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Presidential election in Indiana, 2016

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General election in Indiana
  Date: November 8, 2016
2016 winner: Donald Trump
Electoral votes: 11
2012 winner: Mitt Romney (R)
Democratic Primary
  Date: May 3, 2016
Winner: Bernie Sanders
Republican Primary
  Date: May 3, 2016
Winner: Donald Trump
Down ballot races in Indiana
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Indiana State Senate
Indiana House of Representatives
Indiana judicial elections
Indiana local judicial elections
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Indiana held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. Democratic and Republican primaries took place in Indiana on May 3, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Donald Trump won Indiana in the general election.
  • In 2016, Indiana had 11 electoral votes, which was 2 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs and 4 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election.
  • Between 1900 and 2016, Indiana cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 70 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Indiana supported Republican candidates more often than Democratic candidates, 83.33 to 16.67 percent, making it one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. Indiana favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016 except for 2008, when Barack Obama (D) narrowly carried the state with 49.9 percent of the vote.
  • Democratic and Republican primaries took place in Indiana on May 3, 2016. Bernie Sanders won the Indiana Democratic primary 52.5 percent of the vote. Donald Trump won the Indiana Republican primary with 53.3 percent.

    • General election candidates and results

    See also: Ballot access for presidential candidates

    The candidate list below is based on an official list on the Indiana secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.

    Presidential candidates on the ballot in Indiana

    ☐ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
    ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
    ☑ Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)

    Results

    U.S. presidential election, Indiana, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 37.8% 1,033,126 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump/Mike Pence 56.9% 1,557,286 11
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 4.9% 133,993 0
         - Write-in votes 0.4% 10,553 0
    Total Votes 2,734,958 11
    Election results via: Indiana Secretary of State

    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties: The counties that voted Obama-Obama-Trump from 2008-2016

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, in 34 states.[1] Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes, and had an average margin of victory of 11.45 percent. The political shift in these counties could have a broad impact on elections at every level of government for the next four years.

    Historical election trends

    See also: Presidential election accuracy

    Below is an analysis of Indiana's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.

    Presidential election voting record in Indiana, 1900-2016

    Between 1900 and 2016:

    • Indiana participated in 30 presidential elections.
    • Indiana voted for the winning presidential candidate 70 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[2]
    • Indiana voted Democratic 16.67 percent of the time and Republican 83.33 percent of the time.

    Presidential election voting record in Indiana, 2000-2016

    *An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.

    Election results

    2012

    U.S. presidential election, Indiana, 2012
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 43.9% 1,152,887 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMitt Romney/Paul Ryan 54.1% 1,420,543 11
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Jim Gray 1.9% 50,111 0
         Write-in Write-in candidates 0% 993 0
    Total Votes 2,624,534 11
    Election results via: Indiana Secretary of State, Election Division

    2008

    U.S. presidential election, Indiana, 2008
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngBarack Obama/Joe Biden 49.9% 1,374,039 11
         Republican John McCain/Sarah Palin 48.9% 1,345,648 0
         Libertarian Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root 1.1% 29,257 0
         Write-in Write-in candidates 0.1% 2,110 0
    Total Votes 2,751,054 11
    Election results via: Indiana Secretary of State, Election Division

    Electoral votes

    See also: Electoral College

    The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.

    Indiana electors

    In 2016, Indiana had 11 electoral votes. Indiana's share of electoral votes represented 2 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 4 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president.

    "Faithless electors"

    The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.

    Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[4][5]

    Indiana was one of 20 states in 2016 without a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.

    Down ballot races

    See also: Indiana elections, 2016

    Below is a list of down ballot races in Indiana covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.

    Primary election

    Quick facts

    Democrats:
    • 2016 Democratic winner: Bernie Sanders
    • 2008 Democratic winner: Hillary Clinton
    • Type: Open Primary
    • Delegate allocation: Proportional
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 83
    		 Republicans
    • 2016 Republican winner: Donald Trump
    • 2012 Republican winner: Mitt Romney
    • Type: Open Primary
    • Delegate allocation: Winner-take-all
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 57

    Democrats

    Bernie Sanders won the Indiana Democratic primary, defeating Hillary Clinton by five points. On the Democratic side, 83 pledged delegates were up for grabs. They were allocated proportionally. Sanders carried 73 of Indiana's 92 counties and, according to exit polls, outperformed Clinton with white voters, younger voters, and voters who held negative opinions of "Wall Street" and its impact on the U.S. economy. Clinton, on the other hand, won over African-Americans and older voters. For more, see Sanders upsets Clinton in Indiana.

    Republicans

    Donald Trump won the Indiana Republican primary with more than 50 percent of the vote. Ted Cruz and John Kasich came in second and third place, respectively. For the Republicans, 57 pledged delegates were at stake. In the Republican primary, Indiana was a winner-take-all state, meaning the candidate who received a plurality of the vote won all of the state's delegates. Trump won 87 out of 92 counties in Indiana. According to exit polls, he won nearly every major demographic in Indiana's Republican electorate with the exception of voters with post-graduate degrees and those who considered themselves "very conservative." Cruz won both of those groups. Shortly after Trump's victory was announced, Cruz suspended his campaign. The next day, Kasich suspended his campaign.[6] For more on the Republican race in Indiana, see Indiana decisive: Cruz loses GOP primary and drops out.

    For information on how each party allocated delegates in Indiana, see here. For polling data, see here.

    2016 primary results

    Democrats

    Indiana Democratic Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngBernie Sanders 52.5% 335,074 44
    Hillary Clinton 47.5% 303,705 39
    Totals 638,779 83
    Source: Indiana Secretary of State and The New York Times

    Republicans

    Indiana Republican Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Jeb Bush 0.6% 6,508 0
    Ben Carson 0.8% 8,914 0
    Chris Christie 0.2% 1,738 0
    Ted Cruz 36.6% 406,783 0
    Carly Fiorina 0.1% 1,494 0
    John Kasich 7.6% 84,111 0
    Rand Paul 0.4% 4,306 0
    Marco Rubio 0.5% 5,175 0
    Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump 53.3% 591,514 57
    Totals 1,110,543 57
    Source: Indiana Secretary of State and The New York Times

    99 percent of precincts reporting.

    Primary candidates

    Democrats[7]

    Hillary Clinton


    Bernie Sanders

    Republicans[7]

    Jeb Bush
    Ben Carson
    Chris Christie


    Ted Cruz
    Carly Fiorina
    John Kasich


    Rand Paul
    Marco Rubio
    Donald Trump

    Polls

    Democratic primary

    Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential primary polling (Indiana)
    Poll Hillary Clinton Bernie SandersUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    American Research Group
    April 27-28, 2016    		51%43%6%+/-5400
    NBC/WSJ/Marist
    April 26-28, 2016    		50%46%4%+/-3.9645
    IPFW/Downs Center
    April 18-23, 2016    		54%41%5%+/-4.9400
    CBS News/YouGov
    April 20-22, 2016    		49%44%7%+/-8.2439
    Fox News
    April 18-21, 2016    		46%42%12%+/-4603
    WTHR/Howey Politics
    April 18-21, 2016    		48%45%7%+/-4.5479
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

    Republican primary

    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (Indiana)
    Poll Donald Trump Ted CruzJohn KasichUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Gravis
    April 28-29, 2016    		44%27%9%20%+/-5379
    American Research Group
    April 27-28, 2016    		41%32%21%6%+/-5400
    NBC/WSJ/Marist
    April 26-28, 2016    		49%34%13%4%+/-3.9645
    Clout Research
    April 27, 2016    		37%35%16%12%+/-4.8423
    IPFW/Downs Center
    April 13-27, 2016    		29%45%13%13%+/-4.9400
    CBS News/YouGov
    April 20-22, 2016    		40%35%20%5%+/-6.6548
    Fox News
    April 18-21, 2016    		41%33%16%10%+/-4602
    WTHR/Howey Politics
    April 18-21, 2016    		37%31%22%10%+/-4.3507
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


    Delegates

    Delegate selection

    See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

    Democratic Party

    Democratic Party Logo.png

    Indiana had 92 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 83 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[8][9]

    Nine party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[8][10]

    Indiana superdelegates

    See also: Superdelegates from Indiana, 2016 and Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

    Republican Party

    Logo-GOP.png

    Indiana had 57 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 27 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's nine congressional districts) pledged to adhere to the results of the presidential preference primary in their respective congressional districts. Indiana's pledged Republican delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who received the greatest number of votes in a given district won all of that district's delegates.[11][12]

    Of the remaining 30 delegates, 27 served at large. These delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won the greatest share of the statewide vote in the primary was allocated all of the at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.[11][12]

    Republican delegates

    See also: Republican delegates from Indiana, 2016 and RNC delegate guidelines from Indiana, 2016

    Presidential voting history

    Indiana presidential election results (1900-2024)

    • 5 Democratic wins
    • 27 Republican wins
    Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
    Winning Party R R R D R R R R D D R R R R R R D R R R R R R R R R R D R R R R

    State profile

    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.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in Indiana

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

    Pivot Counties (2016)

    Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Indiana, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[13]

    Pivot Counties (2020)

    In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Indiana had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

    More Indiana coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
    2. ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
    3. ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
    4. ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
    5. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
    6. ↑ Politico, "Ted Cruz drops out of presidential race," May 3, 2016
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election," accessed February 8, 2016
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    9. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    10. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
    13. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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