2012 Indiana Senate Race - Candidates, Debates and Primary Results
This page displays the information for the Indiana senate race. This includes candidates, dates, and political views. The tables below show the candidates for the general election with an option to compare those candidates after the primary. This is followed by the primary candidates and the number of political views we have for each representative. Selecting one of these representatives takes you to the profile for this candidate and a full list of their political positions, speeches, and controversies.
2012 Indiana Senate Race - General Election Candidates
General Election Candidates and Results | |
Election Information for Indiana| Primary Date | May 08, 2012 |
| General Date | November 06, 2012 |
| Incumbent | Richard Lugar |
| Incumbent Status | Lost in Primary |
| Election Projection | Solid Democrat |
| Presidential Election | 2012 Election |
The Situation
Republican Senator Richard Lugar lost in a primary challenge to State Treasurer Richard Mourdock. This was partly because of a growing discontent with politicians that have been in office for decades, and partly because of conservative opposition to parts of Senator Lugar's history. The Democrats selected Congressman Joe Donnelly to go up against Mourdock. Donnelly did not face an opponent in the primary. The Libertarians selected Andrew Horning as their candidate. Mr Horning ran for the Governor of Indiana in 2008 and has run for Congress in Indiana as well.
In 2010, the state of Indiana elected Republican Senator Dan Coats back to the seat that he lost to Evan Bayh in 1998. With a history of choosing candidates over party, the Indiana Senate race is likely to be labeled as leaning Republican up until a few weeks before the election when it may turn to a tossup depending upon.
Debates:
There was only one debate in the primary between Treasurer Mourdock and Senator Lugar. While the debate was substantive, there were no real revelations.
