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Indiana's 6th Congressional District election (May 8, 2018 Republican primary)

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2020
2016
Indiana's 6th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 9, 2018
Primary: May 8, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

Pre-election incumbent:
Luke Messer (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voting in Indiana
Race ratings
Cook Partisan Voter Index (2018): R+18
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
Indiana's 6th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
Indiana elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

Greg Pence, the brother of Vice President Mike Pence, defeated self-funded businessman Jonathan Lamb and three other candidates in the Republican primary for the U.S. House seat that was being vacated by Luke Messer (R).

While Lamb poured $800,000 into his campaign, Pence was backed by a number of Republicans and GOP organizations with national profiles such as his brother's Great America Committee PAC, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). He was also endorsed by Messer.[1]

Lamb contrasted Pence's connections to Washington with his non-political background. He said that Pence would be beholden to Republican leadership in Washington, while he would be a more independent voice. Pence said his run for office was inspired by the election of President Trump and his brother.

Pence and Lamb disagreed on international trade policy, specifically the tariffs announced by President Trump in early 2018. Pence supported the tariffs, saying they were a strong stand against countries engaging in unfair trade practices and would help Indiana manufacturing. Lamb said the tariffs were likely to result in retaliatory trade barriers that would harm farmers and small business owners.

Messer did not seek re-election in order to run for the Indiana Senate seat held by Joe Donnelly (D). He was the No. 5 Republican in the U.S. House leadership structure, serving as the Republican Conference's policy committee chairman.[2]

This seat was rated as Safe Republican by ratings outlets.[3]


Indiana voter? Dates you need to know.
Primary electionMay 8, 2018
Candidate filing deadlineFebruary 9, 2018
Registration deadlineApril 9, 2018
Absentee application deadlineApril 30, 2018
General electionNovember 6, 2018
Voting information
Primary typeOpen
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.


For more on related elections, please see:


Candidates and election results

Greg Pence defeated Jonathan Lamb, Stephen MacKenzie, Mike Campbell, and Jeff Smith in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 6 on May 8, 2018.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 6

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Greg Pence
Greg Pence
 
64.5
 
47,962
Image of Jonathan Lamb
Jonathan Lamb
 
23.6
 
17,526
Image of Stephen MacKenzie
Stephen MacKenzie
 
4.6
 
3,400
Mike Campbell
 
4.3
 
3,231
Jeff Smith
 
3.0
 
2,258

Total votes: 74,377
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Election updates

Endorsements

  • March 23, 2018: District 6 Rep. Luke Messer endorsed Greg Pence.

Satellite spending

  • April 4, 2018: 45Committee, a nonprofit group that supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election, began a TV and radio ad campaign in support of Greg Pence.[4] It produced a television advertisement titled "Trust" to promote Pence's candidacy.

Campaign finance

  • March 31, 2018: Campaign finance disclosures from the first quarter of 2018 showed the following:
    • Greg Pence had raised about $990,000 and had almost $230,000 in cash-on-hand.
    • Jonathan Lamb had raised almost $845,000 ($800,000 from a personal loan) and had about $36,000 in cash-on-hand.
  • February 14, 2018: Vice President Mike Pence appeared at a fundraising event for Greg Pence at the Trump International Hotel in Washington that was set to raise $300,000.[5]
  • January 31, 2018: The filing deadline for the fourth quarter of 2017 passed. Campaign finance reports showed Lamb leading the field in campaign receipts with about $580,000 and cash on hand with about $470,000. $550,000 of his campaign haul was self-funded. Pence had received $565,000 in contributions and had nearly $440,000 in cash on hand.


Top candidates

The candidates featured below raised at least $100,000 in 2017 and received endorsements and mentions in the media.

Republican Party Jonathan Lamb Campaign website Facebook Twitter

JonathanLamb.jpg

A native of Delaware County, Indiana, Jonathan Lamb worked in commodity trading and started seven small businesses. The businesses Lamb was involved in include construction, childcare, agriculture, and textiles. He received bachelor's degrees in economics and risk management from Ball State University.[6]

Lamb said he planned to limit himself to three terms in Congress (or six years) if elected. He announced that he had signed a term limits pledge on February 27, 2018.[7] On April 25, 2018, Lamb pledged to remain living in the 6th District if he was elected to Congress.[8]

Lamb largely self-funded his campaign, loaning himself $800,000. His campaign website emphasized his positions on agriculture, healthcare, substance abuse, job creation, and gun policy.[9] Lamb did not emphasize social issues, saying that substance abuse was the most important issue the district faced.[10]

Republican Party Greg Pence Campaign website Facebook Twitter

GregPence.jpg

The older brother of Vice President Mike Pence, Greg Pence worked in business and served in the United States Marine Corps. According to his website, he and his wife owned two antique malls at the time he announced his candidacy. Pence formerly served as chairman of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. He received bachelor’s degrees in theology and philosophy and a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University of Chicago.

Pence's campaign website emphasized his support for President Donald Trump's agenda as well as his interest in economic policy, border security, and military issues.[11]

Contributors to Pence's campaign included his brother's Great America Committee PAC, former District 6 Rep. Luke Messer, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). Top Trump donors such as Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair also donated to Pence.[12]

Candidates

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

Republican Party Republican primary candidates


Did not make the ballot:

Political analysis of outcome

  • Daily Kos: "In what was very much not an upset, businessman Greg Pence defeated self-funding businessman Jonathan Lamb 65-24 in the GOP primary for this 68-27 Trump seat. Pence, an older brother of Vice President Mike Pence, scared away most potential candidates, who knew that it wouldn't be easy to compete with his family's name recognition and connections. Pence earned some negative attention both for staying largely out of sight on the campaign trail and for some serious business failures, but it didn't do him much harm.
Lamb tried to raise his own profile by airing a truly bizarre Super Bowl ad that poked fun at his last name by insisting that the Lamb family has been close to the White House for over a century. As lambs (the animals) appeared on the screen on the White House lawn in old-timey photos, the candidate declared, 'President Woodrow Wilson had Lambs working for him in 1918 as a cost-cutting measure to keep the White House lawn looking its best.' But if Lamb (the now-defeated candidate) wants to eat White House grass, he'll need to do it as a tourist and not a congressman."[13]

Timeline

  • April 23, 2018: Donald Trump Jr. appeared at a fundraiser for Greg Pence in New York City.[14]
  • April 4, 2018: 45Committee, a nonprofit group that supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election, began a TV and radio ad campaign in support of Greg Pence.[4]
  • March 31, 2018: Campaign finance disclosures from the first quarter of 2018 showed the following:
    • Greg Pence had raised about $990,000 and had almost $230,000 in cash-on-hand.
    • Jonathan Lamb had raised almost $845,000 ($800,000 from a personal loan) and had about $36,000 in cash-on-hand.
  • March 23, 2018: District 6 Rep. Luke Messer endorsed Greg Pence.
  • February 27, 2018: Jonathan Lamb signed a term limits pledge in which he promised to limit himself to three terms (six years) in Congress.[7]
  • February 14, 2018: Vice President Mike Pence appeared at a fundraising event at the Trump International Hotel in Washington for Greg Pence. The fundraiser was supposed to raise $300,000.[5]
  • February 13, 2018: Businessman Tom Ferkinhoff withdrew from the race and endorsed Jonathan Lamb. He criticized Greg Pence, saying he "claims to be an outsider but has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from political insiders in Washington" and would "follow the marching orders of the party" if elected. Ferkinhoff withdrew due to problems with his candidacy certification.[15]
  • January 31, 2018: The filing deadline for the fourth quarter of 2017 passed. Campaign finance reports showed Jonathan Lamb leading the field in campaign receipts with about $580,000 and cash on hand with about $470,000. $550,000 of his campaign haul was self-funded. Greg Pence had received $565,000 in contributions and had nearly $440,000 in cash on hand.
  • July 26, 2017: U.S. Rep. Luke Messer (R) announced that he was running for the Senate seat held by Joe Donnelly (D) and, thus, would not be seeking re-election to the 6th District.

Satellite spending

  • 45Committee: This nonprofit group, which supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election, began a TV and radio ad campaign in support of Greg Pence on April 4, 2018.[4] It produced a television advertisement titled "Trust" to promote Pence's candidacy.
"Trust," released April 4, 2018

How did the candidates differ?

Tariffs

The candidates said the following when asked whether they supported tariffs that President Donald Trump announced in March and April 2018.[16]

  • Republican Party Greg Pence: Pence said he supported the tariffs, which he believed would help Indiana's manufacturing industry. He said that Trump was taking a strong stance against countries who were not engaging in fair international trade practices.
  • Republican Party Jonathan Lamb: Lamb said he did not support the tariffs and that he expected they would lead to retaliatory tariffs which would have negative effects on farmers, small business owners, and American manufacturers.

The other three candidates in the race--Stephen MacKenzie, Jeff Smith and Mike Campbell all expressed support for the tariffs.

Campaign tactics and strategies

Greg Pence's Washington connections

Greg Pence, the younger brother of Vice President Mike Pence, drew criticism from Jonathan Lamb and other candidates for his Washington connections.

Lamb said that Pence was "running on nepotism" and said, “I am not running because I come from a political family with ties to Washington D.C. or because I have deep-pocketed special interest money backing and funding my campaign.” He also said, “I’m glad to have a Hoosier steps away from the White House, but Greg is no Mike."

Further emphasizing his support for Mike Pence, Lamb said, "Mike has done Hoosiers a lot of good throughout the years, but that doesn't mean his brother's qualified."

When he withdrew from the race on February 13, businessman Tom Ferkinhoff, who endorsed Lamb, said Pence "claims to be an outsider but has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from political insiders in Washington."[17]

In response to queries about his connections, Pence said, “The president of the United States (Donald Trump) along with my (younger) brother (Vice President Mike Pence) have inspired the heck out of me for what I think they’re going to do for the middle class and for the U.S. economy, and help people in this country.”[18]

He also acknowledged the benefits of his last name in campaigning, saying, "The Pence name is a good name. There's nothing wrong with that besides the fact that yes, I'm very, very, very proud of my brother Michael."[17]

U.S. Senate Republican primary

Lamb and Pence campaigned with opposing candidates running in Indiana's U.S. Senate Republican primary.

Pence and District 6 Rep. Luke Messer endorsed each other in late March and appeared on the campaign trail together on March 23.

On March 27, former state Rep. Mike Braun and Lamb appeared together at a campaign event. Prior to the campaign event, Messer and Todd Rokita, another candidate in the Senate primary, criticized Braun for campaigning with Pence's opponent. Messer said that it showed Braun would not be a “trusted Trump-Pence ally in the U.S. Senate.”

In response, Braun said that he would "love" to campaign with Pence and “Just tell us when we can join you guys on the trail!”

According to the Indy Star, the Senate candidates were treating Greg Pence's endorsement the same as they would treat an endorsement by Mike Pence, who had not weighed in on the race by March 28, 2018.[1]

Campaign advertisements

Republican Party Jonathan Lamb

Support
"I've Gotta Run!" released January 23, 2018
"Lambs Cut Costs," released January 16, 2018
"Lamb intro," released August 17, 2017
"Lamb Borders," released March 20, 2018


Republican Party Greg Pence

Support
"Greg Pence For Congress Launch Video" released October 18, 2017

45Committee began running the following campaign ad for Pence on April 4, 2018.

"Trust," released April 4, 2018


Endorsements

Ballotpedia tracks endorsements by organizations, elected officials, and political influencers. To notify us of other endorsements, please email us.

Businessman Tom Ferkinhoff endorsed Jonathan Lamb when he withdrew from the race on February 13.[15]

District 6 Rep. Luke Messer endorsed Pence on March 23. Pence endorsed Messer for the U.S. Senate seat held by Joe Donnelly (D).[1]

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce endorsed Pence on April 27.[19]

Campaign finance

Campaign finance disclosures on April 19 showed the following:

  • Greg Pence had raised about $1.2 million and had almost $200,000 in cash-on-hand.
  • Jonathan Lamb's fundraising numbers ($845,000 in contributions and about $36,000 in cash-on-hand) were unchanged from the March 31 filing deadline.

Campaign finance disclosures from the first quarter of 2018 showed the following:

  • Greg Pence had raised about $990,000 and had almost $230,000 in cash-on-hand.
  • Jonathan Lamb had raised almost $845,000 ($800,000 from a personal loan) and had about $36,000 in cash-on-hand.

The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly January 2018 reports. It includes only candidates who have reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of December 31, 2017.[20]

Republican Party Republicans



Greg Pence's donors included the following prominent Republicans or Republican organizations:[12]

  • Mike Pence's Great America Committee leadership PAC
  • House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
  • House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)
  • House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.)
  • Republican National Committeeman John Hammond
  • Former Indiana GOP chairmen Murray Clark and Allan Hubbard

Campaign themes and policy stances

The policy positions on the candidates' campaign websites and candidate survey responses, if available, are listed below.

Jonathan Lamb

Campaign website

Lamb's campaign website stated the following:

War on Drugs
Illegal drugs are taking over our towns and communities. Drug abuse is destroying families, wrecking our economy, creating crime, and leading to senseless deaths. Young people are dying, and a generation of children are growing up without mothers and fathers. I will work to fight the drug war by giving our law enforcement officers the tools they need to stop drugs from entering our country and infesting our neighborhoods. We have to stop drugs from flowing in across our borders and in our ports and put boots on the ground in our cities and towns. We must send a strong message to drug dealers that we will not stand for the havoc they are creating all across the 6th District and our country.

Fighting just the supply only is not enough to put an end to this epidemic. We will not win this war with wasteful, out of touch big government policies. I will work to get resources where they are needed most by creating programs that are run at a local level that actually work to help those struggling with addiction gain control of their lives. Lastly, we will fight to prevent addiction from ever gripping a life, to begin with through prevention programs and education. I will fight with everything I have to make sure that we will never suffer another tragic loss of life again from drug abuse.

Agricultural interests
Agriculture is the backbone of the 6th District and Jonathan and his wife’s families have family farms going back generations. Promoting a trade policy that allows our local farmers to sell their goods freely both here at home and abroad is critical to their survival. Jonathan will fight to protect their interests all while making sure trade deals are fair and our border remains safe and secure.

Fixing Washington
Washington is out of control and part of the problem is that we keep sending career politicians to fix problems that they created. Jonathan is an outsider, a job creator, an economist and entrepreneur who actually understands what it takes to get America moving and job growth to accelerate. He will fight an ever-encroaching federal government from getting further and further into our lives and pocketbooks. He will look to states as incubators of pro-growth policies and return power to the people instead of to the career politicians.

Repealing Obamacare
Republicans ran on a full repeal of Obamacare for years, and like typical politicians, they are now backpedaling on their promise. Obamacare has been a disaster and Jonathan believes we need to start over, but in order to do that, we need to repeal the disastrous law entirely. In its place, he will support free market policies that actually lower premiums, make health insurance more affordable for all Americans, and allow doctors to make decisions for their patients, not the government.

Reducing Regulations
As the owner of multiple businesses, Jonathan understands how restrictive and unnecessary regulations are prohibiting companies from creating jobs. The government too often picks winners and losers instead of the markets, and Jonathan will fight to foster a climate where businesses can grow and prosper without the heavy hand of government getting in the way.

Faith and Values
Over the past several years, our country has veered further from our values. As a husband and father, Jonathan and his wife encourage their two sons to look to the Lord for answers and guidance in their daily lives. He believes that our country should promote religious liberty, use faith as a foundation in all that we do, and promote a culture that values life, born or unborn. As a pro-life conservative, Jonathan believes life begins at conception and that we should stop all funding for Planned Parenthood by stripping them of taxpayer dollars.

Creating Jobs
Jonathan has seen success and failure in the business world, and has come out stronger with each endeavor he’s started. To really jumpstart our economy, he will fight to reform the tax system to one that encourages growth and investment, he will fight to keep taxes low and repeal the death tax, and he will cut needless government spending to shrink the size of government. And in Indiana in particular, we must repeal the device tax on medical devices as part of repealing Obamacare so Indiana businesses aren’t punished unnecessarily.

Protecting the Second Amendment
As a member of the NRA and as a constitutional conservative, Jonathan will fight to protect our right to bear arms. He believes every law-abiding citizen enjoys constitutional protections granted to them by our founders, allowing them to hunt and protect themselves and their families. He will fight the power grab by big-city liberals seeking to take away one of our most fundamental rights. [21]

—Jonathan Lamb's 2018 campaign website[22]

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Candidate Connection

Jonathan Lamb participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 10, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Jonathan Lamb's responses follow below.[23]

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Infrastructure

2) Jobs and the Economy
3) Budget/Cutting Spending[24][21]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

I am an entrepreneur, economist, and visionary leader who works every day to create opportunities in our new economy. I will focus my efforts on policies that will promote job creation and grow the economy. We can do this by working together on infrastructure, keeping taxes low, cutting the red tape that burdens businesses and fighting the opioid epidemic plaguing our district.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[21]

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Jonathan Lamb answered the following:

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

As an entrepreneur, I have experienced success and failure. You will not see politicians talk about “real-life” problems, or about their failures and missteps, but I will. I know the ups and downs of life, the struggles of starting a business, and what it is like to make ends meet. Like so many of my fellow Hoosiers and the generations in their families before them, I and my wife did not have the luxury of having things handed to them. We worked hard, started businesses, and began a family. We had business failures, personal and family setbacks, and real life problems…problems that our politicians and Washington don’t seem to know and understand.[21]
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?
We elect, time and again, career politicians who promise to change Washington and we get the same results, the same failed policies as before. We need leaders that will stand up for the American people and have real world experiences. Leaders that know the ups and downs in life and have built things, created jobs and solved problems.[21]
What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?
Infrastructure, cutting spending, passing a balanced budget, ending the opioid epidemic, protecting our second amendment rights and protecting the sanctity of life[21]
What are your thoughts on term limits?
I have signed the US Term Limits pledge. I will serve no more than 3 terms in the House of Representatives and 2 terms in the Senate.[21]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Race ratings: Indiana's 6th Congressional District election, 2018
Race tracker Race ratings
October 30, 2018 October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political Report Solid Republican Solid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales Solid Republican Solid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball Safe Republican Safe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

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+18, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 18 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 6th Congressional District the 52nd most Republican nationally.[25]

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 1.05. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.05 points toward that party.[26]

District history

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Luke Messer (R) defeated Barry Welsh (D) and Rich Turvey (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Messer defeated Charles Johnson Jr. and Jeff Smith in the Republican primary, while Welsh defeated Danny Basham, George Thomas Holland, Bruce Peavler, and Ralph Spelbring to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on May 3, 2016.[27][28][29]

2016

General election

U.S. House, Indiana District 6 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngLuke Messer Incumbent 69.1% 204,920
     Democratic Barry Welsh 26.7% 79,135
     Libertarian Rich Turvey 4.2% 12,330
Total Votes 296,385
Source: Indiana Division of Elections

Primary election

U.S. House, Indiana District 6 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngLuke Messer Incumbent 77.7% 91,828
Jeff Smith 12.7% 14,963
Charles Johnson Jr. 9.7% 11,447
Total Votes 118,238
Source: Indiana Secretary of State
U.S. House, Indiana District 6 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngBarry Welsh 35.6% 15,258
Danny Basham 24.4% 10,474
George Holland 20.6% 8,851
Bruce Peavler 11.4% 4,897
Ralph Spelbring 7.9% 3,385
Total Votes 42,865
Source: Indiana Secretary of State

2014

See also: Indiana's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 6th Congressional District of Indiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Luke Messer (R) defeated Susan Hall Heitzman (D) and Eric Miller (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Indiana District 6 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngLuke Messer Incumbent 65.9% 102,187
     Democratic Susan Hall Heitzman 29.3% 45,509
     Libertarian Eric Miller 4.8% 7,375
Total Votes 155,071
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results

2012

See also: Indiana's 6th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 6th Congressional District of Indiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Luke Messer (R) won the election in the district.[30]

U.S. House, Indiana District 6 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Brad Bookout 35.1% 96,678
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngLuke Messer 59.1% 162,613
     Libertarian Rex Bell 5.8% 15,962
Total Votes 275,253
Source: Indiana Secretary of State "House of Representatives Election Results"

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Indiana heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • As of May 2018, Republicans held seven of 14 state executive positions, and seven positions were held by nonpartisan or independent officials.
  • The governor of Indiana was Republican Eric Holcomb.

State legislature

  • Republicans controlled both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly. They had a 70-30 majority in the state House and a 41-9 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • Indiana was a Republican trifecta, meaning the Republican Party held control of the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Indiana elections, 2018

Indiana held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

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.

As of July 2016, Indiana had a population of approximately 6,600,000 people, with its three largest cities being Indianapolis (pop. est. 856,000), Fort Wayne (pop. est. 265,000), and Evansville (pop. est. 119,000).[31][32] The chart on the right shows demographic information for Indiana from 2010 to 2015.

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Indiana from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Indiana Secretary of State.[33]

Historical elections

Presidential elections

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Indiana every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Indiana 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 56.8% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 37.9% 18.9%
2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 54.1% Democratic Party Barack Obama 43.9% 10.2%
2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 50.0% Republican Party John McCain 48.9% 1.1%
2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 59.9% Democratic Party John Kerry 39.3% 20.6%
2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 56.7% Democratic Party Al Gore 41.0% 15.7%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Indiana from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Indiana 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Todd Young 52.1% Democratic Party Evan Bayh 42.4% 9.7%
2012 Democratic Party Joe Donnelly 50.0% Republican Party Richard Mourdock 44.3% 5.7%
2010 Republican Party Dan Coats 54.6% Democratic Party Brad Ellsworth 40.0% 14.6%
2006 Republican Party Richard Lugar 87.3% Libertarian Party Steve Osborn 12.6% 74.7%
2004 Democratic Party Evan Bayh 61.7% Republican Party Marvin Scott 37.2% 24.5%
2000 Republican Party Richard Lugar 66.5% Democratic Party David Johnson 31.9% 34.6%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Indiana.

Election results (Governor), Indiana 2000-2016
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Eric Holcomb 51.4% Democratic Party John R. Gregg 45.4% 6.0%
2012 Republican Party Mike Pence 50.0% Democratic Party John R. Gregg 46.6% 3.4%
2008 Republican Party Mitch Daniels 57.8% Democratic Party Jill Long Thompson 40.1% 17.7%
2004 Republican Party Mitch Daniels 53.2% Democratic Party Joe Kernan 45.5% 7.7%
2000 Democratic Party Frank O'Bannon 56.6% Republican Party David M. McIntosh 41.7% 14.9%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Indiana in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Indiana 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 7 77.8% Democratic Party 2 22.2% R+5
2014 Republican Party 7 77.8% Democratic Party 2 22.2% R+5
2012 Republican Party 6 66.7% Democratic Party 3 33.3% R+3
2010 Republican Party 4 44.4% Democratic Party 5 55.6% D+1
2008 Republican Party 4 44.4% Democratic Party 5 55.6% D+1
2006 Republican Party 7 77.8% Democratic Party 2 22.2% R+5
2004 Republican Party 6 66.7% Democratic Party 3 33.3% R+3
2002 Republican Party 6 66.7% Democratic Party 3 33.3% R+3
2000 Republican Party 6 66.7% Democratic Party 3 33.3% R+3

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

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


See also

External links

Jonathan Lamb

Greg Pence

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Indy Star, "Senate candidates jostle over who gets to rub shoulders with Vice President Pence's brother," March 26, 2018
  2. House.gov, "Leadership," accessed February 21, 2018
  3. Ratings are based on projections found in Larry Sabato, The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, and The Cook Political Report. These ratings are updated periodically throughout the election season.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Politico, "Morning Score," April 4, 2018
  5. 5.0 5.1 Politico, "Brotherly love: Mike Pence to raise money for Greg Pence," March 14, 2018
  6. Jonathan Lamb for Congress, "Home," accessed February 20, 2018
  7. 7.0 7.1 Jonathan Lamb for Congress, "JONATHAN LAMB SIGNS TERM LIMITS PLEDGE," February 27, 2018
  8. Facebook, "Jonathan Lamb for Congress," April 25, 2018
  9. Jonathan Lamb for Congress, "Issues," accessed February 20, 2018
  10. Washington Post, "Mike Pence’s brother is running for Congress. Religious conservatives like Mike, but will they vote for Greg?," May 4, 2018
  11. Greg Pence for Congress, "About," accessed February 20, 2018
  12. 12.0 12.1 Indy Star, "Greg Pence gets high-powered help in seeking his brother's old House seat," February 1, 2018
  13. Daily Kos, "Morning Digest: Inside GOP Rep. Robert Pittenger's upset primary loss in North Carolina," May 10, 2018
  14. Newsweek,"DONALD TRUMP JR. IS CAMPAIGNING FOR HIS FATHER’S FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS IN THE 2018 ELECTIONS," April 2, 2018
  15. 15.0 15.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TFWITH
  16. The Republic, "Indiana’s 6th District race fields a crowd in congressional primaries," April 7, 2018
  17. 17.0 17.1 WTHR, "Pence prominent in Indiana GOP primary races for US House," April 21, 2018
  18. Townhall, "Mike Pence’s Brother Accused of Being Part of the ‘Swamp’ in Indiana House Race," February 10, 2018
  19. Indiana Chamber of Commerce, "Election 2018: Chamber Announces Primary Endorsements for Congress and General Assembly," April 27, 2018
  20. FEC, "Federal Election Commission", accessed February 13, 2018
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  22. Jonathan Lamb for Congress, "Issues," accessed February 20, 2018
  23. Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
  24. Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Jonathan Lamb's responses," April 10, 2018
  25. Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  26. FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  27. Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election," accessed February 8, 2016
  28. The New York Times, "Indiana Primary Results," May 3, 2016
  29. Indiana Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed September 6, 2016
  30. Politico, "2012 Election Map," accessed August 15, 2012
  31. Indiana Demographics, "Indiana Cities by Population," accessed January 9, 2018
  32. U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Indiana," accessed January 9, 2018
  33. Indiana Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed September 5, 2018


Senators
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)