Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Indiana State Legislature
October 31, 2012
By Ballotpedia's State legislative team
| Indiana's State Legislative Elections in 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate seats | Contested senate seats | House seats | Contested house seats |
| 25 | 15 (60.0%) | 100 | 68 (68.0%) |
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: There are 125 total legislative seats with 2012 elections in Indiana, where polling places are open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM local time.[1] The state is divided between the Central time zone and the Eastern time zone.
The Republican Party holds a significant membership edge in the State Senate, outnumbering Democrats 37 to 13. In the 2012 elections, half of the Senate is up for re-election (25 of the 50 seats). The State House is more competitive, with Democrats holding 40 seats to the Republicans' 60 seats. Every seat in the House of Representatives is up for re-election in 2012.
If Republicans increased their majority to 67 seats in the House, they would have a super-majority and would no longer need Democrats present to have a quorum for voting procedures.[2]
Of the 125 incumbents up for election in 2012, 104 (83.2%) of them are running for re-election. A total of 83 of 125 (66.4%) districts will see more than one major party candidate in the general election.
Here are a few races to watch:
Senate
- In District 30: Democratic candidate Tim DeLaney faces incumbent Republican Scott Schneider, who was appointed to the seat in 2009, in this suburban Indianapolis district. Libertarian candidate F.C. Peterson is also running for this seat.[2]
- In District 36: Incumbent Republican Brent Waltz faces a high-profile challenge from Democratic House incumbent Mary Ann Sullivan for this Indianapolis-based seat.[2]
House
- In District 45: Incumbent Democrat Kreg Battles, who was first elected to District 64 in 2006, will face Republican District 45 incumbent Bruce Borders. The two are facing each other due to redistricting.[2]
- In District 60: Incumbent Democrat Peggy Welch faces Republican challenger Peggy Mayfield for this seat representing a rural area southwest of Indianapolis. Mayfield defeated Daniel Elliot and Keegan Clark in the Republican primary.[2]
- In District 81: This Fort Wayne metropolitan area district has incumbent Democrat Winfield C. Moses, Jr. facing two challengers: Republican Martin Carbaugh and Libertarian Alexander Avery. Moses used to have a downtown district, but redistricting resulted in a more suburban and conservative seat for the Democrat to contest.[2]
- In District 87: This suburban district on the north side of Indianapolis is home to a contest between Democrat Christina Hale and Republican incumbent Cindy Noe, who was first elected in 2002. Noe's district, which formerly stretched into urban areas outside of Indianapolis, became less conservative as a result of redistricting.[2]
- In District 87: Incumbent Democrat Mary Ann Sullivan did not seek re-election, instead choosing to run for Senate District 36. She left this Democratic-leaning seat to two young office-seekers, Democrat Justin Moed and Republican AJ Feeney-Ruiz. The Democrats enjoy a demographic advantage, but Republicans have been putting a significant amount of resources into this race.[2]
| Indiana State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 13 | 13 | |
| Republican Party | 37 | 37 | |
| Total | 50 | 50 | |
| Indiana House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 40 | 31 | |
| Republican Party | 60 | 69 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
Articles
- 2012 elections review: Lugar's defeat in U.S. Senate primary headlines Indiana primaries May 9
- 2012 elections preview: Indiana voters to select winners in congressional, legislative primaries May 7
See also
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Indiana Congressional Seats
- Ballotpedia's 2012 General Election Preview Articles: Indiana State Executive Officials
- Ballotpedia:2012 general election preview articles
- State legislative elections, 2012
- Indiana elections, 2012
Footnotes
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