Indiana 2010 legislative election results
Senate
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| Other 2010 Election information |
Indiana State Senate Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Indiana State Senate. For results in individual contests see our Indiana State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:
| Indiana State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 17 | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 33 | 36 | |
| Total | 50 | 50 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State Senate Overview:
- There were 22 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 2 incumbents lost, and thus 20 incumbents were re-elected to the Indiana State Senate.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 2 Democratic incumbents lost.
- There will be 4 new senators sworn-in. All 4 are Republicans
- Of the 25 seats up for election, 6 were won by Democrats and 19 by Republicans.
- 6 candidates were unopposed, 1 Democrat and 5 Republicans.
- Only 4 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In Indiana, 3 incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 22 incumbents (88%) ran for re-election. Of these 22 incumbents, 2 were defeated. Both were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Phil Boots
- Allen Paul
- Dennis Kruse (Indiana)
- Dorothy "Sue" Landske
- Frank Mrvan (Indiana state senator)
- Greg Walker
- James Buck
- James Lewis (Indiana)
- James Merritt Jr.
- John Waterman (Indiana)
- Johnny Nugent
- Karen Tallian
- Lindel Hume
- Mike Delph
- Richard Young (Indiana state senator)
- Ronnie Alting
- Sue Errington
- Thomas Wyss
- Timothy Lanane
- Timothy Skinner
- Travis Holdman
- Joseph Zakas
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| James Lewis (Indiana) | ||
| Sue Errington |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Eckerty | ||
| Jim Smith, Indiana politician | ||
| Pam Galloway |
New State Senators and General Election Winners
388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In Indiana, 4 new senators will be sworn-in. All 4 are Republicans. In the 2 open seat contests, Republicans won 2 and Democrats 1. In total, Indiana elected 25 senators, 19 Republicans and 6 Democrats.
Newly elected senators
The following are the newly-elected members of the Indiana State Senate:
Democratic
No new Democrats were elected.
Republican
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Democratic
No Democrat won an open seat contest.
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Indiana State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
- Phil Boots
- Allen Paul
- Dennis Kruse (Indiana)
- Dorothy "Sue" Landske
- Doug Eckerty
- Greg Walker
- James Buck
- James Merritt Jr.
- Jim Banks (Indiana)
- Jim Smith, Indiana politician
- Jim Tomes
- John Waterman (Indiana)
- Johnny Nugent
- Mike Delph
- Pam Galloway
- Ron Grooms
- Ronnie Alting
- Thomas Wyss
- Travis Holdman
- Joseph Zakas
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Indiana, 6 candidates (24.0% of seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 6, 1 was a Democrat and 5 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
Ballot Access
Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In Indiana, 4 (8.33%) of the 48 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. None won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
House
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Indiana State House Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Indiana House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:
| Indiana House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 52 | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 48 | 60 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State House Overview:
- There were 89 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 11 incumbents lost, and thus 78 incumbents were re-elected to the Indiana House of Representatives.
- One Republican incumbent lost in the general election, while 10 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 22 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 22, 2 are Democrats and 20 are Republicans
- Of the 100 seats up for election, 39 were won by Democrats and 61 by Republicans.
- 21 candidates were unopposed, 4 Democrats and 17 Republicans.
- 34 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In Indiana, 89 (89%) incumbents ran for re-election. Of these 89, 11 incumbent representatives were defeated. One incumbent Republican was defeated, while ten incumbent Democrats lost.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Linda Lawson
- Earl Harris
- Charlie Brown (Indiana)
- Edmond Soliday
- Craig Fry
- B. Patrick Bauer
- David Niezgodski
- Ryan Dvorak
- Scott Pelath
- Charles Moseley
- Dan Stevenson, Sr.
- Vernon Smith
- Douglas Gutwein
- Nancy Dembowski
- David Alan Wolkins
- Rochelle VanDenburgh
- Tom Dermody
- William Friend
- Richard McClain
- Jeb Bardon
- Randolph Truitt
- Sheila Ann Klinker
- Jeffrey Thompson (Indiana)
- Kathy Kreag Richardson
- Ron Herrell
- Joseph Pearson
- P. Eric Turner
- Bill Davis (Indiana)
- Dennis Tyler
- L. Jack Lutz
- Terri Austin
- Scott Reske
- Gerald Torr
- Gregory Steuerwald
- Timothy Brown (Indiana)
- Floyd Grubb
- Clyde Kersey
- Nancy Michael
- Bruce Borders
- Ralph Foley
- Timothy Neese
- Wes Culver
- Daniel Leonard (Indiana)
- Richard Dodge
- David Yarde, II
- Robert Cherry
- Thomas Saunders
- Tom Knollman
- Phillip Pflum
- Sean Eberhart
- Charles Burton (Indiana)
- Milo Smith
- Matt Pierce (Indiana)
- Sandra Blanton
- Kreg Battles
- Eric Koch
- Terry Goodin
- Robert Bischoff
- David Cheatham
- Paul Robertson (Indiana)
- Steven Stemler
- Edward Clere
- Russell Stilwell
- Gail Riecken
- Suzanne Crouch
- Matthew Lehman (Indiana)
- Phil GiaQuinta
- Winfield Moses, Jr.
- Jeffrey Espich
- Phyllis Pond
- Edward DeLaney
- Brian Bosma
- John Barnes (Indiana)
- Robert Behning
- Phillip Hinkle
- David Frizzell
- Cherrish Pryor
- John L. Bartlett (Indiana House District 95 representative)
- Gregory Porter
- Mary Ann Sullivan
- William Crawford (Indiana)
- Vanessa Summers
- Mara Candelaria Reardon
- Chester Dobis
- Peggy Welch
- Cindy Noe
- Donald Lehe
- John Day (Indiana)
- Mark Messmer
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Herrell | ||
| Joseph Pearson | ||
| Nancy Michael | ||
| Sandra Blanton | ||
| Robert Bischoff | ||
| Paul Robertson (Indiana) | ||
| Russell Stilwell | ||
| John Barnes (Indiana) |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Karickhoff | ||
| Kevin Mahan | ||
| James Baird | ||
| Matt Ubelhor | ||
| Jud McMillin | ||
| Rhonda Rhoads | ||
| Sue Ellspermann | ||
| Cindy Kirchhofer | ||
| Brian Savilla |
New Representatives and General Election Winners
1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In Indiana, 22 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 22, 2 are Democrats and 20 are Republicans. In the 11 open seat contests, Republicans won 10 and Democrats 1. In total, Indiana elected 100 representatives, 61 Republicans and 39 Democrats.
Newly elected representatives
The following are the newly-elected members of the Indiana House of Representatives:
Republican
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Indiana House of Representatives:
Democratic
- Linda Lawson
- Earl Harris
- Charlie Brown (Indiana)
- Craig Fry
- B. Patrick Bauer
- David Niezgodski
- Ryan Dvorak
- Scott Pelath
- Charles Moseley
- Dan Stevenson, Sr.
- Vernon Smith
- Nancy Dembowski
- Rochelle VanDenburgh
- Jeb Bardon
- Sheila Ann Klinker
- Dennis Tyler
- Terri Austin
- Scott Reske
- Floyd Grubb
- Clyde Kersey
- Phillip Pflum
- Matt Pierce (Indiana)
- Kreg Battles
- Terry Goodin
- David Cheatham
- Steven Stemler
- Gail Riecken
- Phil GiaQuinta
- Winfield Moses, Jr.
- Cherrish Pryor
- John L. Bartlett (Indiana House District 95 representative)
- Gregory Porter
- William Crawford (Indiana)
- Vanessa Summers
- Mara Candelaria Reardon
- Chester Dobis
- Edward DeLaney
- Peggy Welch
- John Day (Indiana)
Republican
- Edmond Soliday
- Douglas Gutwein
- David Alan Wolkins
- Tom Dermody
- Timothy Wesco
- Rebecca Kubacki
- William Friend
- Richard McClain
- Randolph Truitt
- Jeffrey Thompson (Indiana)
- Kathy Kreag Richardson
- Michael Karickhoff
- Kevin Mahan
- P. Eric Turner
- Bill Davis (Indiana)
- L. Jack Lutz
- Heath VanNatter
- Gerald Torr
- Gregory Steuerwald
- Timothy Brown (Indiana)
- James Baird
- Bruce Borders
- Bob Heaton
- Ralph Foley
- Timothy Neese
- Wes Culver
- Daniel Leonard (Indiana)
- Richard Dodge
- David Yarde, II
- Robert Cherry
- Thomas Saunders
- Tom Knollman
- Sean Eberhart
- Charles Burton (Indiana)
- Milo Smith
- Matt Ubelhor
- Eric Koch
- Randy Frye
- Jud McMillin
- Rhonda Rhoads
- Edward Clere
- Steve Davisson
- Sue Ellspermann
- Suzanne Crouch
- Matthew Lehman (Indiana)
- Jeffrey Espich
- Kathy Heuer
- Bob Morris
- Phyllis Pond
- Brian Bosma
- Cindy Kirchhofer
- Mike Speedy
- Robert Behning
- David Frizzell
- Phillip Hinkle
- Ron Bacon
- Brian Savilla
- Cindy Noe
- Donald Lehe
- Mark Messmer
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Indiana, 21 candidates (21% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 21, 4 were Democrats and 17 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
Ballot Access
In Indiana, 34 (16.6%) of the 205 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. None won election on November 2.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
National Partisan Trends
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Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
National Partisan Trends
The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in Indiana.
Incumbents who were defeated in the general election
Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:
The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.
| Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 89 | 403 | 492 |
| Republican | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| TOTALS | 94 | 413 | 507 |
Total new legislators elected
In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of new legislators.
| New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 110 | 357 | 467 |
| Republican | 278 | 988 | 1,266 |
| TOTALS | 388 | 1,345 | 1,733 |
Winners of Open Seats
Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.
| Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 108 | 341 | 449 |
| Republican | 191 | 538 | 729 |
| TOTALS | 299 | 879 | 1,178 |
Impact on legislative majorities
- See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures
Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber | 
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| State senates | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 29 | 15 | 1 | - |
| Totals: | 52 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
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| State senates | 16 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 16 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals: | 32 | 53 | 2 | 1 |
Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:
| State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber | Number of seats gained by Democrats |
| California | Assembly | + 2 |
| Delaware | House | + 2 |
| Hawaii | Senate | + 1 |
| Maryland | Senate | + 2 |
| Massachusetts | Senate | + 1 |
| Missouri | Senate | + 1 |
| West Virginia | Senate | + 1 |
In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.
Impact on State Politics
Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:
| Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before election | U.S. House seats | After election | U.S. House seats | Gain/loss states | Gain/loss congressional seats |
| 16 | 131 | 11 | 115 | -5 | -16 | |
| 8 | 66 | 20 | 198 | +12 | +132 | |
Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.
