1986 Indiana Secretary of State election

1986 Indiana Secretary of State election

← 1982 November 4, 1986 (1986-11-04) 1990  →

Candidate Evan Bayh Robert O. Bowen Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 828,494 705,963 Percentage 53.28% 45.40%

County results Bayh:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Bowen:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Secretary of State before election Edwin Simcox Republican Elected Secretary of State Evan Bayh Democratic

The 1986 Indiana secretary of state election was held on November 4, 1986, to elect the secretary of state of Indiana. Republican incumbent Edwin Simcox did not seek a third term. Democratic attorney Evan Bayh defeated Republican attorney Robert O. Bowen by seven percentage points.

Bayh would not serve out a full term as Secretary of State of Indiana as he would go on to resign in 1989 to take office after winning the 1988 Indiana gubernatorial election.

General election

Candidates

• Evan Bayh, attorney (Democratic)
• Robert O. Bowen, attorney (Republican)
• Linda Patterson (American)
• Karen Benson (Libertarian)

Results

1986 Indiana Secretary of State election results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Evan Bayh	828,494	53.28%	+5.21
	Republican	Robert O. Bowen	705,963	45.40%	−5.40
	American Party of the United States	Linda Patterson	10,208	0.66%	+0.07
	Libertarian	Karen Benson	10,174	0.65%	+0.11
Total votes			1,554,839	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Republican

References

1. "1986 Secretary of State General Election Results - Indiana". US Election Atlas. Retrieved December 13, 2025.