The Decatur County Republican Party hosted Senatorial candidate Don Bates Jr. as a special guest speaker both for the Women’s Club and the Party meetings Monday evening.

“It’s good to be home,” Bates opened.

His family moved to Greensburg when he was four, making the Tree City the only hometown he remembers, he told the Women’s Club. Now, he lives two hours northeast of here, in Winchester, with his wife, Amy, and sons Trae, 13, and Blake, 11.

His business life takes place in Richmond, where he has worked for 14 years in the financial services industry. For 10 of those years, he has been First Vice President and Branch Manager for Wells Fargo Advisors. He is a member of the boards of directors for the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement of Eastern Indiana and the Starr Gennett Foundation. He is also a member of the Richmond Rotary Club and Richmond Lions Club.

Bates describes himself as a Christian, a proud American, a devoted husband and father and a Reagan Republican, the last being his inspiration to run against Senator Evan Bayh in 2010.

“I want to serve in the Senate to save us from a President who is trying to dismantle the United States as we know it,” he said.

As a financial advisor, Bates said he is well-prepared to remember that tax money belongs to the people - a fact that he believes too many elected officials have lost sight of.

“On Capitol Hill, people have forgotten whose money it is,” he said.

He acknowledged that the Republican Party has lost its way but also noted that all is not lost. He said the 2010 election could serve as a second chance, and potentially the last, to put principles over power.

If elected to the Senate, he said initial actions would be defensive, stopping legislation that could have adverse effects on the American dream. He also strongly supports making the tax cuts from the George W. Bush administration permanent.

“People think Obama is Robin Hood, but he isn’t,” said Bates. “He is Prince John, not Robin Hood.”

For Bates, the role of the Federal Government is not to make citizens give their money away. Forcing Americans to support one another is not something the Constitution upholds, he noted. The role is, instead, to protect the safety and freedom of the nation, he said.

On the international stage, Bates said the United States is “doing what Carter would have done.”

“We need a Reagan right now,” he said.

He noted he is not against President Barack Obama the man but rather the positions he holds.

“I pray for his safety,” Bates said, “but he has a vision of America that is the opposite of mine - and most Americans. Our Junior Senator can’t stop him. We can, and that’s why I’m running.”

Bates held a kick-off rally on July 25 to announce his candidacy and had formed an official team on Oct. 1. His campaign chairman is Ron Arnold, and his deputy campaign manager is Mikah Wilson. His technical director is Jeff Howe, and his grassroots director is Jim Cook. The team also includes political director Jerry Alexander. Many of the members of “Team Bates” are former members of U.S. Rep. Mike Pence’s campaign team. While Pence has not endorsed Bates in his race for Senate, he has given his former employees his blessing to work on the campaign, Bates explained.

“I believe we have the best team in the state,” Bates said. “We will always take the high road and accentuate the positive.”

Bates had one more promise to make his potential constituents. If elected, his family will not move to Washington, D.C.

“My boys will be raised Hoosiers,” he said.

While an apartment in the capitol city will be a necessity, Bates said he will be in Indiana whenever the legislature is not in session. He will hold town hall meetings, he said, so that his constituents can tell him what he is doing right and what he is doing wrong.

“I plan to maintain the pulse of the people I serve,” he said.

With Reagan as his inspiration and Decatur County values as his compass, Bates hopes to carry a vision of America through the campaign and into the position of United States Senator.

To learn more or contribute to the campaign, visit www.donbatesjr.com.