Todd Young

Todd Young is an American politician and former United States Marine Corps officer serving as the junior United States senator from Indiana since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Indiana's 9th congressional district from 2011 to 2017. Young is known as a pragmatic conservative who focuses on fiscal issues, national security, and bipartisanship.

Early life and education

Todd Young was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and spent much of his youth in Hamilton County, Indiana. He graduated from Carmel High School before receiving an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1995, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He served as a military intelligence officer, achieving the rank of captain, and his service included deployments with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Following his military service, Young earned a Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.

U.S. House of Representatives

Young was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2010, defeating incumbent Democrat Baron Hill to represent Indiana's 9th congressional district. He served on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee. During his tenure, he was a prominent member of the Republican Study Committee and co-founded the House Republican Israel Caucus. Young was a key proponent of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and advocated for reforms to Social Security and Medicare. He was reelected in 2012 and 2014 before launching a successful campaign for the United States Senate.

U.S. Senate

Young was elected to the United States Senate in 2016, succeeding retiring Senator Dan Coats. He serves on several influential committees, including the Committee on Finance, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He played a significant role in crafting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and has been a lead Republican negotiator on bipartisan legislation, such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Young is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism and is a vocal advocate for a strong stance against the Chinese Communist Party.

Political positions

Young is considered a mainstream conservative with a record of working across the aisle on specific issues. He is a strong supporter of free trade agreements, having voted for the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement. He advocates for a robust national defense and increased funding for the United States Department of Defense, while expressing skepticism of prolonged military engagements. On fiscal policy, he has called for a balanced federal budget and entitlement reform. While generally opposing the Affordable Care Act, he has supported measures to lower prescription drug costs. He is pro-life and has a high rating from the National Rifle Association. However, he broke with many in his party to help negotiate and support the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Electoral history

In the 2010 election for Indiana's 9th congressional district, Young defeated incumbent Baron Hill and Libertarian candidate Greg Knott. He won reelection in 2012 against Democrat Shelli Yoder and in 2014 against Democrat Bill Bailey. In the 2016 United States Senate election in Indiana, he won the Republican primary against rivals including Marlin Stutzman and Eric Holcomb, before defeating former Senator and Democratic nominee Evan Bayh in the general election. He was reelected in 2022, defeating Democratic nominee Thomas McDermott Jr..

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:United States senators from Indiana Category:Republican Party United States senators