Indiana gubernatorial election, 1980

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Indiana gubernatorial election, 1980
Flag of Indiana.svg
  1976 November 4, 1980 (1980-11-04) 1984  

  Robert D. Orr.jpg No image.png
Nominee Robert D. Orr John A. Hillenbrand II
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote1,257,383 913,116
Percentage57.7% 41.9%

Governor before election

Otis R. Bowen
Republican

Elected Governor

Robert D. Orr
Republican

The 1980 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1980 in all 92 counties in the state of Indiana. Otis R. Bowen, the state's incumbent governor was ineligible for a third consecutive term due to term limits set forth in the Indiana Constitution. Robert D. Orr, the state's incumbent Republican lieutenant governor, was elected to his first term, defeating John A. Hillenbrand II, and a minor party challenger.

Constitution of Indiana State Constitution

The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana. It establishes the structure and function of the state government and enumerates specific rights of Indiana citizens. Under the principles of federalism, Indiana's constitution is subordinate only to the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Prior to the enactment of Indiana's first state constitution and achievement of statehood in 1816, the Indiana Territory was governed by territorial law. The state's first constitution was created in 1816, after the U.S. Congress had agreed to grant statehood to the former Indiana Territory. The present-day document, which was enacted in 1851, is the state's second constitution. It supersedes Indiana's 1816 constitution and has had numerous amendments since its adoption.

Robert D. Orr American politician

Robert Dunkerson Orr was an American political leader, diplomat, and the 45th Governor of Indiana from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Republican Party (United States) Major political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

Contents

Primaries

Two candidates emerged to contest the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1980. These were John A. Hillenbrand, a businessman from Batesville, Indiana, and Wayne Townsend, who had previously served three terms in the Indiana State Senate. [1] [2] Hillenbrand defeated Townsend by a relatively narrow margin of 26,403 votes, or less than five percent of all votes cast. Townsend would go on to win the Democratic nomination for governor in 1984.

Batesville, Indiana City in Indiana, United States

Batesville is a city in Franklin and Ripley counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,520 at the 2010 census. The Batesville Casket Company is headquartered here. Medical technology company Hill-Rom has a substantial presence in the town, employing over 1,700 people at its office, innovation and manufacturing campus. Batesville is noted for its central location between Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Louisville.

Wayne Townsend American politician

W. Wayne Townsend was an American politician from the U.S. state of Indiana. A Democrat, he was his party's gubernatorial nominee in 1984. Townsend was defeated by the incumbent Republican Governor Robert D. Orr in a year in which Indiana joined forty-eight other states in reelecting the Reagan-Bush ticket.

Indiana Democratic primary election, 1980 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic John A. Hillenbrand II284,18252.44
Democratic Wayne Townsend 257,779 47.56

General election

Indiana gubernatorial election, 1980 [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican Robert D. Orr 1,257,383 57.72% +0.87
Democratic John A. Hillenbrand II 913,116 41.92% -0.71
American Cletis Artist 7,904 0.36% -0.09
Majority 344,267
Republican hold Swing

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