INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 06: Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), accompanied by his wife Jill, speaks on November 6, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis, Indiana. Donnelly was defeated by his Republican challenger Mike Braun. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
One of Indiana’s Republican U.S. senators has endorsed the nomination of Democratic former Sen. Joe Donnelly as the country’s ambassador to the Vatican.
Sen. Todd Young offered his congratulations to Donnelly in a Twitter post on Saturday, a day after the White House announced President Joe Biden would nominate Donnelly for the position that requires Senate approval.
“Joe is a devout Catholic and longtime public servant, and I know he will serve our nation well and represent the best of our Hoosier values,” Young’s post said.
Donnelly served six years in the U.S. House from a South Bend-area district before winning election to the Senate in 2012. He lost his 2018 reelection bid to Republican Mike Braun.
Donnelly has bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Notre Dame, where he has been a part-time professor while also working for the Washington law firm Akin Gump.
Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins called Donnelly “an ideal choice to represent the United States at the Vatican.”
“He will bring to this role a deep understanding of the issues currently facing our nation and the world, a genuine Catholic faith and an understanding of the role the Church can play in our world,” Jenkins said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
