Ellsworth blasts Coats over 1984 amnesty vote

Dems' candidate for Senate says opponent's record is inconsistent.

By Deanna Martin
of The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth said Thursday that his Republican opponent in the race for U.S. Senate is saying one thing and doing another when it comes to immigration.

Ellsworth told reporters that former Sen. Dan Coats claims to oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants – but in 1984, then-Rep. Coats voted for a House bill that would have provided legal status to some illegal immigrants already living in the U.S. The bill did not become law, but Ellsworth said he would never vote for amnesty.

“This is a pattern that we’re seeing develop about saying one thing to people in Indiana and doing something different in D.C.,â€