INDIANAPOLIS -- The race for the U.S. Senate in Indiana is one of the most closely watched midterm races in the country. It could help determine which party controls the Senate. As a result, groups from outside Indiana are joining the campaigns of Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly and his Republican challenger, former State Rep. Mike Braun, in spending millions of dollars on ads to try to sway voters. This is the latest in our RTV6 Fact Check series, examining the accuracy -- or lack thereof -- of some of these commercials.
This is a look at two commercials from the aforementioned outside groups. The first is paid for by the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC), the effort by Senate Republicans to hold on to their slim majority. It goes after the man christened as "Sleepin' Joe" by President Trump and, as you will see, make some dubious claims on Sen. Donnelly's support on matters related to immigration.
The second ad is from the Senate Majority PAC. That's a committee trying to help Democrats re-take the Senate. It focuses on Mr. Braun's business, specifically on a May story from AP writer Brian Slodysko which showed Braun's company had been hit with several safety violations in the past, as well as claims it was not paying overtime to some employees properly. The ad, while accurately reflecting the story, could -- we believe -- added some more context, but it is still largely true.
We rate ads on a 6 point scale; 6 being 100% true, 0 being not true at all.
