Indiana gubernatorial election, 2008
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The Indiana gubernatorial election of 2008 was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican nominee Mitch Daniels (Lt. Gov. nominee Becky Skillman) was challenged by Democratic nominee Jill Long Thompson (Lt. Gov. nominee Dennie Oxley) and Libertarian nominee Andy Horning (Lt. Gov. nominee Lisa Kelly). Governor Daniels easily won reelection and defeated the Democratic candidate by over 17 points.
Timeline
May 6, 2008 – Democratic and Republican Primary elections.
October 6, 2008 – Deadline for voter registration for the General election.
November 4, 2008 – General election.
Primaries
Democratic
On the Democratic side, Indianapolis businessman Jim Schellinger and former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson had announced their candidacies. Indiana Senate Minority Leader Richard Young also ran early, but he dropped out of the race well before the primary. Schellinger, with support of key Democratic officials such as former Indiana House Speaker John R. Gregg, former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson,[1] had raised over $1 million in campaign funds. Long Thompson's support came from Democrats such as popular former U.S. Rep. Andrew Jacobs, Jr. and former Indiana First Lady Maggie Kernan.[2]
| Democratic primary results[3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jill Long Thompson | 582,860 | 50.60 | |
| Democratic | Jim Schellinger | 569,091 | 49.40 | |
| Total votes | 1,151,951 | 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 re-election with his Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.
| Republican primary results[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Mitch Daniels (Incumbent) | 350,390 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 350,390 | 100.00 | ||
Libertarian
Andy Horning, engineer, Libertarian Party activist and frequent candidate, ran unopposed for his party's nomination. He appeared on the November ballot with Lisa Kelly for Lt. Governor.
General Election
Debates
Three debates organized by the Indiana Debate Commission were held:[6]
- Tuesday, September 16 at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana
- Tuesday, September 23 at the Jasper Arts Center in Jasper, Indiana
- Tuesday, October 14 at the Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington, Indiana, moderated by former Indianapolis broadcaster Tom Cochrun[7]
Polling
Polling had shown that largely Mitch Daniels had repeatedly led slightly against both Jill Long Thompson and Jim Schellinger. Long Thompson, the Democratic Party of Indiana's gubernatorial candidate, recently has slipped further behind Daniels in most proposed polls.
In the last opinion polling before the election, conducted by Public Policy Polling (November 2, 2008), Mitch Daniels lead Jill Long Thompson 60% to 37%.
Statewide Results
| 2008 Indiana gubernatorial election[8] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Mitch Daniels (Incumbent) | 1,563,885 | 57.8% | +4.6 | |
| Democratic | Jill Long Thompson | 1,082,463 | 40.1% | -5.4 | |
| Libertarian | Andy Horning | 57,376 | 2.1% | +0.8 | |
| No party | Write-Ins | 27 | 0.0% | — | |
| Majority | 481,422 | ||||
| Turnout | 2,703,751 | 62% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
County Results
Daniels won 79 of Indiana's counties compared to 13 for Long Thompson.[9]
| County | Daniels | Votes | Long Thompson | Votes | Others | Votes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 61.3% | 8,291 | 36.5% | 4,938 | 2.2% | 294 | 13,523 |
| Allen | 61.0% | 89,938 | 37.3% | 55,027 | 1.7% | 2,449 | 147,414 |
| Bartholomew | 70.6% | 21,547 | 27.7% | 8,447 | 1.7% | 533 | 30,527 |
| Benton | 62.8% | 2,398 | 34.3% | 1,308 | 2.9% | 109 | 3,815 |
| Blackford | 57.2% | 3,098 | 41.0% | 2,221 | 1.8% | 97 | 5,416 |
| Boone | 80.5% | 21,352 | 17.5% | 4,633 | 2.0% | 540 | 26,525 |
| Brown | 61.3% | 4,967 | 35.6% | 2,880 | 3.1% | 250 | 8,097 |
| Carroll | 63.8% | 5,586 | 33.4% | 2,925 | 2.8% | 241 | 8,752 |
| Cass | 56.3% | 8,831 | 40.9% | 6,418 | 2.8% | 433 | 15,682 |
| Clark | 60.7% | 28,622 | 37.9% | 17,821 | 1.4% | 682 | 47,125 |
| Clay | 52.7% | 5,986 | 44.6% | 5,055 | 2.7% | 312 | 11,353 |
| Clinton | 67.7% | 8,322 | 29.8% | 3,658 | 2.5% | 306 | 12,286 |
| Crawford | 38.9% | 1,869 | 59.7% | 2,869 | 1.4% | 68 | 4,806 |
| Daviess | 58.5% | 6,043 | 38.5% | 3,978 | 3.0% | 310 | 10,331 |
| Dearborn | 67.3% | 14,536 | 30.3% | 6,540 | 2.4% | 519 | 21,595 |
| Decatur | 72.8% | 7,486 | 24.6% | 2,534 | 2.6% | 270 | 10,290 |
| DeKalb | 57.1% | 9,562 | 40.4% | 6,752 | 2.5% | 424 | 16,738 |
| Delaware | 56.5% | 27,876 | 41.7% | 20,588 | 1.8% | 895 | 49,359 |
| Dubois | 54.3% | 9,946 | 43.3% | 7,938 | 2.4% | 445 | 18,329 |
| Elkhart | 57.8% | 40,983 | 39.7% | 28,114 | 2.5% | 1,740 | 70,837 |
| Fayette | 58.2% | 5,373 | 39.8% | 3,670 | 2.0% | 180 | 9,223 |
| Floyd | 62.3% | 22,471 | 36.1% | 13,020 | 1.6% | 576 | 36,067 |
| Fountain | 58.5% | 4,350 | 37.9% | 2,816 | 3.6% | 269 | 7,435 |
| Franklin | 61.6% | 6,443 | 35.2% | 3,674 | 3.2% | 337 | 10,454 |
| Fulton | 58.7% | 5,309 | 38.6% | 3,493 | 2.7% | 247 | 9,049 |
| Gibson | 60.1% | 9,087 | 38.1% | 5,757 | 1.8% | 270 | 15,114 |
| Grant | 61.8% | 16,006 | 36.4% | 9,431 | 1.8% | 462 | 25,899 |
| Greene | 50.1% | 6,756 | 46.5% | 6,261 | 3.4% | 464 | 13,481 |
| Hamilton | 83.3% | 106,574 | 15.2% | 19,442 | 1.5% | 1,863 | 127,879 |
| Hancock | 77.1% | 26,395 | 20.6% | 7,053 | 2.0% | 800 | 34,248 |
| Harrison | 56.9% | 10,277 | 41.2% | 7,447 | 1.9% | 342 | 18,066 |
| Hendricks | 77.1% | 49,490 | 20.9% | 13,381 | 2.0% | 1,301 | 64,172 |
| Henry | 57.1% | 12,142 | 40.1% | 8,519 | 2.8% | 589 | 21,250 |
| Howard | 61.6% | 23,852 | 36.5% | 14,143 | 1.9% | 755 | 38,750 |
| Huntington | 65.7% | 10,555 | 32.0% | 5,139 | 2.3% | 377 | 16,071 |
| Jackson | 56.0% | 9,729 | 41.5% | 7,218 | 2.5% | 433 | 17,380 |
| Jasper | 54.1% | 6,737 | 43.5% | 5,419 | 2.4% | 296 | 12,452 |
| Jay | 57.0% | 4,763 | 40.8% | 3,404 | 2.2% | 180 | 8,347 |
| Jefferson | 51.1% | 6,671 | 47.0% | 6,127 | 1.9% | 242 | 13,040 |
| Jennings | 51.1% | 6,016 | 45.7% | 5,373 | 3.2% | 381 | 11,770 |
| Johnson | 77.4% | 44,743 | 20.4% | 11,813 | 2.2% | 1,279 | 57,835 |
| Knox | 46.0% | 7,119 | 52.8% | 8,165 | 1.2% | 376 | 15,464 |
| Kosciusko | 67.5% | 19,901 | 30.0% | 8,825 | 2.5% | 751 | 29,477 |
| LaGrange | 57.3% | 5,441 | 39.3% | 3,727 | 3.4% | 322 | 9,490 |
| Lake | 34.6% | 66,145 | 64.0% | 122,111 | 1.4% | 2,748 | 191,004 |
| LaPorte | 33.9% | 15,495 | 63.4% | 28,922 | 2.7% | 1,241 | 45,658 |
| Lawrence | 57.5% | 10,504 | 39.8% | 7,281 | 2.7% | 495 | 18,280 |
| Madison | 59.7% | 34,028 | 38.3% | 21,776 | 2.0% | 1,120 | 56,924 |
| Marion | 55.5% | 209,955 | 42.5% | 160,318 | 2.0% | 7,377 | 377,650 |
| Marshall | 56.8% | 10,314 | 41.0% | 7,447 | 2.2% | 394 | 18,155 |
| Martin | 55.4% | 2,714 | 41.5% | 2,030 | 3.1% | 153 | 4,897 |
| Miami | 58.1% | 7,816 | 38.4% | 5,174 | 3.5% | 469 | 13,459 |
| Monroe | 47.3% | 28,482 | 49.8% | 30,026 | 2.9% | 1,764 | 60,272 |
| Montgomery | 74.2% | 11,304 | 23.7% | 3,605 | 2.1% | 317 | 15,226 |
| Morgan | 70.0% | 19,818 | 26.8% | 7,570 | 3.2% | 908 | 28,296 |
| Newton | 49.9% | 2,999 | 47.0% | 2,822 | 3.1% | 186 | 6,007 |
| Noble | 56.0% | 9,408 | 41.3% | 6,951 | 2.7% | 453 | 16,812 |
| Ohio | 55.4% | 1,590 | 41.8% | 1,197 | 2.8% | 80 | 2,867 |
| Orange | 50.6% | 4,046 | 47.0% | 3,760 | 2.4% | 192 | 7,998 |
| Owen | 57.9% | 4,717 | 37.8% | 3,074 | 4.3% | 347 | 8,138 |
| Parke | 50.6% | 3,553 | 46.1% | 3,240 | 3.3% | 235 | 7,028 |
| Perry | 37.7% | 3,169 | 61.1% | 5,133 | 1.2% | 98 | 8,400 |
| Pike | 48.1% | 2,850 | 49.3% | 2,924 | 2.6% | 157 | 5,931 |
| Porter | 43.1% | 31,388 | 54.4% | 39,519 | 2.5% | 1,802 | 72,709 |
| Posey | 62.7% | 7,983 | 36.0% | 4,592 | 1.3% | 164 | 12,739 |
| Pulaski | 53.6% | 3,096 | 43.7% | 2,524 | 2.7% | 153 | 5,773 |
| Putnam | 65.6% | 9,443 | 32.0% | 4,597 | 2.4% | 346 | 14,386 |
| Randolph | 59.5% | 6,268 | 37.8% | 3,987 | 2.7% | 280 | 10,535 |
| Ripley | 60.8% | 7,347 | 35.9% | 4,342 | 3.3% | 402 | 12,091 |
| Rush | 66.6% | 5,071 | 30.3% | 2,311 | 3.1% | 237 | 7,619 |
| Saint Joseph | 47.8% | 56,176 | 50.5% | 59,259 | 1.7% | 1,978 | 117,413 |
| Scott | 49.5% | 4,414 | 48.5% | 4,330 | 2.0% | 180 | 8,924 |
| Shelby | 67.2% | 11,774 | 30.0% | 5,259 | 2.8% | 489 | 17,522 |
| Spencer | 54.8% | 5,527 | 43.9% | 4,418 | 1.3% | 134 | 10,079 |
| Starke | 47.0% | 4,339 | 51.3% | 4,726 | 1.7% | 161 | 9,226 |
| Steuben | 55.9% | 7,896 | 41.3% | 5,822 | 2.8% | 402 | 14,120 |
| Sullivan | 40.5% | 3,463 | 55.9% | 4,779 | 3.6% | 311 | 8,553 |
| Switzerland | 47.6% | 1,730 | 48.9% | 1,776 | 3.5% | 126 | 3,632 |
| Tippecanoe | 61.9% | 41,740 | 35.6% | 23,980 | 2.5% | 1,710 | 67,430 |
| Tipton | 67.0% | 5,244 | 30.4% | 2,376 | 2.6% | 204 | 7,824 |
| Union | 53.1% | 1,756 | 42.7% | 1,412 | 4.2% | 138 | 3,306 |
| Vanderburgh | 62.3% | 48,033 | 36.4% | 28,090 | 1.3% | 994 | 77,117 |
| Vermillion | 38.7% | 2,769 | 58.2% | 4,164 | 3.1% | 223 | 7,156 |
| Vigo | 50.6% | 21,941 | 47.1% | 20,448 | 2.3% | 1,011 | 43,400 |
| Wabash | 64.4% | 8,578 | 33.3% | 4,434 | 2.3% | 308 | 13,320 |
| Warren | 51.7% | 2,057 | 45.3% | 1,804 | 3.0% | 119 | 3,980 |
| Warrick | 65.1% | 18,498 | 33.5% | 9,531 | 1.4% | 386 | 28,415 |
| Washington | 54.4% | 6,141 | 43.4% | 4,894 | 2.2% | 249 | 11,284 |
| Wayne | 52.4% | 14,832 | 43.2% | 12,203 | 4.2% | 1,198 | 28,233 |
| Wells | 65.4% | 8,418 | 32.3% | 4,153 | 2.3% | 292 | 12,863 |
| White | 61.2% | 6,620 | 35.6% | 3,845 | 3.2% | 343 | 10,808 |
| Whitley | 60.4% | 8,997 | 37.4% | 5,566 | 2.2% | 320 | 14,883 |
References
- ↑ "Schellinger for Governor: Endorsements". JimSchellinger.com. ongoing. Retrieved 2008-04-26. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Hoosiers for Jill: News". HoosiersforJill.com. ongoing. Retrieved 2008-04-26. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/primary/sos_primary08?page=office&countyID=-1&partyID=-1&officeID=37&districtID=-1&districtshortviewID=-1&candidate=
- ↑ "Oxley Joins Long Thompson on Democratic Ticket". HoosiersforJill.com. 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ↑ http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/primary/sos_primary08?page=office&countyID=-1&partyID=-1&officeID=37&districtID=-1&districtshortviewID=-1&candidate=
- ↑ "Gubernatorial Debates". Indiana Debate Commission. 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ↑ "Final Indiana Gubernatorial Debate Tuesday Night". Associated Press. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- ↑ "Indiana General Election November 4, 2008, Statewide". Indiana Secretary of State. 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ↑ "Indiana General Election November 4, 2008, by County". Indiana Secretary of State. 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
External links
- Elections from the Indiana Secretary of State
- Indiana Governor candidates at Project Vote Smart
- Indiana Governor race from OurCampaigns.com
- Indiana Governor race from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions from Follow the Money
- Daniels (R-i) vs Long Thompson (D) graph of collected poll results from Pollster.com
- Official campaign websites
- Mitch Daniels, Republican incumbent nominee
- Jill Long Thompson, Democratic nominee
- Andy Horning, Libertarian nominee