2008 Indiana gubernatorial election

Last updated

2008 Indiana gubernatorial election
Flag of Indiana.svg
←  2004 November 4, 2008 2012  →
  Mitch Daniels.jpg Jill Long.jpg
Nominee Mitch Daniels Jill Long Thompson
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Becky Skillman Dennie Oxley
Popular vote1,563,8851,082,463
Percentage57.8%40.1%
2008 Indiana gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Daniels:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Thompson:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%
Governor before election

Mitch Daniels
Republican

Elected Governor

Mitch Daniels
Republican

The 2008 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican nominee Mitch Daniels was challenged by Democratic nominee Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian nominee Andy Horning. Daniels easily won reelection, defeating Long Thompson by over 17 points. Despite Daniels' landslide victory, Barack Obama narrowly carried Indiana in the concurrent presidential election; the only Democratic candidate to do so since 1964.

Contents

Primaries

May 6, 2008 – Democratic and Republican primary elections.

October 6, 2008 – Deadline for voter registration for the General election.

Democratic

On the Democratic side, Indianapolis businessman Jim Schellinger and former U.S. Representative Jill Long Thompson announced their candidacies. Indiana Senate Minority Leader Richard Young also ran early, but dropped out of the race well before the primary. Schellinger raised over $1 million in campaign funds, with support of key Democratic officials such as former Indiana House Speaker John R. Gregg, former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and U.S. Representative Julia Carson. [1] Long Thompson's support came from Democrats such as popular former U.S. Representative Andrew Jacobs, Jr. and former Indiana First Lady Maggie Kernan. [2]

The contest was very close. The difference between the two was 13,769 votes out of over 1.1 million cast, a difference of 1.1%. Both Long Thompson and Schellinger won various counties from many different political geographies of the state. Schellinger narrowly beat Long Thompson in heavily populated Marion County, home of Indianapolis. Long Thompson trounced Schellinger in Allen County, home of Fort Wayne, the second most populous city in the state. Many attribute her very narrow statewide victory to her strong performance in Allen County. Schellinger also did well in Evansville and the Indianapolis suburbs. Long Thompson and Schellinger basically split the rural vote. It was one of the closest statewide primaries in state history, and also had the highest turnout of any Indiana non-presidential primary. Schellinger called Long Thompson around 5 a.m. the day after the election to concede. He pledged her his full support.

Democratic primary results [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jill Long Thompson 582,860 50.60
Democratic Jim Schellinger569,09149.40
Total votes1,151,951 100.00

On June 16, Long Thompson announced that her running mate and the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor would be longtime State Representative Dennie Oxley. [4]

Republican

On June 16, 2007, incumbent Governor Mitch Daniels announced he was running for reelection with his Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.

Republican primary results [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mitch Daniels (Incumbent) 350,390 100.00
Total votes350,390 100.00

Libertarian

Andy Horning, an engineer, Libertarian Party activist and frequent candidate, ran unopposed for his party's nomination. He appeared on the November ballot with Lisa Kelly as running mate.

General election

Debates

Three debates organized by the Indiana Debate Commission were held: [5]

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [7] Lean ROctober 16, 2008
Rothenberg Political Report [8] Likely RNovember 2, 2008
Sabato's Crystal Ball [9] Lean RNovember 3, 2008
Real Clear Politics [10] Lean RNovember 4, 2008

Polling

Polling had largely shown Daniels with a slight lead over both Long Thompson and Schellinger. Long Thompson later slipped further behind Daniels in most polls. In the last polls before the election, conducted by Public Policy Polling (November 2, 2008), Daniels led Long Thompson 60% to 37%.

Statewide results

2008 Indiana gubernatorial election [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Mitch Daniels/Becky Skillman (incumbent) 1,563,885 57.8% +4.6
Democratic Jill Long Thompson/Dennie Oxley 1,082,46340.1%-5.4
Libertarian Andy Horning57,3762.1%+0.8
No party Write-Ins 270.0%—
Majority481,422
Turnout 2,703,75162%
Republican hold Swing

County results

Daniels won 79 of Indiana's counties compared to 13 for Long Thompson. [12]

CountyDanielsVotesLong ThompsonVotesOthersVotesTotal
Adams 61.3%8,29136.5%4,9382.2%29413,523
Allen 61.0%89,93837.3%55,0271.7%2,449147,414
Bartholomew 70.6%21,54727.7%8,4471.7%53330,527
Benton 62.8%2,39834.3%1,3082.9%1093,815
Blackford 57.2%3,09841.0%2,2211.8%975,416
Boone 80.5%21,35217.5%4,6332.0%54026,525
Brown 61.3%4,96735.6%2,8803.1%2508,097
Carroll 63.8%5,58633.4%2,9252.8%2418,752
Cass 56.3%8,83140.9%6,4182.8%43315,682
Clark 60.7%28,62237.9%17,8211.4%68247,125
Clay 52.7%5,98644.6%5,0552.7%31211,353
Clinton 67.7%8,32229.8%3,6582.5%30612,286
Crawford 38.9%1,86959.7%2,8691.4%684,806
Daviess 58.5%6,04338.5%3,9783.0%31010,331
Dearborn 67.3%14,53630.3%6,5402.4%51921,595
Decatur 72.8%7,48624.6%2,5342.6%27010,290
DeKalb 57.1%9,56240.4%6,7522.5%42416,738
Delaware 56.5%27,87641.7%20,5881.8%89549,359
Dubois 54.3%9,94643.3%7,9382.4%44518,329
Elkhart 57.8%40,98339.7%28,1142.5%1,74070,837
Fayette 58.2%5,37339.8%3,6702.0%1809,223
Floyd 62.3%22,47136.1%13,0201.6%57636,067
Fountain 58.5%4,35037.9%2,8163.6%2697,435
Franklin 61.6%6,44335.2%3,6743.2%33710,454
Fulton 58.7%5,30938.6%3,4932.7%2479,049
Gibson 60.1%9,08738.1%5,7571.8%27015,114
Grant 61.8%16,00636.4%9,4311.8%46225,899
Greene 50.1%6,75646.5%6,2613.4%46413,481
Hamilton 83.3%106,57415.2%19,4421.5%1,863127,879
Hancock 77.1%26,39520.6%7,0532.0%80034,248
Harrison 56.9%10,27741.2%7,4471.9%34218,066
Hendricks 77.1%49,49020.9%13,3812.0%1,30164,172
Henry 57.1%12,14240.1%8,5192.8%58921,250
Howard 61.6%23,85236.5%14,1431.9%75538,750
Huntington 65.7%10,55532.0%5,1392.3%37716,071
Jackson 56.0%9,72941.5%7,2182.5%43317,380
Jasper 54.1%6,73743.5%5,4192.4%29612,452
Jay 57.0%4,76340.8%3,4042.2%1808,347
Jefferson 51.1%6,67147.0%6,1271.9%24213,040
Jennings 51.1%6,01645.7%5,3733.2%38111,770
Johnson 77.4%44,74320.4%11,8132.2%1,27957,835
Knox 46.0%7,11952.8%8,1651.2%37615,464
Kosciusko 67.5%19,90130.0%8,8252.5%75129,477
LaGrange 57.3%5,44139.3%3,7273.4%3229,490
Lake 34.6%66,14564.0%122,1111.4%2,748191,004
LaPorte 33.9%15,49563.4%28,9222.7%1,24145,658
Lawrence 57.5%10,50439.8%7,2812.7%49518,280
Madison 59.7%34,02838.3%21,7762.0%1,12056,924
Marion 55.5%209,95542.5%160,3182.0%7,377377,650
Marshall 56.8%10,31441.0%7,4472.2%39418,155
Martin 55.4%2,71441.5%2,0303.1%1534,897
Miami 58.1%7,81638.4%5,1743.5%46913,459
Monroe 47.3%28,48249.8%30,0262.9%1,76460,272
Montgomery 74.2%11,30423.7%3,6052.1%31715,226
Morgan 70.0%19,81826.8%7,5703.2%90828,296
Newton 49.9%2,99947.0%2,8223.1%1866,007
Noble 56.0%9,40841.3%6,9512.7%45316,812
Ohio 55.4%1,59041.8%1,1972.8%802,867
Orange 50.6%4,04647.0%3,7602.4%1927,998
Owen 57.9%4,71737.8%3,0744.3%3478,138
Parke 50.6%3,55346.1%3,2403.3%2357,028
Perry 37.7%3,16961.1%5,1331.2%988,400
Pike 48.1%2,85049.3%2,9242.6%1575,931
Porter 43.1%31,38854.4%39,5192.5%1,80272,709
Posey 62.7%7,98336.0%4,5921.3%16412,739
Pulaski 53.6%3,09643.7%2,5242.7%1535,773
Putnam 65.6%9,44332.0%4,5972.4%34614,386
Randolph 59.5%6,26837.8%3,9872.7%28010,535
Ripley 60.8%7,34735.9%4,3423.3%40212,091
Rush 66.6%5,07130.3%2,3113.1%2377,619
Saint Joseph 47.8%56,17650.5%59,2591.7%1,978117,413
Scott 49.5%4,41448.5%4,3302.0%1808,924
Shelby 67.2%11,77430.0%5,2592.8%48917,522
Spencer 54.8%5,52743.9%4,4181.3%13410,079
Starke 47.0%4,33951.3%4,7261.7%1619,226
Steuben 55.9%7,89641.3%5,8222.8%40214,120
Sullivan 40.5%3,46355.9%4,7793.6%3118,553
Switzerland 47.6%1,73048.9%1,7763.5%1263,632
Tippecanoe 61.9%41,74035.6%23,9802.5%1,71067,430
Tipton 67.0%5,24430.4%2,3762.6%2047,824
Union 53.1%1,75642.7%1,4124.2%1383,306
Vanderburgh 62.3%48,03336.4%28,0901.3%99477,117
Vermillion 38.7%2,76958.2%4,1643.1%2237,156
Vigo 50.6%21,94147.1%20,4482.3%1,01143,400
Wabash 64.4%8,57833.3%4,4342.3%30813,320
Warren 51.7%2,05745.3%1,8043.0%1193,980
Warrick 65.1%18,49833.5%9,5311.4%38628,415
Washington 54.4%6,14143.4%4,8942.2%24911,284
Wayne 52.4%14,83243.2%12,2034.2%1,19828,233
Wells 65.4%8,41832.3%4,1532.3%29212,863
White 61.2%6,62035.6%3,8453.2%34310,808
Whitley 60.4%8,99737.4%5,5662.2%32014,883

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 2, 2004, in 11 states and two territories. There was no net gain in seats for either party, as Democrats picked up an open seat in Montana while defeating incumbent Craig Benson in New Hampshire, while Republicans defeated incumbent Joe Kernan in Indiana and won Missouri after Bob Holden lost in the primary. These elections coincided with the presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 California gubernatorial election</span>

The 2006 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 7, 2006. The primary elections took place on June 6, 2006. The incumbent Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, won re-election for his first and only full term. His main opponent was California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, the California Democratic Party nominee. Peter Camejo was the California Green Party nominee, Janice Jordan was the Peace and Freedom Party nominee, Art Olivier was the California Libertarian Party nominee, and Edward C. Noonan was the California American Independent Party nominee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 4, 2008, in 11 states and two territories. Prior to the election, eight of the total seats were held by Democrats and five by Republicans. Two governors were prohibited by term limits from seeking re-election in 2008. The only governorship to change party was the open seat in Missouri, which was won by a Democrat after being previously held by a Republican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House elections, Council of State and statewide judicial elections. Democrat Bev Perdue won the election. With a margin of 3.39%, this election was the closest race of the 2008 gubernatorial election cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Schellinger</span>

Jim Schellinger is the former Secretary of Commerce for the state of Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election in Indiana</span> Election in Indiana

The 2008 United States presidential election in Indiana took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Indiana gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Indiana

The 2004 Indiana gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2004, to elect the Governor of Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Illinois gubernatorial election</span>

The 2010 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Quinn was elected to a full term in office, having become governor in 2009 following the impeachment and removal of Governor Rod Blagojevich. Quinn was elected as the Democratic nominee, the Illinois Green Party nominee was attorney and 2006 nominee Rich Whitney, the Republican nominee was State Senator Bill Brady, the Libertarian Party nominee was Lex Green, and Scott Lee Cohen ran as an independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 United States presidential election, U.S. House election, statewide judicial election, Council of State election and various local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

United States gubernatorial elections were held in 12 states and two territories. Of the eight Democratic and four Republican seats contested, only that of North Carolina changed party hands, giving the Republicans a net gain of one governorship. These elections coincided with the presidential election on November 6, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Indiana elections</span>

Elections were held in Indiana on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on May 4, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States Senate election in Indiana</span>

The 2012 United States Senate election in Indiana took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States Senate election in Wisconsin</span> Election

The 2012 United States Senate election in Wisconsin took place on November 6, 2012, alongside a U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Herb Kohl retired instead of running for re-election to a fifth term. This was the first open Senate seat in Wisconsin since 1988, when Kohl won his first term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Indiana gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Indiana

The 2012 Indiana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. Incumbent governor Mitch Daniels was term-limited and unable to seek a third term. The Republican candidate, Congressman Mike Pence; the Democratic candidate, former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives John R. Gregg; and the Libertarian candidate, youth mentor, small business owner and reality TV personality, Rupert Boneham, were all unopposed in their respective primaries or conventions and contested the general election. This is the first open Indiana gubernatorial election since 1996 and the first gubernatorial election since 1972 without the governor or lieutenant governor as a nominee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election in Georgia</span> Election in Georgia

The 2012 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 General Election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Georgia voters chose 16 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Minnesota

The 2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of Minnesota concurrently with the election to Minnesota's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Indiana gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Indiana

The 2016 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Indiana, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on May 3, 2016. Republican Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb won the race with 51.4% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election in Arkansas</span> Election in Arkansas

The 2016 United States presidential election in Arkansas was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Arkansas voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Arkansas has six electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Indiana gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Indiana

The 2020 Indiana gubernatorial election was won by incumbent Republican Eric Holcomb on November 3, 2020. The election was held concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Indianapolis mayoral election</span> 2023 election for Mayor of Indianapolis

An election for Mayor of Indianapolis was held on November 7, 2023. Primary elections were held on May 2. Incumbent Democratic mayor Joe Hogsett sought and won re-election to a third term in office. Hogsett and Republican Jefferson Shreve advanced to the general election.

References

  1. ↑ "Schellinger for Governor: Endorsements". JimSchellinger.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Hoosiers for Jill: News". HoosiersforJill.com. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  3. 1 2 Democratic primary resultsin.gov Archived December 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Oxley Joins Long Thompson on Democratic Ticket". HoosiersforJill.com. June 16, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Gubernatorial Debates". Indiana Debate Commission. October 1, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Final Indiana Gubernatorial Debate Tuesday Night". Associated Press. October 14, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ "2008 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  8. ↑ "2008 Gubernatorial Ratings". Gubernatorial Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ "THE LAST LAST WORD The Crystal Ball's Final Projections for the 2008 Election". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  10. ↑ "2008 Indiana Governor Race". RealClearPolitics. November 4, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Indiana General Election November 4, 2008, Statewide". Indiana Secretary of State. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Indiana General Election November 4, 2008, by County". Indiana Secretary of State. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.