Indiana House of Representatives elections, 2016
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 17 min
| 2016 Indiana House Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | May 3, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Election Results | |
| 2014・2012・2010・2008 2006・2004・2002・2000 | |
| 2016 Elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
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.
Contents
- 1 Introductions
- 2 Retired incumbents
- 3 2016 election competitiveness
- 4 Races we watched
- 5 List of candidates
- 6 General election
- 7 Primary election
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]
- An incumbent appointed in 2014 ran for re-election against a conservative challenger.
- ☑ Donna Schaibley (I) ☐ Greg Fettig
- An incumbent faced two primary challengers over the gas tax and infrastructure spending.
- ☑ Milo Smith (I) ☐ Lew Wilson ☐ Ryan Lauer
- 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)  |
No candidate | Michael Sandridge: 2,242 (L) |
| 2 | Earl Harris, Jr. |
No candidate | |
| 3 | Charlie Brown (I) |
No candidate | |
| 4 | Pamela Fish: 14,311 | Ed Soliday: 17,272 (I) |
|
| 5 | No candidate | Dale DeVon (I) |
|
| 6 | Pat Bauer (I) |
No candidate | |
| 7 | Joe Taylor: 12,165 |
Justin Chupp: 11,634 | James Gillen: 1,471 (L) |
| 8 | Ryan Dvorak: 14,747 (I) |
Richard Pfeil: 12,373 | |
| 9 | Scott Pelath (I) |
No candidate | |
| 10 | Charles Moseley (I) |
No candidate | |
| 11 | James Metro: 11,852 | Michael Aylesworth: 18,163 (I) |
|
| 12 | Mara Candelaria Reardon: 15,979 |
Bill Fine: 13,246 (I) | |
| 13 | Mike Childress: 8,167 | Sharon Negele: 18,566 (I) |
|
| 14 | Vernon Smith (I) |
No candidate | |
| 15 | Tom O'Donnell: 13,581 | Hal Slager: 16,152 (I) |
|
| 16 | Richard Ludington: 7,972 | Douglas Gutwein: 17,652 (I) |
|
| 17 | Michelle Livinghouse: 7,826 | Jack Jordan: 16,043 |
|
| 18 | Dee M. Moore: 6,287 | David Wolkins: 20,055 (I) |
|
| 19 | Shelli VanDenburgh: 14,895 | Julie Olthoff: 15,236 (I) |
Evan J. Demaree: 1,288 (L) |
| 20 | Karen Biernacki: 10,432 | Jim Pressel: 15,398 |
Aurea Torres: 1,131 (L) |
| 21 | Jodi Buoscio: 7,140 | Timothy Wesco: 13,275 (I) |
Ethan Legg: 1,049 (L) |
| 22 | Brian Smith: 5,624 | Curt Nisly: 19,254 (I) |
|
| 23 | Rose Ryan: 6,642 | Bill Friend: 15,829 (I) |
|
| 24 | No candidate | Donna Schaibley: 29,297 (I) |
Erol Ali Cetinok: 6,450 (L) |
| 25 | Maurice Fuller: 6,948 | Donald Lehe: 19,273 (I) |
Franklyn Voorhies: 1,731 (L) |
| 26 | Victoria Woeste: 9,980 | Sally Siegrist: 11,067 |
|
| 27 | Sheila Klinker (I) |
No candidate | |
| 28 | No candidate | Jeffrey Thompson (I) |
|
| 29 | No candidate | Kathy Kreag Richardson (I) |
|
| 30 | Natalie Guest: 10,551 | Mike Karickhoff: 15,997 (I) |
|
| 31 | Lynn Johnson: 7,952 | Kevin Mahan: 15,274 (I) |
|
| 32 | Ryan Scott Davis: 7,417 | Tony Cook: 22,112 (I) |
|
| 33 | No candidate | Greg Beumer (I) |
|
| 34 | Sue Errington: 12,516 (I) |
Joe Shank: 6,533 | |
| 35 | Melanie Wright: 15,643 (I) |
Bill Walters: 14,129 | |
| 36 | Terri Jo Austin: 14,782 (I) |
Jim Shelton: 10,405 | |
| 37 | Mike Boland: 12,592 | Todd Huston: 22,403 (I) |
|
| 38 | No candidate | Heath VanNatter: 18,623 (I) |
Jason Burns: 6,303 (Ind.) |
| 39 | David Russ: 12,640 | Jerry Torr: 23,591 (I) |
|
| 40 | No candidate | Gregory Steuerwald (I) |
|
| 41 | Howard Pollchik: 5,238 | Timothy Brown: 18,500 (I) |
John Pickerill: 3,043 (L) |
| 42 | Tim Skinner: 11,434 | Alan Morrison: 14,901 (I) |
|
| 43 | Clyde Kersey (I) |
No candidate | |
| 44 | Kimberly Fidler: 8,073 | Jim Baird: 17,927 (I) |
|
| 45 | No candidate | Bruce Borders (I) |
|
| 46 | Bill Breeden: 9,369 | Bob Heaton: 17,333 (I) |
|
| 47 | Mike Reddick: 8,059 | John Young: 22,240 |
|
| 48 | James Barnes: 7,438 | Doug Miller: 14,710 (I) |
|
| 49 | No candidate | Wes Culver (I) |
|
| 50 | Jorge Fernandez: 7,181 | Dan Leonard: 19,561 (I) |
|
| 51 | No candidate | Dennis Zent (I) |
|
| 52 | Charlie Odier: 7,009 | Ben Smaltz: 21,016 (I) |
|
| 53 | Nancy Tibbett: 6,780 | Robert Cherry: 19,964 (I) |
Rick Brown: 1,979 (L) |
| 54 | No candidate | Tom Saunders: 17,726 (I) |
Jeff Embry: 1 (Ind.) Zachary Lee: 6,605 (L) |
| 55 | Mimi Pruett: 6,295 | Cindy Ziemke: 20,302 (I) |
|
| 56 | Karen Chasteen: 9,125 | Dick Hamm: 14,463 (I) |
|
| 57 | No candidate | Sean Eberhart (I) |
|
| 58 | Edward O'Connor: 9,616 | Charles Burton: 19,213 (I) |
|
| 59 | Bob Pitman: 10,205 | Milo Smith: 16,118 (I) |
|
| 60 | Penny Githens: 10,882 | Peggy Mayfield: 18,885 (I) |
|
| 61 | Matt Pierce: 15,608 (I) |
No candidate | Drew Ash: 4,208 (Ind.) |
| 62 | Steve Lindsey: 11,589 | Jeff Ellington: 16,724 (I) |
|
| 63 | Andrea Hulsman: 7,570 | Mike Braun: 19,228 (I) |
|
| 64 | No candidate | Thomas Washburne (I) |
|
| 65 | Chris Woods: 10,871 | Christopher May: 18,290 |
|
| 66 | Terry Goodin: 15,939 (I) |
Joe Van Wye: 10,484 | |
| 67 | Rudy Howard: 6,101 | Randy Frye: 20,492 (I) |
|
| 68 | Jake Hoog: 7,457 | Randy Lyness: 22,451 (I) |
|
| 69 | No candidate | Jim Lucas (I) |
|
| 70 | Heidi Sellers: 11,020 | Karen Engleman: 20,966 |
|
| 71 | Steven Stemler: 18,728 (I) |
No candidate | Thomas Keister: 4,578 (L) |
| 72 | Steve Bonifer: 13,511 | Ed Clere: 18,092 (I) |
|
| 73 | Douglas Leatherbury: 6,992 | Steve Davisson: 18,722 (I) |
|
| 74 | Larry Kleeman: 11,156 | Lloyd Arnold: 16,538 (I) |
|
| 75 | Pete Rapp: 9,429 | Ron Bacon: 21,146 (I) |
|
| 76 | No candidate | Wendy McNamara (I) |
|
| 77 | Ryan Hatfield: 12,616 |
Johnny Kincaid: 8,614 | |
| 78 | Philip Bennett: 9,704 | Holli Sullivan: 19,208 (I) |
|
| 79 | No candidate | Matthew Lehman (I) |
|
| 80 | Phil GiaQuinta (I) |
No candidate | |
| 81 | Bob Haddad: 8,938 | Martin Carbaugh: 13,925 (I) |
|
| 82 | Mike Wilber: 5,863 | David Ober: 17,833 (I) |
|
| 83 | No candidate | Christopher N. Judy (I) |
|
| 84 | Curtis Nash: 10,544 | Bob Morris: 20,559 (I) |
|
| 85 | Kathy Zoucha: 7,006 | Dave Heine: 19,198 |
|
| 86 | Edward DeLaney: 22,285 (I) |
Scott DeVries: 12,049 | Ethan Owens: 1,488 (L) |
| 87 | Carey Hamilton: 17,485 |
Connie Eckert: 15,982 | |
| 88 | Dana Black: 13,059 | Brian Bosma: 24,550 (I) |
|
| 89 | Rachel Burke: 11,367 | Cindy Kirchhofer: 13,683 (I) |
|
| 90 | Lacy Hollings: 9,515 | Mike Speedy: 19,019 (I) |
Douglas McNaughton: 1,348 (L) |
| 91 | No candidate | Robert Behning (I) |
|
| 92 | Karlee Macer: 14,000 (I) |
Bradford Moulton: 8,973 | |
| 93 | Greg Rathnow: 8,923 | David Frizzell: 18,407 (I) |
|
| 94 | Cherrish Pryor (I) |
No candidate | |
| 95 | John Bartlett: 18,044 (I) |
No candidate | Nathanael L. Ginn: 2,640 (L) |
| 96 | Gregory Porter (I) |
No candidate | |
| 97 | Justin Moed: 9,834 (I) |
Dale Nye: 6,300 | |
| 98 | Robin Shackleford: 16,354 (I) |
Gary Whitmore: 3,747 | |
| 99 | Vanessa Summers (I) |
No candidate | |
| 100 | Dan Forestal: 14,110 (I) |
Larry Shouse: 6,894 | |
Notes:
| |||
Primary election[edit]
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]
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]
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]
External links[edit]
- Indiana Secretary of State - Primary candidate list
- Indiana Secretary of State - General election candidate list
- Indiana Secretary of State - Primary results
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Excludes unopposed elections
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Indiana," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.
- ↑ 2010 Candidate Guide - Qualifications for House of Representatives
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