The 2016 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and

lieutenant governor of Indiana The lieutenant governor of Indiana is a constitutional office in the US state of Indiana. Republican Suzanne Crouch, who assumed office January 9, 2017, is the incumbent. The office holder's constitutional roles are to serve as the president of t ...

, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

and

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and various

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. The primaries were held on May 3, 2016. Republican Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb won the race with 51.4% of the vote. Incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

was running for reelection to a second term in office until July 15, 2016, when Republican presidential nominee

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

selected Pence as his vice presidential running mate. As Pence was barred by Indiana law from simultaneously running for both offices, he subsequently withdrew from the gubernatorial election. Pence went on to become

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

. He was replaced on the ballot for Governor by his former

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...

, incumbent Lieutenant Governor

Eric Holcomb Eric Joseph Holcomb (born May 2, 1968) is an American politician who is the 51st and current governor of Indiana, serving since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 51st lieutenant governor of Indiana from 2016 to 2017 unde ...

, who was selected by the Indiana Republican State Committee as the nominee on July 26, 2016. Holcomb later selected

State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

Suzanne Crouch Suzanne Crouch (born February 27, 1952) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd lieutenant governor of Indiana since 2017. She previously served as the 56th state auditor of Indiana. She is a candidate for Governor of Indiana in 20 ...

on August 1, 2016, to be his running mate as the nomination for Lieutenant Governor was made vacant by the decision of Holcomb to seek the gubernatorial nomination; she was confirmed at a subsequent meeting of the Indiana Republican State Committee later that day. John Gregg, the former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, was the Democratic nominee. Gregg previously ran for Governor in 2012, but was defeated by Pence.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

, incumbent Governor (withdrew after primary to run for

as the running mate of

)

Declined

Greg Ballard Gregory Alan Ballard (born November 20, 1954) is an American politician, author, and businessman who served as the 48th mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Marine Corps. On November 6, 20 ...

, former Mayor of Indianapolis *

Susan Brooks Susan Lynn Brooks (née Wiant; born August 25, 1960) is an American prosecutor and politician. She is a Republican and the former U.S. Representative for . She was elected in 2012. The district includes the northern fifth of Indianapolis, as well ...

, U.S. Representative and former

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the

Southern District of Indiana The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (in case citations, S.D. Ind.) is a United States district court, federal district court in Indiana. It was created in 1928 by an act of Congress of the United States, Congress ...

(ran for re-election) *

Luke Messer Allen Lucas Messer (born February 27, 1969) is an American politician and lobbyist who represented Indiana's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. Born ...

, U.S. Representative (ran for re-election) *

Todd Young Todd Christopher Young (born August 24, 1972) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator for Indiana, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Young previously served as the U.S. r ...

, U.S. Representative (ran for the U.S. Senate)

Results

Republican State Committee selection

On July 15, 2016, Donald Trump announced that Pence would be his running mate as

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

in the 2016 presidential election. Under Indiana law, Pence was unable to run for both governor and vice president simultaneously; he therefore withdrew from the gubernatorial election, creating a vacancy on the Republican ticket. On July 26, the chairman of the

Indiana Republican Party The Indiana Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in the state of Indiana. The chairman of the Indiana Republican State Committee is Kyle Hupfer. History Republicans dominated Indiana from the 1860s to the 19 ...

, Jeff Cardwell, announced that

had been nominated by the Indiana Republican State Committee to replace Pence on the ballot for Governor. The vote totals were not released. Holcomb later selected

on August 1, 2016, to be his running mate as the nomination for Lieutenant Governor was made vacant by the decision of Holcomb to seek the gubernatorial nomination; she was then confirmed by the Committee at a meeting later that day.

Candidates

Declared

, U.S. Representative and former

for the

Lieutenant Governor of Indiana The lieutenant governor of Indiana is a constitutional office in the US state of Indiana. Republican Suzanne Crouch, who assumed office January 9, 2017, is the incumbent. The office holder's constitutional roles are to serve as the president of t ...

** Running mate:

Indiana State Auditor The Indiana State Auditor is a constitutional and elected office in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. State of Indiana. The Auditor of Indiana is elected to a four-year term and is subject to term limits where the officeholder is b ...

Todd Rokita Theodore Edward Rokita (born February 9, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 44th and current Attorney General of Indiana. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from from 2011 to 2019. A memb ...

, U.S. Representative and former

Indiana Secretary of State Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

Jim Tomes Jim Tomes (born July 31, 1948) is a Republican member of the Indiana Senate, representing the Senate District 49 since 2010. As one of the founders of the 2nd Amendment Patriots gun rights grassroots organization, he has served as its director s ...

, state senator

Declined

Brian Bosma Brian C. Bosma (born October 31, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from 2004 to 2006 and 2010 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Bosma has served in the Indiana Hou ...

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician. A Republican, Daniels served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. Since 2013, Daniels has been pr ...

, former

governor of Indiana The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government ...

Lloyd Winnecke Lloyd Winnecke (born June 6, 1960) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 34th mayor of Evansville, Indiana. He was elected in November 2011 and his four-year term began January 1, 2012. In November 2015, Winnecke was re-elec ...

, Mayor of

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

John R. Gregg John Richard Gregg (born September 6, 1954) is an American politician, businessman and attorney who served as the 85th and longest-serving Democratic speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2003. He served in the Indiana Ho ...

, former

of the

and nominee for Governor in 2012 **Running mate:

Christina Hale Christina Hale (born July 17, 1974) is an American politician and former State Representative of the 87th District in the Indiana House of Representatives, serving from 2012 to 2016. She previously worked as an executive at Kiwanis. In 2020, she w ...

, state representative

Withdrawn

Glenda Ritz Glenda Ritz (born 1954) is the former Superintendent of Public Instruction for Indiana. She was elected November 6, 2012, defeating incumbent Superintendent Tony Bennett in an upset election, and she took office with a state government dominated ...

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

(subsequently ran for re-election) *

Karen Tallian Karen Rae Tallian (born December 2, 1950) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Indiana Senate for the 4th district from December 2005 through October 2021. She was re-elected in 2006, 2010 and 2014. While serving i ...

, state senator

Declined

Evan Bayh Birch Evans Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011 and the 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh w ...

, former U.S. Senator and former Governor of Indiana ( ran for the U.S. Senate) *

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...

, Mayor of

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

* Greg Goodnight, Mayor of Kokomo * Baron Hill, former U.S. Representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1990 *

Scott Pelath Scott Douglas Pelath (born July 9, 1970) was the Minority Leader of the Indiana House of Representatives. From 1998 to 2018 he represented Indiana's 9th District, which currently covers portions of LaPorte County and Porter County in Northwest ...

, Minority Leader of the

* Tony Roswarski, Mayor of

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

* Tom Sugar, vice president of Complete College America and former aide to

Endorsements

Results

Libertarian Party convention

Candidates

Declared

* Rex Bell, businessman *Jim Wallace

Nominated

* Rex Bell, businessman **Running mate: Karl Tatgenhorst

General election

Candidates

*Democratic:

, former

of the

and nominee for Governor in 2012 **Running mate:

, state representative *Libertarian: Rex Bell, businessman **Running mate: Karl Tatgenhorst *Republican:

**Running mate:

Debates

Complete video of debate
September 27, 2016 -

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

Complete video of debate
October 3, 2016 -

Complete video of debate
October 25, 2016 -

Predictions

Polling

;Aggregate polls ;Graphical summary ;with Mike Pence ;with Susan Brooks ;with Todd Rokita ;with Baron Hill ;with Glenda Ritz

Results

Holcomb won with 51.4% of the votes, Gregg taking 45.4%, and Libertarian Rex Bell finishing with 3.2%.Indiana Secretary of State Election Results
/ref>

Notes

References

External links

;Official campaign websites (Archived)
Eric Holcomb (R) for Governor

John Gregg (D) for Governor

Rex Bell (L) for Governor
{{2016 United States elections

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Mike Pence