April 29, 2022
Indiana’s senate race is well on the radar of the Jewish Political Guide. With Republican Incumbent Todd Young running in his primary unopposed, he’ll be afforded the rare opportunity to start his general campaign with a healthy head start. Senator Young has an important track record on Jewish issues. In 2021, Young opposed the International Criminal Court’s anti-Israel rhetoric and introduced legislation aimed to solidify and strengthen the Abraham Accords. Here is additional background on our issues:
- Senator Young supported the Taylor Force Act, which states that no federal funds shall be given to a Palestinian entity that financially rewards terrorists or their families.
- He cosponsored legislation objecting to UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which claimed that Israel’s settlements have no legal validity. Senator Young cosponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act and the Combating BDS Act of 2017, two bills aimed to fight discriminatory boycotts targeting Israel.
- Senator Young cosponsored the United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act, a legislation that supported full funding of security assistance to Israel as outlined in the 2016 U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding. In 2019, he voted for the Strengthening America’s Middle East Security Act which, among other things, strengthened Israel’s security and allowed a state or local government to adopt measures to divest its assets from entities that boycott Israel.
In addition to the Republican contendership already being decided, the Democratic primary will follow suit with an unopposed race of its own. Thomas McDermott Jr., former mayor of Hammond, Indiana, and the youngest person elected to its office, will lead the democratic charge. Little information has been circulated on McDermott’s positions on issues related to Israel or the Jewish Community.
With the primary fast approaching, you can rest assured that the Jewish Political Guide will be on the lookout to best prepare you for the General in November. Thomas McDermott is a Navy veteran, serving 6 years as a nuclear submariner aboard the USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709). Following his honorable discharge, he moved back to Hammond and attended university at Purdue-Calumet. Subsequently, McDermott earned a law degree from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. He has been named a Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor bestowed upon a civilian by the Governor of Indiana, and has served as the Deputy Chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party. McDermott also served as a DNC Veterans and Military Families Council co-chair.