Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2016
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← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
May 3, 2016 |
Larry Bucshon  |
Larry Bucshon |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 8th Congressional District of Indiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Larry Bucshon (R) won re-election in 2016. Bucshon defeated Ron Drake (D) and Andrew Horning (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Bucshon defeated Richard Moss in the Republican primary. On the other side of the aisle, Ron Drake defeated David Orentlicher to win the Democratic nomination. The Democratic primary race remained uncalled for months following the election. The primary elections took place on May 3, 2016.[4][5][6][7]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Indiana law requires a closed primary, where a voter must be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. This includes if they voted for a majority of that party’s candidates in the last general election or plan to in the upcoming election. However, it is possible for any voter to vote in any party's primary so long as they meet this criteria.[8]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Larry Bucshon (R), who was first elected in 2010.
Indiana's 8th Congressional District is based in southwest and west central Indiana and included Clay, Daviess, Dubois, GIbson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, and Warwick counties. A portion of Crawford County is also included in the district.[9]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Larry Bucshon Incumbent |
63.7% | 187,702 | |
| Democratic | Ron Drake | 31.7% | 93,356 | |
| Libertarian | Andrew Horning | 4.6% | 13,655 | |
| Total Votes | 294,713 | |||
| Source: Indiana Division of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Larry Buchson Incumbent |
65% | 72,889 | ||
| Richard Moss | 35% | 39,168 | ||
| Total Votes | 112,057 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ron Drake |
50.1% | 29,270 | ||
| David Orentlicher | 49.9% | 29,206 | ||
| Total Votes | 58,476 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State |
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Candidates
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General election candidates: Larry Bucshon   Ron Drake Andrew Horning |
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Primary candidates:[10] |
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Democratic David Orentlicher - Former state rep.[12] |
Republican Richard Moss[11] |
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Withdrew: Rachel Covington (R)[13] |
District history
2014
The 8th Congressional District of Indiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Larry Bucshon (R) defeated Tom Spangler (D) and Andy Horning (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Larry Bucshon Incumbent |
60.3% | 103,344 | |
| Democratic | Tom Spangler | 35.8% | 61,384 | |
| Libertarian | Andrew Horning | 3.8% | 6,587 | |
| Total Votes | 171,315 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
2012
The 8th Congressional District of Indiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Larry Bucshon (R) won the election in the district.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Crooks | 43.1% | 122,325 | |
| Republican | Larry Bucshon Incumbent |
53.4% | 151,533 | |
| Libertarian | Bart Gadau | 3.6% | 10,134 | |
| Total Votes | 283,992 | |||
| Source: Indiana Secretary of State "House of Representatives Election Results" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Indiana elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Indiana in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description |
| January 20, 2016 | Campaign finance | Annual 2015 campaign finance reports due |
| February 2, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for major party candidates for governor and the United States Senate to file petitions with county officials for verification |
| February 5, 2016 | Ballot access | Final filing deadline for major party candidates running in the primary |
| April 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-primary reports due |
| May 3, 2016 | Election date | Primary election |
| June 30, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for independent and minor party candidates to file petitions with county officials for verification |
| July 5, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates |
| July 15, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates |
| October 21, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election reports due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election |
| Source: Indiana Election Division, "2016 Indiana Election Calendar," accessed November 25, 2015 Alaska Public Offices Commission, "APOC Annual Calendar," accessed November 25, 2015 | ||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Indiana Primary Results," May 3, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Public Media, "Orentlicher Cedes Race To Drake Before Recount Official," August 13, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed September 6, 2016
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "Ind. Code § 3–10–1–6," accessed December 5, 2025
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ Indianapolis Business Journal, "Orentlicher to run for Bucshon's southwest Indiana seat," December 6, 2015
- ↑ Greene County Daily World, "Covington announces candidacy for Congress," February 1, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
