmerican Conservative Union, a fiscally conservativepolitical action committee, has given Young a 77.26% lifetime rating as of May 2023.[67] As of April 2020, according toFive Thirty Eight, Young voted with President Trump's position on legislation about 84% of the time.[68] The nonpartisanNational Journal determined, based on its 2013 voting analysis, that Young has a composite 69% conservative score and a 31% liberal score.[69] He has endorsed theAmerican CompassRebuilding American Capitalism: A Handbook for Conservative Policymakers, a policy document and think tank associated with and endorsed by other Republican figures, including SenatorsJD Vance,Josh Hawley,Tom Cotton, andMarco Rubio.[70] Young later presented a forum on Capitol Hill among these other supporters.[70]
In March 2024, Young announced that he would not endorse Trump in the2024 United States presidential election.[71]
Youngopposesabortion. He was endorsed by theNational Right to Life Committee (NRLC), which gave him a 100% rating in 2018; he has a 0% rating from theabortion rights groupsNARAL Pro-Choice America andPlanned Parenthood.[69] Young also believes that employers with religious objections should not be required to providebirth control to their female employees.[72] He was a co-sponsor of legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and voted to prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood.[73] Young believesRoe v. Wade was wrongly decided. On the day the2022 overturning ofRoe v. Wade was announced, he called it "a monumental day for the protection of life in America" and that the Supreme Court had "corrected a historic injustice."[74]
TheNational Rifle AssociationPolitical Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) endorsed Young for Senate in 2016 and has given him an "A+" grade.[75][76] In 2018,Gun Owners of America, a gun rights organization, gave Young a 50% score while the NRA gave him a much higher 100% rating.[77]
Young voted to pass theBipartisan Safer Communities Act in June 2022.[78]
Young opposes theDREAM Act and a pathway to citizenship for the nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.[72] NumbersUSA, which wants to restrict and reduce immigration, has given him a lifetime 80% rating while the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which also seeks to restrict immigration, gave him a 100% score; the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which supports immigration reform, gave Young a 33% rating.[69]UnidosUS, formerlyLa Raza, which supports immigration reform, gave Young a 59% rating in 2014.[69] Young has said he wants an immigration system based on merit and job skills.[79] In 2018, he introduced a bill cosponsored with SenatorTed Cruz to end family separations at the border that resulted from President Trump's "zero tolerance" policy.[80]
The organizationOn the Issues considers Young neutral on the issue of same-sex marriage; he was given a 30% rating byHuman Rights Campaign (HRC), which supports same-sex marriage and gay rights, indicating a mixed record.[81] In 2016, the HRC gave him a 2% rating.[77] Young believes same-sex marriage should be left to the states to decide.[82] He said that he supports the current policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.[83] In 2016, Young was among the Republicans who voted with Democrats in favor of a spending amendment to uphold President Obama's executive order prohibiting discrimination based onsexual orientation for federal contractors.[84] He was one of 30 Republicans who voted for an amendment to prohibit discrimination by federal contractors, but voted against a similar amendment in a military spending bill.[85] In 2022, he was one of 12 Republicans voting to advance theRespect for Marriage Act, legislation to codify same-sex marriage into federal law.[86]
On October 6, 2018, Young voted to confirmBrett Kavanaugh to theU.S. Supreme Court.[87]
In March 2019, Young was one of 12 senators to cosponsor a resolution that would impose a constitutional amendment limiting the U.S. Supreme Court to nine justices. The resolution was introduced after multiple Democratic presidential candidates expressed openness to the idea of adding seats to the U.S. Supreme Court.[88]
In July 2017, Young voted in favor of theCountering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which placed sanctions againstRussia,Iran, andNorth Korea.[89]
Young supported anAnti-Boycott Act,[90] which would make it illegal for U.S. companies to engage in boycotts againstIsrael and Israeli settlements in theWest Bank.[91]
Young condemned thegenocide of theRohingya Muslim minority inMyanmar and called for a stronger response to the crisis.[92][93]
In February 2019, Young was one of seven senators to reintroduce legislation requiring sanctions on Saudi officials involved in the killing ofJamal Khashoggi and seeking to address support for the Yemen civil war through prohibiting some weapons sales toSaudi Arabia and U.S. military refueling of Saudi coalition planes.[94] In May 2019, he was also one of seven Republicans who attempted to override President Trump's veto of the resolution regarding Yemen.[95] In June 2019, Young was one of seven Republicans to vote to block Trump's Saudi arms deal providing weapons to Saudi Arabia,United Arab Emirates, andJordan, and one of six Republicans to vote against an additional 20 arms sales.[96] In 2020, he was one of eight Republicans who voted with Democrats for a resolution limiting the president's ability to strike Iran.[97]
In 2021, Young introduced bipartisan legislation with SenatorTim Kaine that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations of war, which have been used by the executive to wage prolonged conflict in the Middle-East without congressional approval.[98]
On January 16–18, 2023, Young visitedTaiwan, as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region. He met with Taiwanese PresidentTsai Ing-Wen, senior leaders, and private sector representatives to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, and other significant issues of mutual interest.[99]
On May 28, 2021, Young voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the2021 United States Capitol attack.[100]
In 2005 Todd Young married Jennifer Tucker, niece of formervice presidentDan Quayle (whose Senate seat Young coincidentally now holds). The couple has four children.[101]
As of 2018, according toOpenSecrets, Young's had a negative net worth, owing more than $1.3 million.[102]
He is aProtestant.[103]
| Primary election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
| Republican | Todd Young | 19,141 | 34.57 | |||
| Republican | Travis Hankins | 17,909 | 32.34 | |||
| Republican | Mike Sodrel | 16,868 | 30.46 | |||
| Republican | Rick Warre | 1,453 | 2.62 | |||
| Total votes | 55,371 | 100.00 | ||||
| General election | ||||||
| Republican | Todd Young | 118,040 | 52.34 | |||
| Democratic | Baron Hill (incumbent) | 95,353 | 42.28 | |||
| Libertarian | Greg "No Bull" Knott | 12,070 | 5.35 | |||
| Independent | Jerry R. Lucas (write-in) | 69 | 0.03 | |||
| Total votes | 225,532 | 100.00 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Todd Young (incumbent) | 59,327 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 59,327 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Todd Young (incumbent) | 165,332 | 55.45 | |
| Democratic | Shelli Yoder | 132,848 | 44.55 | |
| Total votes | 298,180 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Todd Young (incumbent) | 30,402 | 79.37 | |
| Republican | Kathy Lowe Heil | 4,607 | 12.03 | |
| Republican | Mark G. Jones | 3,293 | 8.60 | |
| Total votes | 38,302 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Todd Young (incumbent) | 101,594 | 62.56 | |
| Democratic | Bill Bailey | 55,016 | 33.88 | |
| Libertarian | Ralph Mike Frey | 5,777 | 3.56 | |
| Total votes | 162,387 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Young | 661,136 | 67.08% | |
| Republican | Marlin Stutzman | 324,429 | 32.92% | |
| Total votes | 985,565 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Young | 1,423,991 | 52.11% | −2.49% | |
| Democratic | Evan Bayh | 1,158,947 | 42.41% | +2.40% | |
| Libertarian | Lucy Brenton | 149,481 | 5.47% | +0.08% | |
| Independent | James L. Johnson, Jr. (write-in) | 127 | 0.01% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,732,546 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Young (incumbent) | 1,090,390 | 58.62% | +6.51% | |
| Democratic | Thomas McDermott Jr. | 704,480 | 37.87% | −4.54% | |
| Libertarian | James Sceniak | 63,823 | 3.43% | −2.04% | |
| Write-in | 1,461 | 0.08% | +0.07% | ||
| Total votes | 1,860,154 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
The NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) has endorsed Todd Young for U.S. Senate in Indiana.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's 9th congressional district 2011–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromIndiana (Class 3) 2016,2022 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Republican Senatorial Committee 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by Dan Coats | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Indiana 2017–present Served alongside:Joe Donnelly,Mike Braun,Jim Banks | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 58th | |
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| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
