The 2008 congressional elections in Indiana were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the

State of Indiana 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 ...

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

. Indiana has nine seats in the House, apportioned according to the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the

111th Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with th ...

from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The elections coincide with the

2008 U.S. presidential election The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from ...

. The delegation comprised five Democrats and four Republicans. All 9 incumbents won re-election. As of 2021, this is the last time in which Democrats won a majority of congressional districts in Indiana.

District makeup

Overview

District 1

This district includes a small strip of northwest Indiana and had been represented by

Democrat 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 ...

Pete Visclosky Peter John Visclosky ( ; born August 13, 1949) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1985 until his retirement in 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the dean of the Indiana congressional d ...

since January 1985. The district has been one of the most Democratic in Indiana. John Kerry defeated George W. Bush in this district 55% to 44% in 2004. CQ Politics forecast the race as Safe Democrat.

Results

District 2

This district is centered on

South Bend, Indiana 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 ...

and the Indiana portion of the

Michiana Michiana is a region in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan centered on the city of South Bend, Indiana. The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, Indiana defines Michiana as St. Joseph County and "counties that contribute at least ...

region. It had been represented by

Joe Donnelly Joseph Simon Donnelly Sr. (born September 29, 1955) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as a United States senator from Indiana from 2013 to 2019. Since 2022, he has served as the United States Ambassador to the Holy S ...

since January 2007. CQ Politics forecast the race as Safe Democrat.

Polling

Results

District 3

This district is located in the northeast corner of Indiana and has a large population center in Fort Wayne.

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 ...

Mark Souder Mark Edward Souder (July 18, 1950 – September 26, 2022) was an American politician and businessman from Indiana. A Republican, he was a U.S. Representative from 1995 to 2010. During the 1980s and early 1990s, he worked as a congressional ai ...

represented the district since January 1995 and was challenged by Mike Montagano in 2008. CQ Politics forecast the race as Leans Republican. George W. Bush defeated John Kerry in this district 68% to 31%.

Polling

Results

District 4

This district is located in west-central Indiana. Located within the district is the city of

West Lafayette West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister c ...

, Lafayette, Bedford, Monticello, Brownsburg, Plainfield, Zionsville, Lebanon, Frankfort, Greenwood and parts of Indianapolis and many smaller suburban towns. It had been represented by

Steve Buyer since January 1993. CQ Politics forecast the race as Safe Republican.

Polling

Results

District 5

This district located mostly north of Indianapolis is one of the most reliably Republican in America, having voted 71%-28% for George W. Bush in 2004. It was represented by

Dan Burton Danny Lee Burton (born June 21, 1938) is an American politician. Burton is the former U.S. Representative for , and previously the , serving from 1983 until 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party and was part of the Tea Party Caucus. Ea ...

. CQ Politics forecast the race as Safe Republican.

Results

District 6

This district takes in a large portion of eastern Indiana, including the cities of

Muncie Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs/lenape-villages.pdf It is located in ...

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...

, and Richmond. It was represented by

Mike Pence. CQ Politics forecast the race as Safe Republican.

Results

District 7

This district is in the heart of Central Indiana and encompasses most of Marion County/ Indianapolis.

André Carson André D. Carson (born October 16, 1974) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the southern four-fifths of Indianapolis, including Downtown Indianap ...

won the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

to fill this seat and represented since March 13, 2008. Carson won the primary election with 46%, while

Woody Myers Woodrow Augustus Myers Jr. (born February 14, 1954) is an American physician and politician from Indiana. He served as health commissioner for Indiana and New York City. He was the Democratic nominee for governor of Indiana in the 2020 electio ...

received 24%,

David Orentlicher David Orentlicher is an educator, physician, attorney, and an American politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party and is the Judge Jack and Lulu Lehman Professor at UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law and co-director of the UNLV Hea ...

received 21%, and Carolene Mays received 8%. Carson and his Republican challenger in the special election, Jon Elrod, were set to face off in the General Election but Elrod dropped out. Gabrielle Campo was selected by a party caucus to face the incumbent, Carson. John Kerry defeated George W. Bush in this district 58% to 41% in 2004. CQ Politics forecast the race as Safe Democratic.

Polling

Results

District 8

This district has been nicknamed the "Bloody Eighth" because of a series of hard-fought tight campaigns and political reversals. It ousted six incumbents from 1966 to 1982. The election in 1984 was so close that it was decided in Congress. In 2000, a ''New York Times'' reporter said of the district: "With a populist streak and a conservative bent, this district does not cotton to country-club Republicans or to social-engineering liberals," and also said "More than 95 percent white and about 41 percent rural, the region shares much of the flavor of the

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's a ...

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 ...

and

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

are located within its limits and was represented by

Brad Ellsworth. CQ Politics forecast the race as Safe Democratic.

Results

District 9

This district is located in southeast Indiana. This swing district has been recently fought out by

Baron Hill and

Mike Sodrel Michael E. Sodrel (born December 17, 1945) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Indiana's 9th congressional district from 2005 to 2007. Sodrel launched another run aga ...

. Hill beat Sodrel in 2002, Sodrel beat Hill in 2004, and Hill beat Sodrel in 2006 to become the 9th's representative. Hill spent the most on his campaign of those in Indiana, spending $2.2 million. The largest city located within the district is Bloomington followed by Columbus, New Albany, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville which all have Democratic Mayors or Council Presidents. CQ Politics forecast the race as Democrat Favored.

Polling

Results

References

External links

Indiana Elections DivisionU.S. Congress candidates for Indiana
at Project Vote Smart * * {{2008 United States elections United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2008 2008 United States House of Representatives elections, Indiana 2008 Indiana elections, United States House of Representatives

District makeup

Overview

District 1

Results

District 2

Polling

Results

District 3

Polling

Results

District 4

Polling

Results

District 5

Results

District 6

Results

District 7

Polling

Results

District 8

Results

District 9

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links