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Indiana State Senate elections, 2018

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2016
2018 Indiana
Senate elections
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GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimaryMay 8, 2018
Past election results
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2018 elections
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Republicans maintained their majority in the Indiana State Senate in the 2018 elections, since, after the election, they controlled 40 seats to Democrats' 10. A total of 25 seats out of the chamber's 50 seats were up for election in 2018.[1] Heading into the election, Republicans controlled 41 seats and Democrats controlled nine.

Republicans maintained their trifecta in Indiana in 2018 by holding the state House and the state Senate.

Indiana state senators serve staggered, four-year terms and half of the Senate is up for election every two years.

The Indiana State Senate was one of 87 state legislative chambers with elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2017, three chambers in Virginia and New Jersey were up for election. In 2016, 86 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. Prior to 2018, the Indiana State Senate last held elections in 2016.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

See also: State legislative elections, 2018

The Republican Party maintained supermajority status in both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly in the 2018 election. In the state Senate, 25 out of 50 seats were up for election. The Republican Indiana State Senate supermajority was reduced from 41-9 to 40-10. One Republican incumbent was defeated in the primary and one Republican incumbent was defeated in the general election.

The Indiana House of Representatives held elections for all 100 seats. The Republican supermajority in the House of Representatives was reduced from 70-30 to 67-33. One Republican incumbent was defeated in the primary and three Republican incumbents were defeated in the general election.

National background

On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.

  • Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.

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Candidates

See also: Statistics on state legislative candidates, 2018

General election

Indiana State Senate General Election 2018

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngFrank Ed Mrvan Jr. (i)

Charles Kallas

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngKaren Tallian (i)

Cole Stultz

District 6

Ryan Farrar

Green check mark transparent.pngRick Niemeyer (i)

District 11

Ed Liptrap

Green check mark transparent.pngLinda Rogers

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngDennis Kruse (i)

District 15

Kathy Zoucha

Green check mark transparent.pngLiz Brown (i)

District 17

Gary Snyder

Green check mark transparent.pngAndy Zay (i)

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngTravis Holdman (i)

District 21

Christina Fivecoate

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Buck (i)

District 22

Sheryl Shipley

Green check mark transparent.pngRonnie Alting (i)

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Boots (i)

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngTimothy Lanane (i)

Zaki Ali

Robert Jozwiack (Libertarian Party)

District 26

Dave Cravens

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Gaskill

Greg Noland (Libertarian Party)

District 27

Jake Hoog

Green check mark transparent.pngJeff Raatz (i)

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngJ.D. Ford

Mike Delph (i)

District 31

Derek Camp

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Merritt (i)

District 38

Chris Gambill

Green check mark transparent.pngJon Ford (i)

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngEric Bassler (i)

District 41

Ross Thomas

Green check mark transparent.pngGreg Walker (i)

District 43

Green check mark transparent.pngChip Perfect (i)

District 45

John Perkins

Green check mark transparent.pngChris Garten

Charles Johnson (Libertarian Party)

District 46

Anna Murray

Green check mark transparent.pngRon Grooms (i)

District 47

Nicholas Siler

Green check mark transparent.pngErin Houchin (i)

District 48

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Messmer (i)

District 49

Edie Hardcastle

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Tomes (i)


Primary election

The candidate list below is based on information provided by the Indiana Secretary of State on February 12, 2018.[2]

2018 Indiana State Senate primary election candidates
District Democratic Party

Democrat

Republican Party

Republican

Other
1 Chris Kukuch
Mark Kurowski
Frank Mrvan (I) Approveda
Charles Kallas Approveda
4 Karen Tallian (I) Approveda Cole Stultz Approveda
6 Ryan Farrar Approveda Rick Niemeyer (I) Approveda
11 Ed Liptrap Approveda Linda Rogers Approveda
Joseph Zakas (I)
14 No candidate Dennis Kruse (I) Approveda
15 Kathy Zoucha Approveda Liz Brown (I) Approveda
17 Gary Snyder Approveda Andy Zay (I) Approveda
19 No candidate Travis Holdman (I) Approveda
Eric Orr
21 Christina Fivecoate Approveda James Buck (I) Approveda
22 Sheryl Shipley Approveda Ronnie Alting (I) Approveda
23 No candidate Phil Boots (I) Approveda
25 Tamala Dixon-Tatum
Timothy Lanane (I) Approveda
Zaki Ali Approveda
26 Dave Cravens Approveda
Dave Ring
Mike Gaskill Approveda
Steffanie Owens
27 Jake Hoog Approveda Jeff Raatz (I) Approveda
29 J.D. Ford Approveda Mike Delph (I) Approveda
Corrie Meyer
31 Derek Camp Approveda Crystal LaMotte
James Merritt Jr. (I) Approveda
38 Maria David
David Fuchs II
Chris Gambill Approveda
Jon Ford (I) Approveda
39 No candidate Eric Bassler (I) Approveda
41 Ross Thomas Approveda Greg Walker (I) Approveda
43 No candidate Chip Perfect (I) Approveda
45 John Perkins Approveda Chris Garten Approveda
46 Anna Murray Approveda Ron Grooms (I) Approveda
47 Nicholas Siler Approveda Erin Houchin (I) Approveda
48 No candidate Mark Messmer (I) Approveda
49 Edie Hardcastle Approveda Jim Tomes (I) Approveda
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 Elections Project.

Margins of victory

See also: Margin of victory analysis for the 2018 state legislative elections

A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 Indiana State Senate races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.

The table below presents the following figures for each party:

  • Elections won
  • Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
  • Elections won without opposition
  • Average margin of victory[3]
Indiana State Senate: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis
Party Elections won Elections won by less than 10% Unopposed elections Average margin of victory[3]
Democratic Party Democratic
4
1
0
17.1%
Republican Party Republican
21
2
6
23.5%
Grey.png Other
0
0
0
N/A
Total
25
3
6
20.3%



The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).

Indiana State Senate: 2018 Margin of Victory by District
District Winning Party Losing Party Margin of Victory
Indiana State Senate District 31
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
2.7%
Indiana State Senate District 25
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
7.8%
Indiana State Senate District 46
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
9.0%
Indiana State Senate District 22
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
10.7%
Indiana State Senate District 15
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
10.8%
Indiana State Senate District 38
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
11.8%
Indiana State Senate District 29
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
13.4%
Indiana State Senate District 26
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
19.0%
Indiana State Senate District 4
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
20.8%
Indiana State Senate District 11
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
22.4%
Indiana State Senate District 6
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
26.4%
Indiana State Senate District 1
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
26.6%
Indiana State Senate District 49
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
27.9%
Indiana State Senate District 45
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
28.6%
Indiana State Senate District 21
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
30.9%
Indiana State Senate District 47
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
33.0%
Indiana State Senate District 41
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
33.3%
Indiana State Senate District 27
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
41.7%
Indiana State Senate District 17
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
43.6%
Indiana State Senate District 14
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Indiana State Senate District 23
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Indiana State Senate District 39
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Indiana State Senate District 43
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Indiana State Senate District 48
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Indiana State Senate District 19
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed


Seats flipped

See also: State legislative seats that changed party control, 2018

The below map displays each seat in the Indiana State Senate which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2018, Indiana State Senate
District Incumbent 2018 winner Direction of flip
Indiana State Senate District 29 Republican Party Mike Delph Democratic Party J.D. Ford R to D

Incumbents retiring

Two incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018.[4] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Current Office
Doug Eckerty Ends.png Republican Senate District 26
Jim Smith Ends.png Republican Senate District 45


Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Indiana

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 3, Article 8 of the Indiana Code

A candidate in Indiana may run with an officially recognized political party, as an independent, or as a write-in. The process to qualify varies depending on the type of candidate and the office being sought. No fee is required to file for office in Indiana. Before the general election, registered voters have the right to challenge any candidate's placement on the ballot. Challenges must be filed with the Indiana Election Division 74 days before the general election.[5]

Democratic or Republican candidates

A Democratic or Republican candidate seeking the office of U.S. Senator must do the following:

  1. A candidate must file a declaration of candidacy and nomination petition with the Indiana Election Division in person or by mail by noon 88 days prior to the primary election.[6]
  2. The declaration of candidacy must be accompanied by a nomination petition. This petition must contain at least 4,500 signatures, including a minimum of 500 signatures from each of the state's congressional districts. Before being filed with the Indiana Election Division, petition signatures must be certified by county voter registration officials.

A candidate seeking the office of U.S. Representative must do the following:[5]

  1. A candidate must a declaration of candidacy with the Indiana Election Division in person or by mail by noon (Indianapolis time) 88 days before the primary election.[6]

A candidate seeking a state office (such as governor or treasurer) must do the following:[5][7]

  1. A candidate must file a statement of economic interests with the Indiana Ethics Commission. The commission will then give the candidate a Certificate of Filing, which must be filed with the Indiana Election Division before the division can accept any other forms.
  2. A candidate must file a declaration of candidacy with the Indiana Election Division in person or by mail by noon 88 days prior to the primary election.[6]
  3. The declaration of candidacy must be accompanied by a nomination petition. This petition must contain at least 4,500 signatures, including a minimum of 500 signatures from each of the state's congressional districts. Before being filed with the Indiana Election Division, petition signatures must be certified by county voter registration officials.[6]
  4. A Democratic or Republican party candidate must be nominated at the party's state convention. Party officials must file a certificate of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15.

A candidate seeking office in the Indiana State Legislature must do the following:[5]

  1. The candidate must file a statement of economic interests (filing location varies based on office). If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana State Senate, this form must be filed with the Principal Secretary of the Indiana State Senate. If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana House of Representatives, this form must be filed with the Principal Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives. Statements of economic interests must be filed as original documents, submitted in person or sent by mail. No faxes or photocopies will be accepted. Candidates may turn this form in as early as January 2 of the election year. The Indiana Election Division will not accept any other form until the statement of economic interests, stamped by the corresponding office, has been submitted.[8]
  2. A candidate must file a declaration of candidacy with the Indiana Election Division in person or by mail by noon (Indianapolis time) 88 days before the primary election.[6]

Libertarian candidates

A Libertarian candidate seeking the office of United States Senator must do the following:

  1. A candidate must file with the Libertarian Party.
  2. A candidate must be nominated at the party's state convention. After the convention, the party must file a certificate of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15 in the year of the general election.[9]

A candidate seeking the office of United States Representative must do the following:[5]

  1. A candidate must file with the Libertarian Party.
  2. A candidate must be nominated at the party's state convention. After the convention, the party must file a certificate of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15 in the year of the general election.[9]

A candidate seeking a state office (such as governor or treasurer) must do the following:[5][7]

  1. A candidate must file a statement of economic interests with the Indiana Ethics Commission. The commission will then give the candidate a certificate of filing, which must, in turn, be filed with the Indiana Election Division before the division can accept any other forms.
  2. A candidate must be nominated at the party's state convention. Party representatives must then file a certificate of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15.

A candidate seeking office in the Indiana State Legislature must do the following:

  1. A candidate must file a statement of economic interests (filing location varies based on office). If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana State Senate, this form must be filed with the Principal Secretary of the Indiana State Senate. If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana House of Representatives, this form must be filed with the Principal Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives. Statements of economic interests must be filed as the original document, submitted in person or sent by mail. No faxes or photocopies will be accepted. A candidate may turn this form in as early as January 2 of the election year. The Indiana Election Division will not accept any other forms until the statement of economic interests, stamped by the corresponding office, has been submitted.[5][8]
  2. A candidate must file with the Libertarian Party.
  3. A candidate must be nominated at the party's state convention. After the convention, the party must file a certificate of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15 before the general election.[9]

Minor party or independent candidates

A minor party or independent candidate seeking the office of United States Senator must do the following:[5][10]

  1. A candidate must collect signatures from registered voters equal to 2 percent of the total votes cast for secretary of state in the last election. The petition circulation period begins 118 days before the primary election and ends June 30. Signatures must then be certified by the applicable county voter registration office.
  2. A candidate must file a candidate consent form and the certified petition of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15 in the year of the election.

A candidate seeking the office of United States Representative must do the following:[5][10]

  1. A candidate must collect signatures from registered voters equal to 2 percent of the total votes cast for secretary of state in the last election in the congressional district the candidate seeks to represent. The petition circulation period begins 118 days before the primary election and ends June 30. Signatures must then be certified by the applicable county voter registration office.
  2. A candidate must file a candidate consent form and the certified petition of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15 in the year of the election.

A candidate seeking a state office (such as governor or treasurer) must do the following:

  1. A candidate must file a statement of economic interests with the Indiana Ethics Commission. The commission will then give the candidate a filing certificate, which must, in turn, be filed with the Indiana Election Division before the division can accept any other forms.
  2. A candidate must collect signatures from registered voters equal to 2 percent of the total votes cast for secretary of state in the last election. The petition circulation period begins 118 days before the primary election and ends June 30. Signatures must then be certified by the applicable county voter registration office.
  3. A candidate must file a candidate consent form and the certified petition of nomination with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15.

A candidate seeking office in the Indiana State Legislature must do the following:

  1. A candidate must file a statement of economic interests form (filing location varies based on office). If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana State Senate, this form must be filed with the Principal Secretary of the Indiana State Senate. If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana House of Representatives, this form must be filed with the Principal Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives. Statements of economic interests forms must be filed as original documents, submitted in person or sent by mail. No faxes or photocopies will be accepted. A candidate may turn the form in as early as January 2 in the year of the election. The Indiana Election Division will not accept any other filings until the statement of economic interests, stamped by the corresponding office, has been submitted.[5][8]
  2. A candidate must collect signatures from registered voters equal to 2 percent of the total votes cast for secretary of state in the last election in the election district the candidate seeks to represent. The petition circulation period begins 118 days before the primary election and ends June 30. Signatures must then be certified by the applicable county voter registration office.
  3. A candidate must file a candidate consent form and the certified petition of nomination form with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 15.

Write-in candidates

A write-in candidate seeking the offices of United States Senator or United States Representative must do the following:[5][11]

  1. A candidate must file a declaration of intent with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 3 in the year of the election.

A candidate seeking a state office (such as governor or treasurer) must do the following:

  1. A candidate must file a statement of economic interests with the Indiana Ethics Commission. The commission must then give the candidate a certificate of filing, which must, in turn, be filed with the Indiana Election Division before the division can accept any other forms.
  2. A candidate must file a declaration of intent with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 3 in the year of the election.

A candidate seeking office in the Indiana State Legislature must do the following:

  1. A candidate must file a statement of economic interests form (filing location varies based on office). If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana State Senate, this form must be filed with the Principal Secretary of the Indiana State Senate. If a candidate is seeking office in the Indiana House of Representatives, this form must be filed with the Principal Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives. Statements of economic interests forms must be filed as original documents, submitted in person or sent by mail. No faxes or photocopies will be accepted. A candidate can file the form in as early as January 2 in the year of the election. The Indiana Election Division will not accept any other forms until the statement of economic interests, stamped by the corresponding office, has been submitted.[5][8]
  2. A candidate must file a declaration of intent with the Indiana Election Division by noon (Indianapolis time) on July 3 in the year of the election.

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to serve in the Indiana State Senate, a candidate must be:[12]

  • A United States citizen at the time of election
  • Have resided in the state for at least two years and in the senate district for at least one year before the election
  • Be at least twenty-five (25) 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

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[13]
SalaryPer diem
$32,070.24/year$196/day.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Indiana legislators assume office the day after their general election.[14]

Indiana political history

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Party control

2018

In the 2018 elections, the Republican majority in the Indiana State Senate was reduced from 41-9 to 40-10.

Indiana State Senate
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 9 10
     Republican Party 41 40
Total 50 50

2016

In the 2016 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Indiana State Senate from 40-10 to 41-9.

Indiana State Senate
Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
     Democratic Party 10 9
     Republican Party 40 41
Total 50 50

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Indiana gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2010 elections when they took control of the state House and retained control of the state Senate and the governor's office. From 1992 to 2017, Republicans held a trifecta for nine years.

Indiana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Seventeen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R D D D D D D D D R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

State legislative wave elections
Year President Party Election type State legislative seats change Elections analyzed[15]
1932 Hoover R Presidential -1,022 7,365
1922 Harding R First midterm -907 6,907
1966 Johnson D First midterm[16] -782 7,561
1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -769 7,179
1958 Eisenhower R Second midterm -702 7,627
2010 Obama D First midterm -702 7,306
1974 Ford R Second midterm[17] -695 7,481
1920 Wilson D Presidential -654 6,835
1930 Hoover R Presidential -640 7,361
1954 Eisenhower R First midterm -494 7,513

Competitiveness

Every year, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.

Results from 2016

Click here to read the full study »


Historical context

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.

F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

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.

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 Senate 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.[18][19]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 9 out of 50 state Senate districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 40.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 10 out of 50 state Senate districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 33.9 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 41 out of 50 state Senate districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 21.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 40 out of 50 state Senate districts in Indiana with an average margin of victory of 31.7 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Ballotpedia confirmed the number of seats up in 2018 through a phone call with the state’s secretary of state office on July 12, 2017
  2. Indiana Secretary of State, "Candidate List - Abbreviated," February 12, 2018
  3. 3.0 3.1 Excludes unopposed elections
  4. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Indiana Secretary of State, "2024 Indiana Candidate Guide," accessed February 26, 2025
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Indiana Code, "Section 3-8-2-4," accessed February 26, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "inmajorpartycancode" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "inmajorpartycancode" defined multiple times with different content
  7. 7.0 7.1 Indiana Code, "Section 3-8-4-1," accessed February 26, 2025
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Indiana Code, " 2-2.2-2-1," accessed February 26, 2025
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Indiana Code, "Section 3-8-7-8," accessed February 25, 2025
  10. 10.0 10.1 Indiana Code, "Section 3-8-6," accessed February 26, 2025
  11. Indiana Code, "Section 3-8-2-2.5," accessed February 26, 2025
  12. 2010 Candidate Guide - Qualifications for Indiana State Senator
  13. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  14. Indiana Constitution, "Article 4, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
  15. The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
  16. Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
  17. Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
  18. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  19. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


Current members of the Indiana State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Chris Garten
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
Liz Brown (R)
District 16
District 17
Andy Zay (R)
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
J.D. Ford (D)
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
Eric Koch (R)
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
Jim Tomes (R)
District 50
Republican Party (40)
Democratic Party (10)