Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2016

Indiana 2016 elections

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2016 Indiana
House Elections

Primary| May 3, 2016
General| November 8, 2016
2016 Election Results

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2016 Elections

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All 100 seats in the Indiana House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Democrats gained one seat in the November 2016 general election, but Republicans were able to maintain control of their supermajority in the Legislature.

HIGHLIGHTS

* Republicans fielded unopposed candidates in 17 districts, while Democrats had 15 unchallenged candidates.

* In the 10 open seats, nine seats had general election competition. Six seats were held by Republicans and the other four seats were held by Democrats.

* Republicans held a state government trifecta heading into the election.

* Democrats had hoped to break the GOP supermajority through gains in the House, but were unable to do so.

## Contents

* 1 Introductions
* 1.1 Majority control
* 2 Retired incumbents
* 3 2016 election competitiveness
* 4 Races we watched
* 4.1 Primary contests
* 5 List of candidates
* 6 General election
* 7 Primary election
* 7.1 Margins of victory
* 7.2 Important dates and deadlines
* 7.3 Competitiveness
* 7.3.1 Candidates unopposed by a major party
* 7.3.2 Primary challenges
* 7.3.3 Retired incumbents
* 7.3.4 Results from 2014
* 7.3.5 Historical context
* 7.4 Campaign contributions
* 7.4.1 State comparison
* 7.5 Qualifications
* 7.6 See also
* 7.7 External links
* 7.8 Footnotes

## Introductions[edit]

Elections for the Indiana House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 3, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 5, 2016.

### Majority control[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Indiana House of Representatives:

Indiana House of Representatives

Party  |  As of November 7, 2016  |  After November 8, 2016
|  Democratic Party |  29  |  30
|  Republican Party |  71 |  70
Total |  100 |  100

## Retired incumbents[edit]

Ten incumbent representatives did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:

Name  |  Party  |  Current Office

|
|

Donna Harris |  Democratic | House District 2
David Niezgodski |  Democratic | House District 7
Timothy P. Harman |  Republican | House District 17
Tom Dermody |  Republican | House District 20
Randolph Truitt |  Republican | House District 26
John Price |  Republican | House District 47
Eric Allan Koch |  Republican | House District 65
Rhonda Rhoads |  Republican | House District 70
Gail Riecken |  Democratic | House District 77
Christina Hale |  Democratic | House District 87

Note: Christina Hale (D) dropped her re-election bid after the Democratic primary to run for lieutenant governor.

## 2016 election competitiveness[edit]

Indiana with some improvement in electoral competitiveness.

Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well Indiana performed in the study are provided in the image below. Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »

* In the Indiana State Senate, there were 10 Democratic incumbents and 40 Republican incumbents. One incumbent faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were four primary challenges in the Republican primary.

* In the House, there were 29 Democratic incumbents and 71 Republican incumbents. One state representative faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were 11 primary challenges in the Republican primary.

* Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.

* The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.

* More details on electoral competitiveness in Indiana can be found below.

## Races we watched[edit]

Ballotpedia identified six notable Indiana races in 2016, three of which were state House races.

Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable Indiana races »

### Primary contests[edit]

State House District 24 (R)

An incumbent appointed in 2014 ran for re-election against a conservative challenger.
☑ Donna Schaibley (I)  ☐ Greg Fettig

State House District 59 (R)

An incumbent faced two primary challengers over the gas tax and infrastructure spending.
☑ Milo Smith (I) ☐ Lew Wilson ☐ Ryan Lauer

State House District 65 (R)

Six candidates in the Republican primary contest sought to succeed the outgoing Republican incumbent.
☐ Jim Pfaff ☐ Franklin Andrew ☐ Darren Byrd ☐ Jacob Franklin ☐ Mark Mathis ☑ Christopher May

## List of candidates[edit]

# General election[edit]

2016 Indiana House candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1  |  Linda Lawson: 15,561 (I) a |  No candidate |  Michael Sandridge: 2,242 (L)
2  |  Earl Harris, Jr. a |  No candidate |
3  |  Charlie Brown (I) a |  No candidate |
4  |  Pamela Fish: 14,311  |  Ed Soliday: 17,272 (I) a |
5  |  No candidate |  Dale DeVon (I) a |
6  |  Pat Bauer (I) a |  No candidate |
7  |  Joe Taylor: 12,165 a |  Justin Chupp: 11,634  |  James Gillen: 1,471 (L)
8  |  Ryan Dvorak: 14,747 (I) a |  Richard Pfeil: 12,373  |
9  |  Scott Pelath (I) a |  No candidate |
10  |  Charles Moseley (I) a |  No candidate |
11  |  James Metro: 11,852  |  Michael Aylesworth: 18,163 (I) a |
12  |  Mara Candelaria Reardon: 15,979 a |  Bill Fine: 13,246 (I) |
13  |  Mike Childress: 8,167  |  Sharon Negele: 18,566 (I) a |
14  |  Vernon Smith (I) a |  No candidate |
15  |  Tom O'Donnell: 13,581  |  Hal Slager: 16,152 (I) a |
16  |  Richard Ludington: 7,972  |  Douglas Gutwein: 17,652 (I) a |
17  |  Michelle Livinghouse: 7,826  |  Jack Jordan: 16,043 a |
18  |  Dee M. Moore: 6,287  |  David Wolkins: 20,055 (I) a |
19  |  Shelli VanDenburgh: 14,895  |  Julie Olthoff: 15,236 (I) a |  Evan J. Demaree: 1,288 (L)
20  |  Karen Biernacki: 10,432  |  Jim Pressel: 15,398 a |  Aurea Torres: 1,131 (L)
21  |  Jodi Buoscio: 7,140  |  Timothy Wesco: 13,275 (I) a |  Ethan Legg: 1,049 (L)
22  |  Brian Smith: 5,624  |  Curt Nisly: 19,254 (I) a |
23  |  Rose Ryan: 6,642  |  Bill Friend: 15,829 (I) a |
24  |  No candidate |  Donna Schaibley: 29,297 (I) a |  Erol Ali Cetinok: 6,450 (L)
25  |  Maurice Fuller: 6,948  |  Donald Lehe: 19,273 (I) a |  Franklyn Voorhies: 1,731 (L)
26  |  Victoria Woeste: 9,980  |  Sally Siegrist: 11,067 a |
27  |  Sheila Klinker (I) a |  No candidate |
28  |  No candidate |  Jeffrey Thompson (I) a |
29  |  No candidate |  Kathy Kreag Richardson (I) a |
30  |  Natalie Guest: 10,551  |  Mike Karickhoff: 15,997 (I) a |
31  |  Lynn Johnson: 7,952  |  Kevin Mahan: 15,274 (I) a |
32  |  Ryan Scott Davis: 7,417  |  Tony Cook: 22,112 (I) a |
33  |  No candidate |  Greg Beumer (I) a |
34  |  Sue Errington: 12,516 (I) a |  Joe Shank: 6,533  |
35  |  Melanie Wright: 15,643 (I) a |  Bill Walters: 14,129  |
36  |  Terri Jo Austin: 14,782 (I) a |  Jim Shelton: 10,405  |
37  |  Mike Boland: 12,592  |  Todd Huston: 22,403 (I) a |
38  |  No candidate |  Heath VanNatter: 18,623 (I) a |  Jason Burns: 6,303 (Ind.)
39  |  David Russ: 12,640  |  Jerry Torr: 23,591 (I) a |
40  |  No candidate |  Gregory Steuerwald (I) a |
41  |  Howard Pollchik: 5,238  |  Timothy Brown: 18,500 (I) a |  John Pickerill: 3,043 (L)
42  |  Tim Skinner: 11,434  |  Alan Morrison: 14,901 (I) a |
43  |  Clyde Kersey (I) a |  No candidate |
44  |  Kimberly Fidler: 8,073  |  Jim Baird: 17,927 (I) a |
45  |  No candidate |  Bruce Borders (I) a |
46  |  Bill Breeden: 9,369  |  Bob Heaton: 17,333 (I) a |
47  |  Mike Reddick: 8,059  |  John Young: 22,240 a |
48  |  James Barnes: 7,438  |  Doug Miller: 14,710 (I) a |
49  |  No candidate |  Wes Culver (I) a |
50  |  Jorge Fernandez: 7,181  |  Dan Leonard: 19,561 (I) a |
51  |  No candidate |  Dennis Zent (I) a |
52  |  Charlie Odier: 7,009  |  Ben Smaltz: 21,016 (I) a |
53  |  Nancy Tibbett: 6,780  |  Robert Cherry: 19,964 (I) a |  Rick Brown: 1,979 (L)
54  |  No candidate |  Tom Saunders: 17,726 (I) a |  Jeff Embry: 1 (Ind.)
Zachary Lee: 6,605 (L)
55  |  Mimi Pruett: 6,295  |  Cindy Ziemke: 20,302 (I) a |
56  |  Karen Chasteen: 9,125  |  Dick Hamm: 14,463 (I) a |
57  |  No candidate |  Sean Eberhart (I) a |
58  |  Edward O'Connor: 9,616  |  Charles Burton: 19,213 (I) a |
59  |  Bob Pitman: 10,205  |  Milo Smith: 16,118 (I) a |
60  |  Penny Githens: 10,882  |  Peggy Mayfield: 18,885 (I) a |
61  |  Matt Pierce: 15,608 (I) a |  No candidate |  Drew Ash: 4,208 (Ind.)
62  |  Steve Lindsey: 11,589  |  Jeff Ellington: 16,724 (I) a |
63  |  Andrea Hulsman: 7,570  |  Mike Braun: 19,228 (I) a |
64  |  No candidate |  Thomas Washburne (I) a |
65  |  Chris Woods: 10,871  |  Christopher May: 18,290 a |
66  |  Terry Goodin: 15,939 (I) a |  Joe Van Wye: 10,484  |
67  |  Rudy Howard: 6,101  |  Randy Frye: 20,492 (I) a |
68  |  Jake Hoog: 7,457  |  Randy Lyness: 22,451 (I) a |
69  |  No candidate |  Jim Lucas (I) a |
70  |  Heidi Sellers: 11,020  |  Karen Engleman: 20,966 a |
71  |  Steven Stemler: 18,728 (I) a |  No candidate |  Thomas Keister: 4,578 (L)
72  |  Steve Bonifer: 13,511  |  Ed Clere: 18,092 (I) a |
73  |  Douglas Leatherbury: 6,992  |  Steve Davisson: 18,722 (I) a |
74  |  Larry Kleeman: 11,156  |  Lloyd Arnold: 16,538 (I) a |
75  |  Pete Rapp: 9,429  |  Ron Bacon: 21,146 (I) a |
76  |  No candidate |  Wendy McNamara (I) a |
77  |  Ryan Hatfield: 12,616 a |  Johnny Kincaid: 8,614  |
78  |  Philip Bennett: 9,704  |  Holli Sullivan: 19,208 (I) a |
79  |  No candidate |  Matthew Lehman (I) a |
80  |  Phil GiaQuinta (I) a |  No candidate |
81  |  Bob Haddad: 8,938  |  Martin Carbaugh: 13,925 (I) a |
82  |  Mike Wilber: 5,863  |  David Ober: 17,833 (I) a |
83  |  No candidate |  Christopher N. Judy (I) a |
84  |  Curtis Nash: 10,544  |  Bob Morris: 20,559 (I) a |
85  |  Kathy Zoucha: 7,006  |  Dave Heine: 19,198 a |
86  |  Edward DeLaney: 22,285 (I) a |  Scott DeVries: 12,049  |  Ethan Owens: 1,488 (L)
87  |  Carey Hamilton: 17,485 a |  Connie Eckert: 15,982  |
88  |  Dana Black: 13,059  |  Brian Bosma: 24,550 (I) a |
89  |  Rachel Burke: 11,367  |  Cindy Kirchhofer: 13,683 (I) a |
90  |  Lacy Hollings: 9,515  |  Mike Speedy: 19,019 (I) a |  Douglas McNaughton: 1,348 (L)
91  |  No candidate |  Robert Behning (I) a |
92  |  Karlee Macer: 14,000 (I) a |  Bradford Moulton: 8,973  |
93  |  Greg Rathnow: 8,923  |  David Frizzell: 18,407 (I) a |
94  |  Cherrish Pryor (I) a |  No candidate |
95  |  John Bartlett: 18,044 (I) a |  No candidate |  Nathanael L. Ginn: 2,640 (L)
96  |  Gregory Porter (I) a |  No candidate |
97  |  Justin Moed: 9,834 (I) a |  Dale Nye: 6,300  |
98  |  Robin Shackleford: 16,354 (I) a |  Gary Whitmore: 3,747  |
99  |  Vanessa Summers (I) a |  No candidate |
100  |  Dan Forestal: 14,110 (I) a |  Larry Shouse: 6,894  |
|  |  |
Notes:

* An (I) denotes an incumbent.
* Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

# Primary election[edit]

2016 Indiana House candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1 | Linda Lawson (I) a | No candidate |
2 | Tammi Davis: 3,056
Earl Harris, Jr.: 3,882 a
Drake Morris: 1,177
Rose Rodriguez: 3,137 | No candidate |
3 | Charlie Brown: 7,816 (I) a
Antuwan Clemons: 2,899 | No candidate |
4 | Jesse Harper: 3,844
Pamela Fish: 4,247 a | Ed Soliday (I) a |
5 | No candidate | Dale DeVon (I) a |
6 | Pat Bauer (I) a | No candidate |
7 | Joe Taylor a | Justin Chupp a | James Gillen (L) a
8 | Ryan Dvorak (I) a | Richard Pfeil a |
9 | Scott Pelath (I) a | No candidate |
10 | Charles Moseley (I) a | No candidate |
11 | James Metro a | Michael Aylesworth (I) a |
12 | Mara Candelaria Reardon a | Bill Fine (I) a |
13 | Mike Childress a | Sharon Negele (I) a |
14 | Vernon Smith (I) a | No candidate |
15 | No candidate | Hal Slager (I) a |
16 | No candidate | Douglas Gutwein (I) a |
17 | Michelle Livinghouse a | Jesse Bohannon: 5,049
Jack Jordan: 6,381 a |
18 | No candidate | David Wolkins (I) a |
19 | Shelli VanDenburgh a | Julie Olthoff (I) a |
20 | Karen Biernacki a | Jim Pressel a |
21 | Jodi Buoscio a | Timothy Wesco (I) a | Ethan Legg (L) a
22 | Brian Smith a | Curt Nisly (I) a |
23 | Rose Ryan a | Bill Friend (I) a |
24 | No candidate | Donna Schaibley: 8,085 (I) a
Greg Fettig: 6,987 | Erol Ali Cetinok (L) a
25 | Maurice Fuller: 2,153 a
Justin Notoras: 1,605 | Donald Lehe (I) a | Franklyn Voorhies (L) a
26 | Deanna McMillan: 1,913
Victoria Woeste: 2,708 a | Sally Siegrist: 4,046 a
Gerry Keen: 2,402 |
27 | Sheila Klinker (I) a | No candidate |
28 | No candidate | Luke Stephenson: 5,463
Jeffrey Thompson: 10,735 (I) a |
29 | No candidate | Kathy Kreag Richardson (I) a |
30 | Natalie Guest a | Mike Karickhoff (I) a |
31 | No candidate | Kevin Mahan (I) a |
32 | Ryan Scott Davis a | Tony Cook (I) a |
33 | No candidate | Greg Beumer (I) a | Zeb Sutton (L) a
34 | Sue Errington (I) a | Joe Shank a |
35 | Melanie Wright (I) a | No candidate |
36 | Terri Jo Austin (I) a | Jim Shelton a |
37 | No candidate | Todd Huston (I) a |
38 | No candidate | Heath VanNatter (I) a |
39 | David Russ a | Jerry Torr: 7,896 (I) a
Tom Linkmeyer: 7,111 |
40 | No candidate | Gregory Steuerwald (I) a |
41 | Howard Pollchik a | Timothy Brown (I) a |
42 | Tim Skinner a | Alan Morrison (I) a |
43 | Clyde Kersey (I) a | No candidate |
44 | Kimberly Fidler a | Jim Baird (I) a |
45 | No candidate | Bruce Borders (I) a |
46 | Bill Breeden a | Bob Heaton (I) a |
47 | Mike Reddick a | Matt Prine: 6,163
John Young: 7,105 a |
48 | James Barnes a | Doug Miller (I) a |
49 | No candidate | Wes Culver (I) a |
50 | Jorge Fernandez a | Ted Harber: 4,558
Dan Leonard: 7,809 (I) a |
51 | No candidate | Dennis Zent (I) a |
52 | Charlie Odier a | Ben Smaltz (I) a |
53 | Nancy Tibbett a | Robert Cherry (I) a | Rick Brown (L) a
54 | No candidate | Tom Saunders (I) a | Jeff Embry (Ind.) a
55 | Mimi Pruett a | Cindy Ziemke (I) a |
56 | Karen Chasteen a | Dick Hamm (I) a |
57 | No candidate | Sean Eberhart (I) a |
58 | Edward O'Connor a | Charles Burton (I) a |
59 | Dale Nowlin: 2,118
Bob Pitman: 2,472 a | Ryan Lauer: 4,825
Milo Smith: 5,883 (I) a
Lew Wilson: 1,746 |
60 | Penny Githens a | Peggy Mayfield (I) a |
61 | Matt Pierce (I) a | No candidate |
62 | Steve Lindsey a | Jeff Ellington: 6,871 (I) a
Sawyer Sparks: 4,066 |
63 | No candidate | Mike Braun (I) a |
64 | No candidate | Ann Ennis: 5,380
Thomas Washburne: 7,445 (I) a |
65 | Chris Woods a | Franklin Andrew: 1,488
Darren Byrd: 903
Jacob Franklin: 924
Mark Mathis: 1,655
Christopher May: 5,487 a
Jim Pfaff: 2,355 | Duncan Adams (L) a
66 | Terry Goodin (I) a | Joe Van Wye a |
67 | No candidate | Randy Frye (I) a |
68 | No candidate | Randy Lyness (I) a |
69 | No candidate | Nancy Franke: 4,044
Jim Lucas: 7,705 (I) a |
70 | Heidi Sellers a | Karen Engleman a |
71 | Steven Stemler (I) a | No candidate | Thomas Keister (L) a
72 | Steve Bonifer a | Ed Clere (I) a |
73 | Douglas Leatherbury a | Steve Davisson: 7,908 (I) a
Michael Harkness: 3,030 |
74 | Larry Kleeman a | Lloyd Arnold (I) a |
75 | Pete Rapp a | Ron Bacon (I) a |
76 | No candidate | Wendy McNamara (I) a |
77 | Brandon Ferguson: 1,001
Ryan Hatfield: 2,717 a
Lori Sherman: 2,507 | Billy Garrett: 1,039
Henrietta Jenkins: 1,039
Johnny Kincaid: 2,848 a |
78 | Philip Bennett a | Holli Sullivan (I) a |
79 | No candidate | Matthew Lehman (I) a |
80 | Phil GiaQuinta (I) a | Christian Skordos a |
81 | No candidate | Martin Carbaugh (I) a |
82 | Mike Wilber a | David Ober (I) a |
83 | No candidate | Christopher N. Judy (I) a |
84 | Donny Manco: 2,178
Curtis Nash: 2,579 a | Bob Morris (I) a |
85 | No candidate | Casey Cox: 4,218 (I)
Denny Worman: 1,162
Dave Heine: 7,849 a |
86 | Edward DeLaney (I) a | Scott DeVries a | Ethan Owens (L) a
87 | Christina Hale (I) a | Connie Eckert a |
88 | Dana Black a | Brian Bosma (I) a |
89 | Rachel Burke a | Cindy Kirchhofer (I) a |
90 | Lacy Hollings a | Mike Speedy (I) a | Douglas McNaughton (L) a
91 | No candidate | Robert Behning: 5,511 (I) a
Jim Grimes: 3,406 |
92 | Karlee Macer (I) a | Bradford Moulton a |
93 | Greg Rathnow a | David Frizzell (I) a |
94 | Cherrish Pryor (I) a | No candidate |
95 | John Bartlett (I) a | No candidate |
96 | Gregory Porter (I) a | No candidate |
97 | Justin Moed (I) a | Dale Nye a |
98 | Robin Shackleford (I) a | Gary Whitmore a |
99 | Vanessa Summers (I) a | No candidate |
100 | Dan Forestal (I) a | Larry Shouse a |
|  |  |
Notes:

* An (I) denotes an incumbent.
* Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

## Margins of victory[edit]

The average margin of victory for contested races in the Indiana House of Representatives in 2016 was higher than the national average. Out of 100 races in the Indiana House of Representatives in 2016, 73 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 33 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[1]

Republican candidates in the Indiana House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Democratic candidates in 2016. Republicans won 70 races. In the 55 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 33.7 percent. Democrats won 30 races in 2016. In the 18 races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 30.8 percent.

Democratic candidates and Republican candidates each won races with margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. Ten of the 73 contested races in 2016—13.7 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Three races saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Both parties won five races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less.

Indiana House of Representatives: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 4 | R | 9.4 percent
District 7 | D | 2.1 percent
District 8 | D | 8.8 percent
District 12 | D | 9.4 percent
District 15 | R | 8.6 percent
District 19 | R | 1.1 percent
District 26 | R | 5.2 percent
District 35 | D | 5.1 percent
District 87 | D | 4.5 percent
District 89 | R | 9.2 percent
The average margin of victory for incumbents in the Indiana House of Representatives who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was higher than the national average. 88 incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 62 winning Indiana House of Representatives incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 35 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent.

Democratic incumbents in the Indiana House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Republican incumbents. 25 Democratic incumbents won re-election. In the 14 races where a winning Democratic incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 37.2 percent. 63 Republican incumbents won re-election. In the 48 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 34.3 percent.

Indiana House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis

Party | Elections won | Average margin of victory[2] | Races with incumbent victories | Average margin of victory for incumbents[2] | Unopposed incumbents | Unopposed races | Percent unopposed
Democratic | 30 | 30.8 percent | 25 | 37.2 percent | 11 | 12 | 40.0 percent
Republican | 70 | 33.7 percent | 63 | 34.3 percent | 15 | 15 | 21.4 percent
Total | 100 | 33.0 percent | 88 | 35.0 percent | 26 | 27 | 27.0 percent

Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in Indiana House of Representatives districts in 2016.

Indiana House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory by District

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 1 | D | 74.8 percent
District 2 | D | Unopposed
District 3 | D | Unopposed
District 4 | R | 9.4 percent
District 5 | R | Unopposed
District 6 | D | Unopposed
District 7 | D | 2.1 percent
District 8 | D | 8.8 percent
District 9 | D | Unopposed
District 10 | D | Unopposed
District 11 | R | 21.0 percent
District 12 | D | 9.4 percent
District 13 | R | 38.9 percent
District 14 | D | Unopposed
District 15 | R | 8.7 percent
District 16 | R | 37.8 percent
District 17 | R | 34.4 percent
District 18 | R | 52.3 percent
District 19 | R | 1.1 percent
District 20 | R | 18.4 percent
District 21 | R | 28.6 percent
District 22 | R | 54.8 percent
District 23 | R | 40.9 percent
District 24 | R | 63.9 percent
District 25 | R | 44.1 percent
District 26 | R | 5.2 percent
District 27 | D | Unopposed
District 28 | R | Unopposed
District 29 | R | Unopposed
District 30 | R | 20.5 percent
District 31 | R | 31.5 percent
District 32 | R | 49.8 percent
District 33 | R | Unopposed
District 34 | D | 31.4 percent
District 35 | D | 5.1 percent
District 36 | D | 17.4 percent
District 37 | R | 28.0 percent
District 38 | R | 49.4 percent
District 39 | R | 30.2 percent
District 40 | R | Unopposed
District 41 | R | 49.5 percent
District 42 | R | 13.2 percent
District 43 | D | Unopposed
District 44 | R | 37.9 percent
District 45 | R | Unopposed
District 46 | R | 29.8 percent
District 47 | R | 46.8 percent
District 48 | R | 32.8 percent
District 49 | R | Unopposed
District 50 | R | 46.3 percent
District 51 | R | Unopposed
District 52 | R | 50.0 percent
District 53 | R | 45.9 percent
District 54 | R | 45.7 percent
District 55 | R | 52.7 percent
District 56 | R | 22.6 percent
District 57 | R | Unopposed
District 58 | R | 33.3 percent
District 59 | R | 22.5 percent
District 60 | R | 26.9 percent
District 61 | D | 57.5 percent
District 62 | R | 18.1 percent
District 63 | R | 43.5 percent
District 64 | R | Unopposed
District 65 | R | 25.4 percent
District 66 | D | 20.6 percent
District 67 | R | 54.1 percent
District 68 | R | 50.1 percent
District 69 | R | Unopposed
District 70 | R | 31.1 percent
District 71 | D | 60.7 percent
District 72 | R | 14.5 percent
District 73 | R | 45.6 percent
District 74 | R | 19.4 percent
District 75 | R | 38.3 percent
District 76 | R | Unopposed
District 77 | D | 18.9 percent
District 78 | R | 32.9 percent
District 79 | R | Unopposed
District 80 | D | Unopposed
District 81 | R | 21.8 percent
District 82 | R | 50.5 percent
District 83 | R | Unopposed
District 84 | R | 32.2 percent
District 85 | R | 46.5 percent
District 86 | D | 28.6 percent
District 87 | D | 4.5 percent
District 88 | R | 30.6 percent
District 89 | R | 9.3 percent
District 90 | R | 31.8 percent
District 91 | R | Unopposed
District 92 | D | 21.9 percent
District 93 | R | 34.7 percent
District 94 | D | Unopposed
District 95 | D | 74.5 percent
District 96 | D | Unopposed
District 97 | D | 21.9 percent
District 98 | D | 62.7 percent
District 99 | D | Unopposed
District 100 | D | 34.4 percent

## Important dates and deadlines[edit]

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

## Competitiveness[edit]

### Candidates unopposed by a major party[edit]

In 32 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 15 Democrats and 17 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 68 of the 100 seats up for election.

### Primary challenges[edit]

Twelve incumbents, one Democrat and 11 Republicans, faced primary competition on May 3. Ten incumbents did not seek re-election and another 78 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The following incumbent was defeated in the primary election:

* District 85: Casey Cox (R)

### Retired incumbents[edit]

Ten incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 90 ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, six Republicans and four Democrats, can be found above.

### Results from 2014[edit]

See also: 2014 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.

Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.

Overall Competitiveness

|  2010  |  2012  |  2014
Competitiveness Index  | 36.2  | 35.8  | 31.4
% Open Seats  | 18.6%  | 21.2%  | 17.0%
% Incumbent with primary challenge  | 22.7%  | 24.6%  | 20.1%
% Candidates with major party opposition  | 67.3%  | 61.7%  | 57.0%

The following table details Indiana's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges and major party competition in the 2014 general election.

Indiana General Assembly 2014 Competitiveness

% Open Seats  |  % Incumbent with primary challenge  |  % Candidates with major party opposition  |  Competitiveness Index  |  Overall rank
6.4%  |  9.4%  |  51.2%  |  22.3  |  39

### Historical context[edit]

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

## Campaign contributions[edit]

The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in Indiana in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[3]

Indiana House of Representatives Donations

Year  | Candidates  | Amount
2014  |  180  |  $11,835,446
2012  |  243  |  $15,462,543
2010  |  254  |  $18,941,489
2008  |  225  |  $16,968,339
2006  |  218  |  $19,378,148

### State comparison[edit]

The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. Indiana, at $65,752 per candidate, is ranked 13 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[3][4]

## Qualifications[edit]

To be eligible to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[5]

* A United States citizen at the time of the election.
* Have resided in the state for at least two years and in the house district for at least one year before the election.
* Be at least twenty-one years old upon taking office.
* Registered to vote in the election district the person seeks to represent not later than the deadline for filing the declaration or petition of candidacy or certificate of nomination.

## See also[edit]

* Indiana House of Representatives
* Indiana State Legislature
* State legislative elections, 2016

## External links[edit]

|  Suggest a link

|

* Indiana Secretary of State - Primary candidate list
* Indiana Secretary of State - General election candidate list
* Indiana Secretary of State - Primary results

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Excludes unopposed elections
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Indiana," accessed July 28, 2015
4. ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
5. ↑ 2010 Candidate Guide - Qualifications for House of Representatives

[show]

Current members of the Indiana House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Todd Huston

Representatives

District 1

Carolyn Jackson (D)

District 2

Earl Harris (D)

District 3

Ragen Hatcher (D)

District 4

Edmond Soliday (R)

District 5

Dale DeVon (R)

District 6

Maureen Bauer (D)

District 7

Jake Teshka (R)

District 8

Ryan Dvorak (D)

District 9

Patricia Boy (D)

District 10

Charles Moseley (D)

District 11

Michael Aylesworth (R)

District 12

Mike Andrade (D)

District 13

Sharon Negele (R)

District 14

Vernon Smith (D)

District 15

Harold Slager (R)

District 16

Douglas Gutwein (R)

District 17

Jack Jordan (R)

District 18

Craig Snow (R)

District 19

Julie Olthoff (R)

District 20

Jim Pressel (R)

District 21

Timothy Wesco (R)

District 22

Curt Nisly (R)

District 23

Ethan Manning (R)

District 24

Donna Schaibley (R)

District 25

Donald Lehe (R)

District 26

Chris Campbell (D)

District 27

Sheila Klinker (D)

District 28

Jeffrey Thompson (R)

District 29

Chuck Goodrich (R)

District 30

Michael Karickhoff (R)

District 31

Ann Vermilion (R)

District 32

Tony Cook (R)

District 33

John Prescott (R)

District 34

Sue Errington (D)

District 35

Elizabeth Rowray (R)

District 36

Terri Austin (D)

District 37

Todd Huston (R)

District 38

Heath VanNatter (R)

District 39

Gerald Torr (R)

District 40

Gregory Steuerwald (R)

District 41

Timothy Brown (R)

District 42

Alan Morrison (R)

District 43

Tonya Pfaff (D)

District 44

Beau Baird (R)

District 45

Bruce Borders (R)

District 46

Bob Heaton (R)

District 47

John Young (R)

District 48

Doug Miller (R)

District 49

Joanna King (R)

District 50

Daniel Leonard (R)

District 51

Dennis Zent (R)

District 52

Ben Smaltz (R)

District 53

Robert Cherry (R)

District 54

Thomas Saunders (R)

District 55

Cindy Ziemke (R)

District 56

Bradford Barrett (R)

District 57

Sean Eberhart (R)

District 58

Michelle Davis (R)

District 59

Ryan Lauer (R)

District 60

Peggy Mayfield (R)

District 61

Matt Pierce (D)

District 62

Jeff Ellington (R)

District 63

Shane Lindauer (R)

District 64

Matt Hostettler (R)

District 65

Christopher May (R)

District 66

Zach Payne (R)

District 67

Randy Frye (R)

District 68

Randy Lyness (R)

District 69

Jim Lucas (R)

District 70

Karen Engleman (R)

District 71

Rita Fleming (D)

District 72

Edward Clere (R)

District 73

J. Davisson (R)

District 74

Steve Bartels (R)

District 75

Cindy Ledbetter (R)

District 76

Wendy McNamara (R)

District 77

Ryan Hatfield (D)

District 78

Tim O'Brien (R)

District 79

Matthew Lehman (R)

District 80

Phil GiaQuinta (D)

District 81

Martin Carbaugh (R)

District 82

David Abbott (R)

District 83

Christopher Judy (R)

District 84

Bob Morris (R)

District 85

David Heine (R)

District 86

Edward DeLaney (D)

District 87

Carey Hamilton (D)

District 88

Chris Jeter (R)

District 89

Mitch Gore (D)

District 90

Mike Speedy (R)

District 91

Robert Behning (R)

District 92

Renee Pack (D)

District 93

John Jacob (R)

District 94

Cherrish Pryor (D)

District 95

John Bartlett (D)

District 96

Gregory Porter (D)

District 97

Justin Moed (D)

District 98

Robin Shackleford (D)

District 99

Vanessa Summers (D)

District 100

Robert Johnson (D)

Republican Party (71)

Democratic Party (29)

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