The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the nine

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the state, one from each of the state's nine

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

, an election to the U.S. Senate, and a gubernatorial election.

Overview

Redistricting

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

bill was passed by both houses of the Indiana General Assembly in April 2011 and signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels on May 10, 2011. The newly drawn map was designed to produce seven districts which are favorable to the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and two which favor the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Republicans described the districts as being more compact and more in keeping with existing county boundaries than the previous map, while Democrats argue that the map is intended to protect Republican incumbents and help the Republican Party win the 2nd district.

District 1

The district, based in the suburbs and exurbs of Chicago, acquired parts of

LaPorte County LaPorte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 111,467. The county seat is the city of La Porte, and the largest city is Michigan City. This county is part of the Northwest Indiana and Michiana ...

, including Michigan City, in redistricting. Incumbent Democrat Pete Visclosky faced Republican nominee Joel Phelps, an industrial engineer.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 2

In redistricting, parts of the state which typically favor Republicans, including

Elkhart County Elkhart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. , the county's population was 207,047. The county seat is Goshen. Elkhart County is part of the Elkhart- Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South ...

, Miami County, Wabash County and much of

Kosciusko County Kosciusko County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. At the 2020 United States Census, its population was 80,240. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Warsaw. The county was organized in 1836. It was named for the Polish ge ...

, were moved into the 2nd district, while Democratic-leaning areas such as Kokomo and part of

were removed from the district.

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

incumbent Joe Donnelly, who has represented the 2nd district since 2007, ran for the U.S. Senate rather than for re-election to the House of Representatives. Brendan Mullen, an Army veteran and military contractor was the Democratic nominee. Former

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Jackie Walorski won the Republican nomination for the second consecutive time. Joe Ruiz was the Libertarian nominee.2012 Federal Candidates
, Libertarian Party of Indiana Andrew Straw, an attorney, switched from the Democratic Party to

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

and ran for this seat. Straw was an Indiana Supreme Court analyst and an assistant dean at the

Indiana University Maurer School of Law The Indiana University Maurer School of Law is located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The school is named after Michael S. "Mickey" Maurer, an Indianapolis businessman and 1967 alumnus who donated $35 million in 2008 ...

in charge of the International Program. Prior to announcing his Senate campaign, Donnelly commented that he was confident that a Democrat would be able to win the district, noting that then-Senator Barack Obama would have received 49% of the vote in the district in the 2008 presidential election had it been held under the newly drawn boundaries.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 3

The 3rd district is expected to remain favorable to Republicans. Among the changes made in redistricting were the removal of

from the 4th district to the 2nd, and the addition of areas south of

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, which may make Stutzman vulnerable to a primary challenge. Incumbent Republican

Marlin Stutzman Marlin Andrew Stutzman (born August 31, 1976) is an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Indiana's 3rd congressional district, from 2010 to 2017. A Republican, Stutzman previously served ...

ran for re-election and faced Democratic nominee Kevin Boyd, the pastor of

's Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 4

Republican incumbent

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 ...

ran for re-election in 2012. He faced Democratic nominee Tara Nelson, an information technology project manager and Libertarian nominee Benjamin Gehlhausen, an economics and professional flight technology major at Purdue University. Rokita's home lies "about 500 yards" outside the boundaries of the newly drawn 4th district, a phenomenon he attributed in May 2011 to "a kind of comeuppance thing" on the part of members of the Indiana General Assembly in return for his having supported a nonpartisan redistricting process during his tenure as

Secretary of State of Indiana The Secretary of State of Indiana is one of five constitutional officers originally designated in Indiana's State Constitution of 1816. Since 1851, it has been an elected position. The Secretary of State oversees four divisions, and is the third ...

Sue Landske Dorothy S. "Sue" Landske (September 3, 1937 – February 27, 2015) was a Republican member of the Indiana State Senate who represented the 6th district. Landske was Center Township Assessor from 1978 to 1984. She joined the Indiana State Senate ...

, a Republican member of the Indiana Senate, denied that this was the case. The 4th district is expected to remain favorable to Republicans.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 5

The 5th district continues to include Hamilton County and the north side of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, but received Democratic-leaning areas in northern Marion and

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, and lost rural areas near

. The district is expected to continue to favor Republicans. Republican incumbent Dan Burton, who had represented the 5th district since 2003 and previously represented the 6th district from 1983, retired rather than seeking re-election in 2012. The Republican nominee was former

U.S. 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 ...

Susan Brooks. She faced Democratic nominee

Scott Reske Scott E. Reske was a Democratic member of the Indiana House of Representatives, representing the 37th District. He is a former chair of the Midwestern Legislative Conference, the Midwestern office of The Council of State Governments.http://www.c ...

, a

, and Libertarian nominee Chard Reid, an economics and finance teacher at Plainfield High School.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

;Candidates * Susan Brooks,

* Jason Anderson * Jack Lugar, attorney * John McGoff *

David McIntosh David McIntosh may refer to: * David McIntosh (''Gladiators'') (born 1985), English actor * David McIntosh (Scottish footballer), Scottish footballer * Dave McIntosh (1925–1995), Scottish footballer * David Gregg McIntosh David Gregg McInt ...

U.S. Representative for IN-02 from 1995 to 2001 * Matthew Mount * Wayne Sebold, Marion mayor

Primary results

General election

Results

District 6

The 6th district was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting, and now stretches from Muncie to the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. Republican incumbent

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 ...

announced in May 2011 that he would run for Governor of Indiana rather than for re-election to the House of Representatives. The Republican nominee in 2012 was Luke Messer, an attorney. The Democratic nominee was Brad Bookout, a Delaware County Councilman. The Libertarian nominee was Rex Bell, owner of a contracting business in the New Castle area.

Republican primary

;Candidates * Don Bates Jr., financial adviser and

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

U.S. Senate candidate * Bill Frazier, state senator *

Travis Hankins Travis Hankins was a candidate for the 2010 and 2012 Republican nomination for U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. Early political activity Founded and launched the Draft Mike Pence for President Campaign. Senior Fi ...

, developer and

candidate for IN-09 * Luke Messer,

State representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

, former executive director 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 ...

, and

candidate for IN-05 * John Hatter, human resources director at Ivy Tech Community College * Joe Sizemore * Allen Smith,

Bartholomew County Bartholomew County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 82,208 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Columbus. The county was determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to be home to the mean center of U.S. populati ...

coroner and The Biggest Loser contestant * Joseph S. Van Wye Sr., part-time service technician and part-time worker for Lifetime Resources

Primary results

Democratic primary

;Candidates * Dan Bolling, biotech entrepreneur * Bradley Bookout, former Delaware County council member * Jim Crone, sociology professor at Hanover College * Susan Hall Heitzman * George Holland

Primary results

General election

Results

District 7

The 7th district lost Democratic-leaning areas in northern Marion County in redistricting, while acquiring more Republican areas in the south of the county. Nonetheless, the district is expected to remain favorable to Democrats. Incumbent André Carson faced Republican nominee Carlos May, a former aide for Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.

Democratic primary

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

District 8

The 8th district was made slightly more favorable to Democrats in redistricting, as a result of the removal of

Fountain County Fountain County lies in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana on the east side of the Wabash River. The county was officially established in 1826 and was the 53rd in Indiana. The county seat is Covington. According to the 2000 Unit ...

, Putnam County and Warren County, all of which favor Republicans, and the addition of

Dubois County Dubois County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 43,637. The county seat is Jasper. Dubois County is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Dubois County was formed on ...

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perry Coun ...

, Spencer County and part of Crawford County, all of which strongly favor neither party. Republican incumbent Larry Bucshon faced former State Representative Dave Crooks, the Democratic nominee, and Bart Gadau, the Libertarian nominee.

Democratic primary

The 8th district's Democratic candidates agreed to participate in a

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

in which the chairs and vice chairs of 38 counties would vote to decide the party's nominee; after which the candidates not selected would support the winner. Former

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Dave Crooks was endorsed as the Democratic nominee by party leaders on December 10, 2011. C

Primary results

Republican primary

;Candidates * Larry Bucshon, incumbent * Kristi Risk, stay-at-home mom

Primary results

General election

Results

District 9

The 9th district previously consisted mostly of rural areas in southeastern Indiana but was made more favorable to Republicans when the legislature extended it northwards to include Johnson County and Morgan County while also incorporating

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

s of Louisville, Kentucky. Republican incumbent Todd Young ran for re-election and faced Democratic nominee Shelli Yoder. Jason Sharp was nominated by the Libertarian Party but later dropped out. Young ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Democratic primary

; Candidates *

Jonathan D. George Brig. Gen. Jonathan D. George served in a variety of military and government positions. These include Director of Strategic Capabilities Policy, a member of the National Security Council, and as a national security adviser to the President from M ...

, former Air Force officer who served on the United States National Security Council * John Griffin Miller, activist * John Tilford, military veteran and activist for veterans * Robert Winningham, former employee of former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton * Shelli Yoder, professional development director at

Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest campu ...

Kelley School of Business and former Miss Indiana

Primary results

Republican primary

Primary results

General election

Results

References

External links

Election Division
at the Indiana Secretary of State
Primary election resultsIndiana U.S. House
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Indiana U.S. House
at OurCampaigns.com
Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Indiana
from OpenSecrets
Outside spending
at the

Sunlight Foundation The Sunlight Foundation was an American 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocated for open government. The organization was founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States ...

Indiana Congressional Districts Adopted 2011Map of the congressional districts under which the 2012 elections will be contested
published by the Indiana Business Research Service
2010 Census data tabulation for the new congressional and state legislative districts
published by the Indiana Business Research Service ( Microsoft Excel format) {{2012 United States elections Indiana

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

United States House of Representatives