Indiana Senate debate comes at opportune time for Republicans

By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana had been holding his own in a tough race when the firestorm erupted over President Donald Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Donnelly joined his party in opposing Kavanaugh, who faced accusations of sexual misconduct as a teen, giving his Republican opponent, Mike Braun, a wedge issue and possibly some new momentum with a month to go until the Nov. 6 congressional elections. The two will face each other in their first debate on Monday in Westville, Indiana, a small town in the northwest corner of the state, and the bitter fight over Kavanaugh is expected to play a central role. Donnelly's U.S. Senate seat is a top target for Republicans. Trump won the largely rural state by nearly 20 percentage points in 2016, and Vice President Mike Pence is a former Indiana governor. Democrats need a net total of two seats to assume control of the Senate, but to do so, they must also defend seats in several conservative states such as Indiana. Taking control of the Senate would allow them to block moves by Trump including Supreme Court nominees. Donnelly, who was elected in 2012, has shown some surprising staying power, with polls largely showing him keeping a slight edge over Braun and the Libertarian candidate in the race, Lucy Benton. Much of that has had to do with Donnelly's careful emphasis on working with Trump rather than reflexively criticizing him. He was a supporter of the steel and aluminum tariffs the administration placed on imports this year, saying they benefited Indiana industries. Donnelly has criticized other tariffs that have hurt the state's farmers and contended they have gone too far in spurring retaliation by China. This summer, in a surprise, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, which has long backed Republican candidates, declined to endorse anyone in the Senate race, showing how potent the issue of tariffs has been. Braun, a wealthy businessman with little background in politics, has struggled with name recognition and finding a viable line of attack against Donnelly. Kavanaugh may have provided it. Braun's campaign and the Indiana Republican Party, as well as Republican political action committees, have hammered Donnelly on his vote against Kavanaugh. Republicans believe the fight over Kavanaugh has engaged conservative voters who otherwise have not been paying attention to the midterm elections and may make a difference in several close Senate races. (Reporting by James Oliphant; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)