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Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2020

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Indiana's 5th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 7, 2020
Primary: June 2, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent:
Susan Brooks (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voting in Indiana
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Indiana's 5th Congressional District
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th
Indiana elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

Victoria Spartz (R) defeated Christina Hale (D), Ken Tucker (L), and write-in candidate Ellen Kizik (I) in the general election for Indiana's 5th Congressional District on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Susan Brooks (R), first elected in 2012, did not seek re-election.[1]

Susan Brooks had held the seat since 2013, winning her 2016 and 2018 elections by margins of 27.2 and 13.6 percentage points, respectively. Leading up to her tenure, the district had been represented by Republicans since 1993. Donald Trump (R) won 53 percent of the vote in the 5th District during the 2016 presidential election.[2] During the 2018 midterm elections, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat, won 48.4 percent of the vote in the 5th District over Mike Braun's (R) 47.9 percent. Braun ultimately won the statewide election that year.[3]

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed the 5th District as one of its 2020 target districts and included Hale in its Red to Blue program. Spartz was included in the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns program.[4]

The outcome of this race affected partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress. All 435 seats in the House were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232 to 198 majority over Republicans. The Libertarian Party had one seat. Four seats were vacant. Democrats defended 30 districts Donald Trump (R) won in 2016. Republicans defended five districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016.

Indiana's 5th Congressional District takes in portions of central Indiana, including Grant, Madison, Tipton and Hamilton counties and part of Blackford, Marion, Boone and Howard counties.[5]

Ken Tucker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection Survey. Click here to view his responses.


Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.
Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.


Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Indiana's 5th Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 47.9 45.9
Republican candidate Republican Party 50.1 50
Difference 2.2 4.1

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Indiana did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Victoria Spartz defeated Christina Hale and Ken Tucker in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Victoria Spartz
Victoria Spartz (R)
 
50.0
 
208,212
Image of Christina Hale
Christina Hale (D)
 
45.9
 
191,226
Image of Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker (L) Candidate Connection
 
4.0
 
16,788

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 416,226
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Christina Hale defeated Dee Thornton, Jennifer Christie, Andy Jacobs, and Ralph Spelbring in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Christina Hale
Christina Hale
 
40.8
 
30,123
Image of Dee Thornton
Dee Thornton
 
27.1
 
20,049
Image of Jennifer Christie
Jennifer Christie
 
18.1
 
13,345
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Andy Jacobs
 
13.3
 
9,817
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Ralph Spelbring
 
0.8
 
575

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 73,909
Candidate Connection = 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.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Victoria Spartz
Victoria Spartz
 
39.7
 
34,526
Image of Beth Henderson
Beth Henderson
 
17.6
 
15,343
Image of Micah Beckwith
Micah Beckwith Candidate Connection
 
12.7
 
11,063
Image of Carl Brizzi
Carl Brizzi
 
6.5
 
5,619
Image of Kent Abernathy
Kent Abernathy Candidate Connection
 
5.6
 
4,901
Image of Kelly Mitchell
Kelly Mitchell
 
5.3
 
4,643
Image of Chuck Dietzen
Chuck Dietzen
 
4.7
 
4,071
Image of Matthew Hook
Matthew Hook Candidate Connection
 
2.5
 
2,147
Image of Andrew Bales
Andrew Bales Candidate Connection
 
1.5
 
1,329
Image of Mark Small
Mark Small Candidate Connection
 
1.2
 
1,057
Image of Danny Niederberger
Danny Niederberger Candidate Connection
 
0.8
 
675
Image of Victor Wakley
Victor Wakley Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
465
Image of Allen Davidson
Allen Davidson
 
0.5
 
411
Image of Russell Stwalley
Russell Stwalley Candidate Connection
 
0.4
 
379
Image of Matthew Hullinger
Matthew Hullinger Candidate Connection
 
0.4
 
333

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 86,962
Candidate Connection = 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.

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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Ken Tucker advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on March 7, 2020.

Candidate
✔
Image of Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker (L) Candidate Connection

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = 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.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[6] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Christina Hale

Image of Christina Hale

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

  • Indiana House of Representatives (2012-2016)

Biography:  Hale received her degree from Purdue University. She worked as President and CEO of Leadership Indianapolis from 2017-2018 and Executive Director of Kiwanis International from 2018-2020.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Hale said her experience as a single working mother putting herself through college inspired her to pursue a career in public service.

Hale said that, during her tenure as an Indiana state representative, she was able to work across the aisle and pass bipartisan legislation. She said she would bring that skill to her work in Congress.

Hale said her priorities include reducing the cost of healthcare and investing in education and school safety.

Show sources

Sources: Christina Hale's 2020 campaign website, "Christina Hale for Congress," accessed September 7, 2020; Youtube, "Hoosiers for Hale - Tips," August 26, 2020; Youtube, "Hoosiers for Hale - Improving the Lives of Children," August 12, 2020; Christina Hale's 2020 campaign website, "Meet Christina," accessed September 7, 2020; LinkedIn, "Christina Hale," accessed September 7, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 5 in 2020.

Victoria Spartz

Image of Victoria Spartz

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

  • Indiana State Senate (Assumed office: 2017)

Biography:  Spartz received a BA and MBA in international economics from the National University of Economics in Ukraine, and a Master of Professional Accountancy from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She worked as a CPA, as CFO at the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, and as a business owner.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Spartz said her experience growing up in socialist Ukraine informed her conservative values, which she described as limited government and belief in the free market.

Spartz said she was not a career politician and had challenged the political establishment as an Indiana state senator.

Spartz said her professional work as a CPA and business owner provided her with the experience to, if elected, pass legislation that would strengthen the economy.

Show sources

Sources: Youtube, "Bold Thinking 30 TV," August 27, 2020; Victoria Spartz's 2020 campaign website, "Victoria Spartz: Republican for Congress," accessed September 7, 2020; Victoria Spartz's 2020 campaign website, "About Victoria," accessed September 7, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 5 in 2020.

Ken Tucker

Image of Ken Tucker

WebsiteTwitterYouTube

Party: Libertarian Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Ken Tucker. I want to earn your vote, not buy it. Currently I'm a stay at home dad. Previously I was an Indiana Public School teacher for 11 year where I taught 5th and 6th grade within the Noblesville Schools. I want to be the voice of public education. I'm a product of Indiana. I was born, raised, and have always lived here. I want to be a voice for my state. I want to be part of the conversation that moves Indiana forward. I'm a tree huggin, sun lovin, dirt worshiper that understands the importance and the value of alternative energy for our future. I want to be a voice for wind, solar, hemp, and marijuana to make Indiana a leader in those areas to help create jobs and new markets here in Indiana. Personally I am passionate about equality, education, and the environment. If elected I promise to do everything I can to ensure equality for any and all American Citizens irregardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other way we as a society tend to categorize ourselves. I'll never ask for a dime. Just some of your time."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Education

Equality

Environment

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Indiana District 5 in 2020.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2020: General election polls
Poll Date Democratic Party Hale Republican Party Spartz Libertarian Party Tucker Other Margin of error Sample size Sponsor
Global Strategy Group August 17-19, 2020 47% 40% 4% 9% ±4.9 400 House Majority PAC


Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[7] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[8] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Christina Hale Democratic Party $4,019,767 $4,008,303 $11,464 As of December 31, 2020
Victoria Spartz Republican Party $3,270,606 $3,161,482 $109,124 As of December 31, 2020
Ken Tucker Libertarian Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+9, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 9 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 5th Congressional District the 149th most Republican nationally.[9]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.88. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.88 points toward that party.[10]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[11]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[12][13][14]

Race ratings: Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesTilt DemocraticToss-upToss-upToss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean DemocraticToss-upToss-upToss-up
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

President Donald Trump (R)[19]|| ||✔
Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Hale (D) Spartz (R)
Newspapers and editorials
The Herald Bulletin[15] ✔
Elected officials
Sen. Kamala Harris (D)[16] ✔
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick (R)[17] ✔
Vice President Mike Pence (R)[18] ✔
Individuals
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D)[20] ✔
Former President Barack Obama (D)[21] ✔

Timeline

2020

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Christina Hale

Supporting Hale

"Pre-existing Conditions" - Hale campaign ad, released October 27, 2020
"Closer" - Hale campaign ad, released October 26, 2020
"Republicans" - Hale campaign ad, released October 13, 2020
"Protect" - Hale campaign ad, released September 30, 2020
"Safety" - Hale campaign ad, released September 11, 2020
"Classroom" - Hale campaign ad, released September 11, 2020
"Health Care" - Hale campaign ad, released September 3, 2020
"Tips" - Hale campaign ad, released August 26, 2020
"Improving the Lives of Children" - Hale campaign ad, released August 12, 2020
"Focused" - Hale campaign ad, released May 19, 2020


Opposing Spartz

"Truth" - Hale campaign ad, released October 19, 2020
"Isabel" - Hale campaign ad, released October 14, 2020
"Dangerous" - Hale campaign ad, released October 1, 2020

Republican Party Victoria Spartz

Supporting Spartz

"CARES" - Spartz campaign ad, released October 28, 2020
"Mom" - Spartz campaign ad, released October 28, 2020
"Agree" - Spartz campaign ad, released October 7, 2020
"All Of Us" - Spartz campaign ad, released September 15, 2020
"Bold Thinking" - Spartz campaign ad, released August 27, 2020
"Senators" - Spartz campaign ad, released May 28, 2020
"Stop Socialism" - Spartz campaign ad, released May 22, 2020
"American Dream" - Spartz campaign ad, released May 22, 2020
"Relentless" - Spartz campaign ad, released May 22, 2020


Opposing Hale

"Trump Endorsement" - Spartz campaign ad, released October 31, 2020
"Ashamed" - Spartz campaign ad, released October 28, 2020
"Cashed In" - Spartz campaign ad, released October 14, 2020
"Better Choice" - Spartz campaign ad, released October 11, 2020
"Sold Out" - Spartz campaign ad, released September 23, 2020

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Democratic Party Christina Hale

Hale’s campaign website stated the following:

“

LOWERING HEALTH CARE COSTS
Christina knows that for too many Hoosiers, health care is unaffordable and hard to access. As a young, hardworking single mom, Christina ensured her son had health care coverage even when she couldn’t afford it for herself. Christina understands the stress of living without insurance – being one illness or injury away from missing an important payment or even going bankrupt. She’ll fight to ensure every Hoosier has access to health care, so no one has to choose between seeing a doctor and paying their bills.

In Congress, Christina will focus on:

  • Expanding access to affordable, quality health care by creating a public option for people who have no private insurance, or are unsatisfied with that coverage.
  • Opposing all attempts to allow insurance companies to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.
  • Cutting the cost of prescription drugs by requiring drug companies to negotiate for lower drug prices and bringing greater transparency to drug pricing.

IMPROVING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN
Having served as a community leader, state legislator, and nonprofit executive, Christina has dedicated her career to working on behalf of children and youth all over the world and right here in Indiana. From ensuring children have the resources they need to thrive in school, to protecting them from sexual violence, Christina has always fought for the wellbeing of our kids.

In Congress, Christina will focus on:

  • Expanding affordable quality childcare and early childhood education.
  • Investing in public schools to ensure that our kids are college and career ready.
  • Reducing violence in schools by enacting common-sense ideas like universal background checks for gun purchases.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
Climate change and the scourge of pollution pose a significant threat to our economic security and current way of life. Christina knows that here in Indiana, we have some of the worst air quality in the country and our water infrastructure is outdated and unsustainable. Christina will fight to protect our natural resources, address climate change responsibly, and work to ensure that Indiana can become a leader in clean and renewable energy jobs.

In Congress, Christina will focus on:

  • Investing in and improving clean energy infrastructure and technology, and creating high-paying jobs to reduce our carbon emissions.
  • Improving our water infrastructure in Indiana to protect the White River and Eagle Creek Watershed right here in our district.

STRENGTHENING OUR ECONOMY When Christina was raising her son as a single mom, she saw first-hand the challenges of juggling multiple jobs. Indiana deserves an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. By rebuilding the middle class and creating more high-paying jobs, we can create economic growth that lasts for generations.

In Congress, Christina will focus on:

  • Supporting the small business that continue to drive economic growth and job creation here in Indiana.
  • Creating good-paying jobs to update America’s aging infrastructure.
  • Raising the minimum wage so that everyone can earn a living wage.

COVID-19 RESOURCES
Christina’s top priority is the health and safety of every resident in the 5th District. As the daughter of a nurse and someone who has worked on solving global health crises, she understands the immense challenges before our health care workers as they care for our communities during this outbreak.

[27]

”
—Christina Hale’s campaign website (2020)[28]


Republican Party Victoria Spartz

Spartz’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Constitution and Bill of Rights
Our constitutional republic was created with limited government functions to protect the individual rights to Life, Liberty and Property. We must preserve our 2nd Amendment freedoms against the tyranny of the government, and protect the sanctity of all human life.

Spending and Debt
Our national debt is unsustainable. We must cut spending, reform welfare to empower, not suppress low income individuals, and balance the budget.

Immigration and Border Security
We are a country of laws. We must secure our borders, build the wall and reform the immigration system to better serve our national interest.

National Defense and Military
A strong national defense is one of the main functions of the federal government. We must keep our military strong and provide better services to our veterans.

Healthcare
Our healthcare costs are unsustainable and destroying the middle class. We must reform healthcare to enhance consumer choice, transparency, and price and value competition.

Education
Our K-12 spending, college debt and educational outcomes are not acceptable. We must give flexibility to the states to improve K-12 education, reform higher education financing to improve accountability of colleges and better prepare our students to the future workforce demands.

Government Transparency and Accountability
Our laws are convoluted and cumbersome. We must audit the government and simplify the code to provide more transparency.

Business Regulations
Free enterprise is the foundation of our country. We must limit regulation powers of the executive branch and maintain a vibrant business environment, so entrepreneurs and small businesses can strive and compete with large corporations.

Term Limits
Politics was never meant to be a career, but a duty to society. I believe in term limits and will self-impose term limits to a maximum three terms or less. [27]

”
—Victoria Spartz’s campaign website (2020)[29]


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 92 Indiana counties—5 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Delaware County, Indiana 13.43% 3.12% 14.98%
LaPorte County, Indiana 6.33% 12.57% 22.04%
Perry County, Indiana 18.55% 11.59% 22.84%
Porter County, Indiana 6.59% 3.90% 7.20%
Vigo County, Indiana 14.97% 0.86% 15.83%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Indiana with 56.9 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 37.8 percent. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) was Trump's running mate. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Indiana voted Republican 83.33 percent of the time and Democratic 16.67 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Indiana voted Republican four times and Democratic once when it voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Indiana. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[30][31]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 28 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 25 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 32.9 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 72 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 25.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 75 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 34.3 points. Trump won six districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for 5th Congressional District candidates in Indiana in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Indiana, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Indiana 5th Congressional District Qualified party N/A (only declaration of candidacy required) N/A N/A N/A 2/7/2020 Source
Indiana 5th Congressional District Unaffiliated Unknown (district-level election results unavailable for calculations) 2% of total votes cast for the secretary of state in the district in the last election N/A N/A 7/15/2020 Source

District election history

2018

See also: Indiana's 5th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Incumbent Susan Brooks defeated Dee Thornton in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Susan Brooks
Susan Brooks (R)
 
56.8
 
180,035
Image of Dee Thornton
Dee Thornton (D)
 
43.2
 
137,142

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 317,177
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Dee Thornton defeated Kyle Brenden Moore, Dion Douglas, Eshel Faraggi, and Sean Dugdale in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Dee Thornton
Dee Thornton
 
53.0
 
18,073
Image of Kyle Brenden Moore
Kyle Brenden Moore
 
23.7
 
8,077
Image of Dion Douglas
Dion Douglas
 
10.3
 
3,521
Image of Eshel Faraggi
Eshel Faraggi
 
7.6
 
2,583
Image of Sean Dugdale
Sean Dugdale
 
5.5
 
1,860

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 34,114
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5

Incumbent Susan Brooks advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 5 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Susan Brooks
Susan Brooks
 
100.0
 
63,904

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 63,904
Candidate Connection = 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 5th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Susan Brooks (R) defeated Angela Demaree (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Brooks withdrew from the race on July 15, 2016, in order to run for governor of Indiana following a ballot vacancy. Brooks was not chosen to fill that vacancy, prompting her to once again seek re-election to her House seat. Republican committee members decided on August 13 to reinstate Brooks on the ballot.[32] Brooks defeated Mike Campbell and Stephen MacKenzie in the Republican primary, while Demaree defeated Allen Davidson to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on May 3, 2016.[33][34][35]

U.S. House, Indiana District 5 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Brooks Incumbent 61.5% 221,957
     Democratic Angela Demaree 34.3% 123,849
     Libertarian Matthew Wittlief 4.2% 15,329
Total Votes 361,135
Source: Indiana Division of Elections


U.S. House, Indiana District 5 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Brooks Incumbent 69.5% 95,209
Stephen MacKenzie 15.7% 21,575
Mike Campbell 14.7% 20,202
Total Votes 136,986
Source: Indiana Secretary of State
U.S. House, Indiana District 5 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngAngela Demaree 74.9% 52,530
Allen Davidson 25.1% 17,587
Total Votes 70,117
Source: Indiana Secretary of State

2014

See also: Indiana's 5th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 5th Congressional District of Indiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Susan Brooks (R) defeated Shawn Denney (D) and John Krom (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Indiana District 5 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSusan Brooks Incumbent 65.2% 105,277
     Democratic Shawn Denney 30.8% 49,756
     Libertarian John Krom 4% 6,407
Total Votes 161,440
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results

State profile

See also: Indiana and Indiana elections, 2020
USA Indiana location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 27, 2020

Presidential voting pattern

  • Indiana voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

Indiana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Seventeen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R D D D D D D D D R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Indiana quick stats
More Indiana coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Indiana
 IndianaU.S.
Total population:6,612,768316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):35,8263,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:84.2%73.6%
Black/African American:9.2%12.6%
Asian:1.9%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:87.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:24.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$49,255$53,889
Persons below poverty level:18.4%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Indiana.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Washington Post, "Rep. Susan Brooks, one of 13 women in House GOP, decides not to seek reelection," June 14, 2019
  2. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2016, 2012, and 2008," accessed May 30, 2020
  3. ↑ Twitter, "J. Miles Coleman," June 16, 2019
  4. ↑ GOP Young Guns, "Young Guns," accessed September 14, 2020
  5. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
  6. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  7. ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  8. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  9. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  10. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  11. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  12. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  13. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  14. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Herald Bulletin, "Editorial: Hale's bipartisan spirit earns endorsement," October 29, 2020
  16. ↑ Facebook, "Christina Hale on August 8, 2020," accessed September 21, 2020
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 IndyStar, "Republican McCormick endorses another Democrat, this time in tight congressional race," October 7, 2020
  18. ↑ WinRed, "Candidate of the Week: Victoria Spartz (IN-05)," August 17, 2020
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Twitter, "Donald Trump on October 31, 2020," accessed November 2, 2020
  20. ↑ Facebook, "Christina Hale on September 15, 2020," accessed September 21, 2020
  21. ↑ Facebook, "Christina Hale on August 3, 2020," accessed September 21, 2020
  22. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2020 Rating Changes," November 2, 2020
  23. ↑ Twitter, "Jacob Rubashkin on October 28, 2020," accessed October 29, 2020
  24. ↑ Christina Hale's 2020 campaign website, "RATINGS CHANGE: INSIDE ELECTIONS MOVES IN-05 TO TOSSUP," October 1, 2020
  25. ↑ Facebook, "Christina Hale on September 15, 2020," accessed September 21, 2020
  26. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Indiana - House District 05," accessed September 8, 2020
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  28. ↑ Christina Hale’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed September 8, 2020
  29. ↑ Victoria Spartz’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed September 8, 2020
  30. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  31. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  32. ↑ KLTV, "The Latest: Pence praises GOP replacement choice," July 26, 2016
  33. ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election," accessed February 8, 2016
  34. ↑ The New York Times, "Indiana Primary Results," May 3, 2016
  35. ↑ WBAA, "Brooks, Rokita Back On Congressional Ballots Following Weekend Caucuses," August 14, 2016


Indiana's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Jim Banks (R)
Todd Young (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Jim Baird (R)
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Republican Party (9)
Democratic Party (2)


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