Hoosier voters express low confidence in Congress

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — could a lack confidence in Congress cost Indiana’s U.S. Senate candidates votes in November’s general election?

That’s the result Republicans are hoping happens to Democratic Incumbent Senator Joe Donnelly.

“The Center for Effective Lawmaking named Joe Donnelly the least effective democrat lawmaker in the united states senate,” said President Donald Trump. “I don't know, Mike [Braun], but I think that will be a very good phrase to run by.”

President Trump pulled no punches during his stump in Elkhart two weeks ago.

Senator Donnelly was quick to take issue with the president's statement, even pointing to the 41 laws he has drafted during his tenure in the U.S. Senate in a statement sent to ABC 57 News immediately after the rally.

And recently, a spokesman for Donnelly's campaign pointed out this tweet by the president calling the "Right to Try" legislation and regulatory relief bill "big legislation."

Both were introduced by Sen. Donnelly.

But the study's assessment of the senator, the president cited during the rally, came before this year.

The Center for Effective Lawmaking is a nonpartisan research group that tracks effectiveness of individual lawmakers and legislators in Congress.

“It captures the same time not only how much legislation you introduce in but how substantively important that legislation is as well how successful you are at moving your legislative agenda through each of the stages of the process from start to finish,” said Alan E. Wiseman, director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking.

Like the president mentioned, Donnelly was ranked the least effective of all 44 Democrats in the Senate but that was during the 2015/2016 session.

But he’s not the only low performing Hoosier according to the study.

During that time, Senator Dan Coates ranked the 53rd effective of 54 Republican U.S. Senators.

“But more broadly Democrats are going to say, ‘Republicans are in control and the extent that anyone feels like Washington is broken, bring Democrats in to fix it,’” said Rick Klein, ABC News political director.

Many voters in South Bend say their expectations aren’t being met in Congress.

“Both parties have really let the people down on both sides,” said voter Mitchell Bramley.

Correction: the original story stated Donnelly's camp called the president a liar. It has been changed to reflect his disagreement with the president's claim.