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Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2020

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2022
2018
Indiana's 8th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 7, 2020
Primary: June 2, 2020
General: November 3, 2020

Pre-election incumbent:
Larry Bucshon (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voting in Indiana
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Indiana's 8th Congressional District
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
Indiana elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

All U.S. congressional districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Indiana, held elections in 2020.

Incumbent Larry Bucshon won election in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
February 7, 2020
June 2, 2020
November 3, 2020


Heading into the election the incumbent was Republican Larry Bucshon, who was first elected in 2010.

Indiana's 8th Congressional District is based in southwest and west central Indiana and includes Clay, Daviess, Dubois, GIbson, Greene, Knox, Martin, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, and Warwick counties. A portion of Crawford County is also included in the district.[1]

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Indiana's 8th Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 33.1 29.8
Republican candidate Republican Party 65.1 66.9
Difference 32 37.1

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Indiana did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8

Incumbent Larry Bucshon defeated Thomasina Marsili and James Rodenberger in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Bucshon
Larry Bucshon (R)
 
66.9
 
214,643
Image of Thomasina Marsili
Thomasina Marsili (D) Candidate Connection
 
29.8
 
95,691
James Rodenberger (L)
 
3.2
 
10,283

Total votes: 320,617
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8

Thomasina Marsili defeated Mike Webster and Ron Drake in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Thomasina Marsili
Thomasina Marsili Candidate Connection
 
36.3
 
15,097
Image of Mike Webster
Mike Webster Candidate Connection
 
32.6
 
13,550
Image of Ron Drake
Ron Drake
 
31.2
 
12,973

Total votes: 41,620
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8

Incumbent Larry Bucshon advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Bucshon
Larry Bucshon
 
100.0
 
51,343

Total votes: 51,343
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8

James Rodenberger advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on March 7, 2020.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 92 Indiana counties—5 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Delaware County, Indiana 13.43% 3.12% 14.98%
LaPorte County, Indiana 6.33% 12.57% 22.04%
Perry County, Indiana 18.55% 11.59% 22.84%
Porter County, Indiana 6.59% 3.90% 7.20%
Vigo County, Indiana 14.97% 0.86% 15.83%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Indiana with 56.9 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 37.8 percent. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) was Trump's running mate. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Indiana voted Republican 83.33 percent of the time and Democratic 16.67 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Indiana voted Republican four times and Democratic once when it voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Indiana. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[2][3]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 28 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 25 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 32.9 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 72 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 25.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 75 out of 100 state House districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 34.3 points. Trump won six districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+15, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 15 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Indiana's 8th Congressional District the 80th most Republican nationally.[4]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.01. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.01 points toward that party.[5]

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[6] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[7] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Larry Bucshon Republican Party $1,056,940 $1,084,251 $206,920 As of December 31, 2020
Thomasina Marsili Democratic Party $68,734 $68,480 $254 As of December 31, 2020
James Rodenberger Libertarian Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[8]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[9][10][11]

Race ratings: Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

District election history

2018

See also: Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 8

Incumbent Larry Bucshon defeated William Tanoos in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Bucshon
Larry Bucshon (R)
 
64.4
 
157,396
Image of William Tanoos
William Tanoos (D)
 
35.6
 
86,895

Total votes: 244,291
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8

William Tanoos advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of William Tanoos
William Tanoos
 
100.0
 
26,232

Total votes: 26,232
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8

Incumbent Larry Bucshon defeated Richard Moss and Rachel Covington in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 8 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Bucshon
Larry Bucshon
 
63.0
 
34,516
Image of Richard Moss
Richard Moss
 
25.2
 
13,831
Image of Rachel Covington
Rachel Covington
 
11.8
 
6,451

Total votes: 54,798
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2016

See also: Indiana's 8th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Larry Bucshon (R) won re-election in 2016. Bucshon defeated Ron Drake (D) and Andrew Horning (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Bucshon defeated Richard Moss in the Republican primary. On the other side of the aisle, Ron Drake defeated David Orentlicher to win the Democratic nomination. The Democratic primary race remained uncalled for months following the election. The primary elections took place on May 3, 2016.[12][13][14][15]

U.S. House, Indiana District 8 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngLarry Bucshon Incumbent 63.7% 187,702
     Democratic Ron Drake 31.7% 93,356
     Libertarian Andrew Horning 4.6% 13,655
Total Votes 294,713
Source: Indiana Division of Elections


U.S. House, Indiana District 8 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngLarry Buchson Incumbent 65% 72,889
Richard Moss 35% 39,168
Total Votes 112,057
Source: Indiana Secretary of State
U.S. House, Indiana District 8 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRon Drake 50.1% 29,270
David Orentlicher 49.9% 29,206
Total Votes 58,476
Source: Indiana Secretary of State

2014

See also: Indiana's 8th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 8th Congressional District of Indiana held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Larry Bucshon (R) defeated Tom Spangler (D) and Andy Horning (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Indiana District 8 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngLarry Bucshon Incumbent 60.3% 103,344
     Democratic Tom Spangler 35.8% 61,384
     Libertarian Andrew Horning 3.8% 6,587
Total Votes 171,315
Source: Indiana Secretary of State Official Results

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
  2. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  3. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  4. Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  5. FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  6. Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  7. Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  8. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  9. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  10. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  11. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  12. Indiana Secretary of State, "May 3, 2016 Primary Election," accessed February 8, 2016
  13. The New York Times, "Indiana Primary Results," May 3, 2016
  14. Indiana Public Media, "Orentlicher Cedes Race To Drake Before Recount Official," August 13, 2016
  15. Indiana Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed September 6, 2016


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Jim Baird (R)
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
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Republican Party (9)
Democratic Party (2)