Bob Kern

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Bob Kern

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last convention

July 13, 2024

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Bob Kern (Democratic Party) ran for election for Marion County Treasurer in Indiana. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 7, 2024.

Kern also ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana. He lost in the Democratic convention on July 13, 2024.

Kern also ran for election for Governor of Indiana. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on May 7, 2024.

Biography

As of this writing, Kern was a paralegal. His political experience includes a 1998 congressional run and serving as an Indiana state democratic delegate.

Elections

Lieutenant governor

See also: Indiana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

Micah Beckwith defeated Terry Goodin and Tonya Hudson in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Micah Beckwith (R)	54.4	1,566,081
		Terry Goodin (D)	41.1	1,183,741
		Tonya Hudson (L)	4.5	129,781

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,879,603
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

Terry Goodin defeated Tamie Dixon-Tatum, Clif Marsiglio, and Bob Kern in the Democratic convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on July 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Terry Goodin (D)	79.3	1,209
	Submit photo	Tamie Dixon-Tatum (D)	10.6	162
		Clif Marsiglio (D)	9.5	145
		Bob Kern (D)	0.6	9

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,525
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

Micah Beckwith defeated Julie McGuire in the Republican convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on June 15, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Micah Beckwith (R)	51.8	891
		Julie McGuire (R)	48.2	828

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 1,719
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana

Tonya Hudson defeated Tommy Brown III in the Libertarian convention for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana on March 2, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Tommy Brown III (L)
✔		Tonya Hudson (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kern in this election.

Marion County Treasurer

See also: City elections in Indianapolis, Indiana (2024)

General election

General election for Marion County Treasurer

Incumbent Barbara Lawrence defeated Randy Wandell in the general election for Marion County Treasurer on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Barbara Lawrence (D)	62.8	219,202
	Submit photo	Randy Wandell (R)	37.2	130,111

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 349,313
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Marion County Treasurer

Incumbent Barbara Lawrence defeated Bob Kern in the Democratic primary for Marion County Treasurer on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Barbara Lawrence	86.2	31,769
		Bob Kern	13.8	5,094

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 36,863
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Marion County Treasurer

Randy Wandell advanced from the Republican primary for Marion County Treasurer on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Randy Wandell	100.0	35,028

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,028
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kern in this election.

Governor of Indiana

See also: Indiana gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Governor of Indiana

Mike Braun defeated Jennifer McCormick, Donald Rainwater, and Christopher Stried in the general election for Governor of Indiana on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Braun (R)	54.4	1,566,081
		Jennifer McCormick (D)	41.1	1,183,741
		Donald Rainwater (L)	4.5	129,781
		Christopher Stried (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	52

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,879,655
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Indiana

Jennifer McCormick advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Indiana on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer McCormick	100.0	180,577

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 180,577
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tamie Dixon-Tatum (D)
• Bob Kern (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Indiana

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Indiana on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Braun	39.5	237,125
		Suzanne Crouch	21.7	130,219
		Brad Chambers	17.5	104,723
		Eric Doden	11.8	71,031
		Jamie Reitenour	4.8	28,774
		Curtis Hill	4.6	27,750

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 599,622
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Governor of Indiana

Donald Rainwater defeated Rhonda Greene in the Libertarian convention for Governor of Indiana on March 2, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Rhonda Greene (L)
✔		Donald Rainwater (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kern in this election.

2023

See also: Mayoral election in Indianapolis, Indiana (2023)

General election

General election for Mayor of Indianapolis

Incumbent Joe Hogsett defeated Jefferson Shreve in the general election for Mayor of Indianapolis on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Hogsett (D)	59.4	97,807
		Jefferson Shreve (R)	40.6	66,781

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 164,588
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 2, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joe Hogsett	58.4	28,320
		Robin Shackleford	37.9	18,359
		Bob Kern	1.4	694
	Submit photo	Gregory Meriweather (Unofficially withdrew)	1.0	471
		Clif Marsiglio	0.8	366
	Submit photo	Larry Vaughn	0.6	294

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,504
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis

Jefferson Shreve defeated Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, James W. Jackson, and John L. Couch in the Republican primary for Mayor of Indianapolis on May 2, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jefferson Shreve	65.9	19,170
		Abdul-Hakim Shabazz	26.3	7,639
		James W. Jackson	4.3	1,251
		John L. Couch	3.6	1,036

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,096
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2022

See also: Indiana State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Indiana State Senate District 46

Andrea Hunley defeated Evan Shearin in the general election for Indiana State Senate District 46 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrea Hunley (D)	72.9	19,503
		Evan Shearin (R)	27.1	7,238

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,741
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 46

Andrea Hunley defeated Kristin Jones, Ashley Eason, Karla Lopez Owens, and Bob Kern in the Democratic primary for Indiana State Senate District 46 on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrea Hunley	43.9	3,142
		Kristin Jones	25.9	1,859
		Ashley Eason	16.7	1,194
		Karla Lopez Owens	12.5	893
		Bob Kern	1.1	77

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,165
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 46

Evan Shearin advanced from the Republican primary for Indiana State Senate District 46 on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Evan Shearin	100.0	1,535

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,535
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Shawn Carruthers (R)

2020

See also: Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Indiana House of Representatives District 98

Incumbent Robin Shackleford won election in the general election for Indiana House of Representatives District 98 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Shackleford (D)	100.0	17,813

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,813
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 98

Incumbent Robin Shackleford defeated Edwin Lewis Jones and Bob Kern in the Democratic primary for Indiana House of Representatives District 98 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robin Shackleford	80.6	4,617
		Edwin Lewis Jones	14.1	807
		Bob Kern	5.3	306

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,730
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Indiana's 7th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 7

Incumbent André Carson defeated Wayne Harmon in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 7 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		André Carson (D)	64.9	141,139
		Wayne Harmon (R)	35.1	76,457

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 217,596 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7

Incumbent André Carson defeated Sue Spicer, Curtis Godfrey, Bob Kern, and Pierre Quincy Pullins in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		André Carson	88.0	37,662
		Sue Spicer	8.2	3,499
		Curtis Godfrey	1.7	725
		Bob Kern	1.6	704
		Pierre Quincy Pullins	0.5	226

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 42,816
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Wayne Harmon	28.8	6,547
		Donald Eason	19.2	4,354
		John L. Couch	15.2	3,464
		J.D. Miniear	13.6	3,087
	Submit photo	Jon Davis	11.9	2,703
	Submit photo	Tony Van Pelt	11.3	2,568

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 22,723
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Indiana's 9th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as a race to watch. Incumbent Todd Young (R) won election to the U.S. Senate in 2016, leaving his seat open. Trey Hollingsworth (R) defeated Shelli Yoder (D) and Russell Brooksbank (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hollingsworth defeated Robert Hall, Erin Houchin, Brent Waltz, and Greg Zoeller in the Republican primary. On the other side of the aisle, Yoder defeated Bob Kern, James McClure Jr., and Bill Thomas to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on May 3, 2016.

U.S. House, Indiana District 9 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Trey Hollingsworth	54.1%	174,791
	Democratic	Shelli Yoder	40.5%	130,627
	Libertarian	Russell Brooksbank	5.4%	17,425
Total Votes				322,843
Source: Indiana Division of Elections

U.S. House, Indiana District 9 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Trey Hollingsworth	33.5%	40,767
Erin Houchin	25%	30,396
Greg Zoeller	21.9%	26,554
Brent Waltz	13%	15,759
Robert Hall	6.6%	8,036
Total Votes		121,512
Source: Indiana Secretary of State

U.S. House, Indiana District 9 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Shelli Yoder	70.1%	44,253
Bob Kern	11.6%	7,298
James McClure Jr.	10.4%	6,574
Bill Thomas	7.9%	4,990
Total Votes		63,115
Source: Indiana Secretary of State

2014

See also: Indiana's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014

Kern ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 2nd District. Kern was defeated by Joe Bock in the Democratic primary on May 6, 2014.

U.S. House, Indiana District 2 Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Joe Bock	55.2%	11,103
Dan Morrison	17.6%	3,540
Bob Kern	18.1%	3,634
Douglas Carpenter	9.1%	1,837
Total Votes		20,114
Source: Indiana Division of Elections

2012

See also: Indiana's 7th Congressional District elections, 2012

Kern ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 7th District. Kern and two other candidates lost to incumbent André Carson in the May 8 Democratic primary.

U.S. House, Indiana, District 7 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
André Carson Incumbent	90.3%	34,782
Bob Kern	5.3%	2,048
Pierre Pullins	1.5%	586
Woodrow Wilcox	2.8%	1,082
Total Votes		38,498

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bob Kern did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bob Kern did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2023

Bob Kern did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Bob Kern did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Bob Kern did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

The following issues were listed on Kern's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Energy: We shouldn't be building a pipeline dedicated to moving North America’s dirtiest fuel through our communities. We should be focused on what it will take to make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century. Building a clean secure, and affordable North American energy future is bigger than Keystone XL or any other single project. That is what I will focus on as your next Indiana Congressman of the 9th district. National Security: Keep America safe and secure by defending our core values and leading with principle. Defeat ISIS and global terrorism and the ideologies that drive it. Strengthen our alliances and nurture new relationships to tackle shared challenges such as climate change, cyber threats, and highly contagious diseases. I believe the future holds far more opportunities than threats if we exercise creative and confident leadership that enables us to shape global events rather than be shaped by them. Jobs: As odd as it might sound government doesn't create jobs it's been a lie, spoon fed the American public for years and yes we all fell right into the fairy tale or myth that government creates jobs. The only thing the government can do is get out of the way and give incentives and cutting the red tape too small business for the smart people who know how to create jobs and make something of it work for the people. Abortion: Marriage: It's not my right to tell anyone who they can marry. Government needs to stay out of the bedrooms. Government is not God and they need stop acting as though they have his authority. Education: I would want that bill to be about affordable education. I believe that public Universities should be tuition free and graduate school should have subsidized loans as they were before 2010. I believe many of our socioeconomic problems derive from lack of education and overwhelming student loan debt. I believe that graduates should be able to enter the work force without looming debt being held over their heads for years. Tuition will be paid by Wall Street tax.	”
—Bob Kern's campaign website, http://bobkern4indiana.org/issues.html

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Bob Kern campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Indiana State Senate District 46	Lost primary	$25	$25
2018	U.S. House Indiana District 7	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$25	$25
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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