On May 1st, Indiana Lunch Pail Republicans PAC chairman David Fagan announced the endorsement of Richard Lugar for the United States Senate race in the upcoming primary election. Fagan made the following statement:

“In the most contentious political season in recent memory, and one that holds compelling national ramifications, the Lunch Pail Republicans had not yet weighed in on the race for Indiana’s United States Senate seat. Until now, we have focused on job creation at the state level for all Hoosiers.

However, having observed the dishonest, disparaging and, worst of all, disrespectful campaign being waged against Indiana Senator Dick Lugar by the extreme wing of our party, in which his opponent resides, we feel compelled to loudly register our strongly-held opinion and actively engage our like-minded Lunch Pail Republican members and allies on behalf of Senator Dick Lugar.

The future for Indiana’s families cannot be left to chance, and when a poll we commissioned indicated the tightness of this race, we became further compelled to actively engage. Dick Lugar believes in policies that help the government do what it was established to do: serve the people without intruding into their lives.

One of the central functions of our federal government is to maintain a national infrastructure. Senator Lugar has been an outspoken advocate fight for improved infrastructure, which is essential to business growth and job creation. Lugar has led the charge for a new, fiscally responsible, fully-funded national infrastructure investment bill, which will put skilled Hoosiers back to work and keep Indiana moving forward. In the last eight years, Lugar has fought for $12.8 billion in federal transportation funding, which created more than 200,000 jobs and improved local economies and tax revenues.

We are eternally grateful for former President Eisenhower’s vision and commitment to national infrastructure, and we have an obligation to maintain these vital assets for future generations. Senator Lugar understands the obligation to make these investments in our state and our nation. These roads and bridges carry cars, trucks and school buses across Indiana every day, and the safety of our families relies upon the maintenance of this infrastructure, but this critical funding could be threatened if left to Lugar’s opponent.

Senator Lugar is also among the most vocal supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline, which will create thousands of vital jobs for energy industry workers. In addition to employment, this project would increase domestic oil production and reduce our reliance on oil from volatile and adversarial nations.

Gridlock in Washington hurts middle-class workers and small businesses, and Senator Lugar has repeatedly shown his commitment to actively promote initiatives that benefit the State of Indiana. His opponent, however, appears to follow the drumbeat of the obstructionist movement that has stalled meaningful progress in our federal government.

We believe the hard-working men and women of the Lunch Pail Republicans fit securely into the traditional, powerful and broad Reagan Republican coalition that enjoyed enormous electoral success in the 1980s. It is also there where Dick Lugar has made his political home with great success and innumerable achievements for the State of Indiana and the United States of America for three and a half decades.

Hoosiers need problem solvers who can deliver results for our state, not put up more obstacles. For all of the above reasons and more, I offer Dick Lugar the endorsement of the Indiana Lunch Pail Republicans and vow to work tirelessly during the next several days to ensure that he continues to serve the hard working men and women of Indiana for another term in the United States Senate.”