The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts . The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election , an election to the U.S. Senate , and a gubernatorial election .
2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana
Majority party
Minority party
Party
Republican
Democratic
Last election
6
3
Seats won
7
2
Seat change
1
1
Popular vote
1,351,760
1,142,554
Percentage
52.93%
44.74%
Swing
2.72%
5.86%
Republican
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
Democratic
60–70%
United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2012[ 1]
Party
Votes
Percentage
Seats
+/–
Republican
1,351,760
52.93%
7
+1
Democratic
1,142,554
44.74%
2
-1
Libertarian
59,429
2.33%
0
-
Independents
3
<0.01%
0
-
Totals
2,553,746
100.00%
9
-
A redistricting bill was passed by both houses of the Indiana General Assembly in April 2011[ 2] [ 3] and signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels on May 10, 2011.
The newly drawn map was designed to produce seven districts which are favorable to the Republican Party and two which favor the Democratic Party . Republicans described the districts as being more compact and more in keeping with existing county boundaries than the previous map,[ 4] while Democrats argued that the map was intended to protect Republican incumbents and help the Republican Party win the 2nd district.[ 2]
In redistricting, parts of the state which typically favor Republicans, including Elkhart County , Miami County , Wabash County and much of Kosciusko County , were moved into the 2nd district, while Democratic-leaning areas such as Kokomo and part of LaPorte County were removed from the district.[ 2]
Prior to announcing his Senate campaign, Donnelly commented that he was confident that a Democrat would be able to win the district, noting that then-Senator Barack Obama would have received 49% of the vote in the district in the 2008 presidential election had it been held under the newly drawn boundaries.[ 7]
Eliminated in primary
edit
Dan Morrison, small business owner
Eliminated in primary
edit
Mitch Feikes, real estate developer and broker
Andrew Straw, an attorney, switched from the Democratic Party to Green Party and ran for this seat.[ 12] [ 13] Straw was an Indiana Supreme Court analyst and an assistant dean at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in charge of the International Program. He was, however, disqualified from the ballot in July.[ 14]
The 3rd district was expected to remain favorable to Republicans.[ 2] Among the changes made in redistricting were the removal of Elkhart County from the 4th district to the 2nd, and the addition of areas south of Fort Wayne , which might have made Stutzman vulnerable to a primary challenge.[ 5]
Eliminated in primary
edit
Stephen Hope
Justin Kuhnle, family case manager
John Roberson, former police officer
Tommy Schrader
David Sowards
Republican incumbent Todd Rokita ran for re-election in 2012. Rokita's home lies "about 500 yards" outside the boundaries of the newly drawn 4th district, a phenomenon he attributed in May 2011 to "a kind of comeuppance thing" on the part of members of the Indiana General Assembly in return for his having supported a nonpartisan redistricting process during his tenure as Secretary of State of Indiana . Sue Landske , a Republican member of the Indiana Senate , denied that this was the case.[ 26] The 4th district was expected to remain favorable to Republicans.[ 2]
Eliminated in primary
edit
Lester Moore, former Newton County Assessor
Benjamin Gehlhausen, economics and professional flight technology major at Purdue University[ 11] [ 27]
The 5th district continues to include Hamilton County and the north side of Indianapolis ,[ 28] but received Democratic-leaning areas in northern Marion and Madison ,[ 5] and lost rural areas near Fort Wayne .[ 28] The district was expected to continue to favor Republicans.[ 2]
Republican incumbent Dan Burton , who had represented the 5th district since 2003 and previously represented the 6th district from 1983, retired rather than seeking re-election in 2012.[ 29]
Eliminated in primary
edit
Jason Anderson
Jack Lugar, attorney[ 31]
John McGoff, physician and candidate for this seat in 2008 & 2010 [ 32]
David McIntosh , former U.S. Representative and lobbyist[ 33]
Matthew Mount
Bill Salin, business analyst and Air Force veteran
Wayne Seybold , Mayor of Marion and former Olympic pair skater[ 29]
Eliminated in primary
edit
Tony Long, general motors retiree
The 6th district was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting,[ 36] and now stretches from Muncie to the Ohio River .[ 2]
Republican incumbent Mike Pence announced in May 2011 that he would run for Governor of Indiana rather than for re-election to the House of Representatives.[ 37]
Eliminated in primary
edit
Eliminated in primary
edit
Dan Bolling, biotech entrepreneur
Jim Crone, sociology professor at Hanover College [ 36]
Susan Hall Heitzman, small business owner
George Holland, salesman
Rex Bell, owner of a contracting business in the New Castle area[ 11]
The 7th district lost Democratic-leaning areas in northern Marion County in redistricting, while acquiring more Republican areas in the south of the county.[ 5] Nonetheless, the district was expected to remain favorable to Democrats.[ 2]
Eliminated in primary
edit
Bob Kern, paralegal
Pierre Pullins, warehouse worker
Woodrow Wilcox
Eliminated in primary
edit
Steve Davis, former Southport police chief
Tony Duncan, Army veteran and union worker
Wayne Harmon, parole agent and former Marine
J.D. Miniear, Christian ministry outreach
Catherine Ping, Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and business owner
Larry Shouse
The 8th district was made slightly more favorable to Democrats in redistricting, as a result of the removal of Fountain County , Putnam County and Warren County , all of which favor Republicans, and the addition of Dubois County , Perry County , Spencer County and part of Crawford County , all of which strongly favor neither party.[ 5] Republican incumbent Larry Bucshon ran for re-election.
Eliminated in primary
edit
Kristi Risk, stay-at-home mom[ 49]
The 8th district's Democratic candidates agreed to participate in a caucus in which the chairs and vice chairs of 38 counties would vote to decide the party's nominee; after which the candidates not selected would support the winner.[ 50] Former state representative Dave Crooks was endorsed as the Democratic nominee by party leaders on December 10, 2011.
Eliminated in primary
edit
Thomas Barnett
William Bryk, attorney and perennial candidate
^ a b c d e f g h i j "Indiana Voters" . indianavoters.in.gov .
^ a b c d e f g h i Davies, Tom (April 28, 2011). "New Ind. congressional districts clear Legislature" . The News-Times . Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ "Indiana Legislature OKs redistricting proposal" . WNDU . April 28, 2011. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ Martin, Deanna (May 11, 2011). "Ind. gov signs 80 bills into law, including budget" . Forbes . Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ a b c d e f g Toeplitz, Shira (June 7, 2011). "Race Ratings: GOP Poised to Scoop Up a Seat" . Roll Call . Retrieved June 28, 2011 .
^ Carden, Dan (May 8, 2012). "Phelps wins Republican primary for region's U.S. House seat" . Nwitimes.com. Retrieved June 3, 2012 .
^ Sullivan, Sean (April 11, 2011). "Joe Donnelly's Redistricting Blues" . National Journal . Retrieved May 21, 2011 . [permanent dead link ]
^ Ziegler, Adam (July 12, 2011). "Brendan Mullen announces run for 2nd Congressional District seat" . Fox 28 . Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2011 .
^ Staff, Truth (May 6, 2011). "Goshen attorney Straw to run for Congress" . The Elkhart Truth . Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012 .
^ Lewis, Kevin (May 9, 2011). "Donnelly to Run for Sen. Lugar's Seat in Indiana" . WNDU . Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ a b c d e 2012 Federal Candidates Archived 2012-09-01 at the Wayback Machine , Libertarian Party of Indiana
^ "Candidate Profile: Andrew Straw" . Green Party of the United States. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012 .
^ Staff, Truth (January 3, 2012). "Congressional candidate Straw switches to Green Party" . The Elkhart Truth . Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012 .
^ "Green candidate denied ballot spot" . southbendtribune.com . July 27, 2012. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2023 .
^ a b "Blue Dog Endorsements" . bluedogdems.ngpvanhost.com/ . Archived from the original on November 24, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2023 .
^ a b "RED TO BLUE 2012" . DCCC. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2023 .
^ a b c "CANDIDATES" . gopyoungguns.com . Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2023 .
^ a b "The Cook Political Report — Charts – 2012 House Competitive Races" . Cookpolitical.com. November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2012 .
^ a b "House Ratings" . Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com. November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012 .
^ a b [1] , as of November 4, 2012[update]
^ a b Crystal Ball , as of November 5, 2012[update]
^ a b House Race Ratings , The New York Times , as of November 4, 2012[update]
^ a b [2] , as of November 4, 2012[update]
^ a b "House Ratings" . The Hill . November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2012 .
^ Brian Francisco (May 9, 2012). "Boyd wins nod in 3rd District" . The Journal Gazette. Retrieved June 3, 2012 .
^ Carden, Dan (May 15, 2011). "Remap leaves U.S. Rep. Rokita outside his district" . The Times . Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ "Benjamin Gehlhausen Biography - Project Vote Smart" . Votesmart.org. Retrieved November 7, 2012 .
^ a b "Indiana Congressman Dan Burton plans re-election bid" . The Courier-Journal . May 9, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ a b c Schneider, Mary Beth (January 31, 2012). "Rep. Dan Burton announces retirement from Congress" . The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved January 31, 2012 .
^ Schneider, Mary Beth (July 19, 2011). "Former U.S. attorney joins GOP primary against Burton" . The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved July 20, 2011 .
^ Schneider, Mary Beth; Groppe, Maureen (July 31, 2011). "Behind Closed Doors: Forget the Rolex; just fill out the paperwork" . The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved August 2, 2011 .
^ Shella, Jim. "McGoff challenges Burton for 5th District" . WISH-TV . Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2011 .
^ Schneider, Mary Beth (July 7, 2011). "GOP primary could see McIntosh vie against Burton" . The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved July 8, 2011 .
^ Schneider, Mary Beth (September 30, 2011). "State Rep. Reske plans run for Burton's seat in Congress" . The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved October 3, 2011 .
^ Butler, Cody (May 9, 2012). "Brooks, Reske Win In 5th District Primary" . Indiana Public Media. Retrieved June 3, 2012 .
^ a b c d e f g h Schneider, Mary Beth (July 9, 2011). "Candidates line up for Pence's open seat in Congress" . The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved July 11, 2011 .
^ Guyett, Susan (May 5, 2011). "Republican Rep. Mike Pence to run for Indiana governor" . Reuters. Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ "Bookout to face 'young gun' Messer in race for U.S. Congress seat" . thestarpress.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2012 .
^ Berman, Eric (October 7, 2011). "Ex-State Senator Makes Sixth Bid for Congress" . WIBC . Retrieved October 11, 2011 .
^ "Coroner to run for U.S. Congress" . The Republic . January 10, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012 .
^ "About Joe Van Wye" . Joe Van Wye website . Retrieved February 5, 2012 .[permanent dead link ]
^ a b Engle, Bill (May 12, 2011). "Bates joining race for House" . Palladium-Item . Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ Toeplitz, Shira (May 5, 2011). "Messer Likely to Run for Pence's Seat" . Roll Call . Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ Francisco, Brian (May 12, 2011). "GOP candidate seeks open seat" . The Journal Gazette . Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ "Andrew Phipps announces campaign for Sixth District congressional seat" . The Star Press . November 29, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2011 .
^ Roysdon, Keith; Walker, Douglas (July 24, 2011). "W/R REPORT: Meet the Muncie Dem's House candidate" . The Star Press . Retrieved August 2, 2011 .
^ "Messer, Bookout win vote in Delaware County for U.S. Congress seat" . thestarpress.com. Retrieved June 3, 2012 .[permanent dead link ]
^ Robbin Morey (May 9, 2012). "Carson, May to meet in 7th District congressional race" . IBJ.com. Retrieved June 3, 2012 .
^ Langhorne, Thomas B. (August 17, 2011). "Bucshon to face GOP opponent Kristi Risk for 8th District seat" . Evansville Courier & Press . Retrieved August 18, 2011 .
^ Bradner, Eric (December 1, 2011). "Democratic leaders will caucus to choose 8th District candidate" . Evansville Courier & Press . Retrieved December 5, 2011 .
^ "Bucshon, Crooks cruising to wins in 8th" . Tribstar.com. Retrieved June 3, 2012 .
^ "8Th District Dem Caucus Endorses Dave Crooks" . Eyewitness News 9 . December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2011 .
^ Brader, Eric (April 24, 2011). "Democrat Dave Crooks set to run in 8th District" . Evansville Courier & Press . Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ Schneider, Grace (May 9, 2012). "Shelli Yoder wins Democratic nod to take on Todd Young for the Indiana 9th District seat" . Louisville Courier-Journal . Retrieved June 3, 2012 .
^ LoBianco, Tom. "Ex-Obama security aide to run for Congress in Ind" . Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011 .
^ Zion Hershberg, Ben (October 24, 2011). "Ex-aide will run in Indiana's 9th District" . The Courier-Journal . Retrieved October 28, 2011 .
^ "AP-IN--9th District-Locke,128" . Chicago Tribune . Associated Press . July 18, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011 .
^ Toeplitz, Shira (July 12, 2011). "Top Democrat Skips Young Challenge in Indiana" . Roll Call . Retrieved July 12, 2011 .