The race between Republican front-runner Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is not the only battle taking place today in Indiana.
A Republican primary for retiring Sen. Dan Coat's seat between Reps. Todd Young and Marlin Stutzman is also drawing the attention of establishment figures and those who hope to shake up the party,
The Washington Post reports.
The shock among establishment figures of Trump's rise has them concerned that not only will the wider public reject him in the presidential race, but that Republicans could also lose their slim majority in the Senate.
And that's what makes them nervous about Stutzman, a member of the tea party and the House Freedom Caucus, a group which made life so difficult for then Republican House Speaker John Boehner that he resigned.
To head off the concern that if Stutzman wins the primary he would lose the November election to the Democratic contender has made establishment figures pour money into the campaign of Young, who backed Boehner.
Endorsements for Young have come from such high-level officials as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Stutzman has not been able to capitalize on anti-establishment sentiment as Young has a clear lead in the latest polls.
Young's lead was apparently bolstered by an AP story two weeks ago that alleged Stutzman violated the law by using political contributions to pay for a family vacation and other later allegations of cronyism.
As Stutzman vigorously campaigned down the stretch, he admitted to
News Channel 15 at a rally in Fort Wayne, Indiana last night that "it's hard for me to have Republicans attacking me as viciously as they have, but we are going to show that we can take the punches."
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