United States Senate election in Indiana, 2012
Encyclopedia
The 2012 United States Senate election in Indiana will take place on November 6, 2012 concurrently with the U.S. presidential election
as well as other elections to the United States Senate
, House of Representatives
, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Richard Lugar is running for re-election to a seventh term.
Senator Ted Stevens
of Alaska lost his re-election bid in 2008 and Senator Pete Domenici
of New Mexico retired that same year, leaving Lugar as the most senior Republican when the 111th Congress convened on January 3, 2009. This puts him in place to be elected President pro tempore of the Senate
should Republicans gain control of the body. He is currently third in seniority after the deaths of Senators Ted Kennedy
of Massachusetts and Robert Byrd
of West Virginia. Senator Orrin Hatch
of Utah
disputes this claim of Lugar's seniority based on a different interpretation of the Republican Conference's seniority rules.
Due to his unpopularity among some more conservative voters on his positions regarding illegal immigration, voting to confirm then-U.S. Supreme Court nominees Sonia Sotomayor
and Elena Kagan
, the DREAM Act
, the START Treaty
, and congressional earmarks
he is being challenged by a more conservative candidate.
Official campaign websites
United States presidential election, 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 is the next United States presidential election, to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It will be the 57th quadrennial presidential election in which presidential electors, who will actually elect the President and the Vice President of the United...
as well as other elections to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Richard Lugar is running for re-election to a seventh term.
Background
On November 7, 2006, incumbent Richard Lugar was unopposed by any major party candidate as no Democrat filed for the May 2006 primary. He was re-elected to his sixth six-year term with 87.3% of the vote.Senator Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
of Alaska lost his re-election bid in 2008 and Senator Pete Domenici
Pete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici is an American Republican politician, who served six terms as a United States Senator from New Mexico, from 1973 to 2009, the longest tenure in the state's history....
of New Mexico retired that same year, leaving Lugar as the most senior Republican when the 111th Congress convened on January 3, 2009. This puts him in place to be elected President pro tempore of the Senate
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
The President pro tempore is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate. The United States Constitution states that the Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate and the highest-ranking official of the Senate despite not being a member of the body...
should Republicans gain control of the body. He is currently third in seniority after the deaths of Senators Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
of Massachusetts and Robert Byrd
Robert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrd served as a U.S. Representative from 1953 until 1959 and as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 2010...
of West Virginia. Senator Orrin Hatch
Orrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
disputes this claim of Lugar's seniority based on a different interpretation of the Republican Conference's seniority rules.
Due to his unpopularity among some more conservative voters on his positions regarding illegal immigration, voting to confirm then-U.S. Supreme Court nominees Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. Sotomayor is the Court's 111th justice, its first Hispanic justice, and its third female justice....
and Elena Kagan
Elena Kagan
Elena Kagan is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 7, 2010. Kagan is the Court's 112th justice and fourth female justice....
, the DREAM Act
DREAM Act
The DREAM Act is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011....
, the START Treaty
START I
START was a bilateral treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 December 1994...
, and congressional earmarks
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
he is being challenged by a more conservative candidate.
Declined
- Don Bates, businessman (running for the House)
- Mike DelphMike DelphMike Delph is a Republican member of the Indiana State Senate representing the 29th district.-External links:* official Indiana State Legislature site...
, state senator - Jackie WalorskiJackie WalorskiJackie Walorski was a Republican member of the Indiana House of Representatives representing the 21st district from 2005-2011. She won the Republican nomination, but lost the 2010 race for...
, former state representative (running for the House)
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Richard Lugar (R) |
Richard Mourdock (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basswood Research (http://www.lifenews.com/2011/07/26/indiana-senate-pro-lifer-mourdock-leads-lugar-in-gop-poll/) | October 28-31, 2011 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 34% | 36% | 30% |
Endorsements
Richard Lugar |
|---|
Richard Mourdock |
|---|
Declined
- Brad EllsworthBrad EllsworthJohn Bradley "Brad" Ellsworth is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 until 2011, and was the unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat currently held by Dan Coats...
, former U.S. representative and 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. SenateUnited States Senate election in Indiana, 2010-Hostettler:-Stutzman:-Polling:-Results:-Candidates:*Brad Ellsworth , U.S. Congressman*Dan Coats , former U.S. Senator*Rebecca Sink-Burris , Teacher and small business owner-Campaign:... - Baron HillBaron HillBaron Paul Hill is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1999 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, former U.S. representative
Declared
- Andrew Horning, product manager; unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in 2000 and 2008Indiana gubernatorial election, 2008The Indiana gubernatorial election of 2008 was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican nominee Mitch Daniels was challenged by Democratic nominee Jill Long Thompson and Libertarian nominee Andy Horning...
See also
- United States Senate elections, 2012United States Senate elections, 2012Elections to the United States Senate are to be held on November 6, 2012, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2019. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies...
- United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2012United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana, 2012The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the nine U.S. Representatives from the state, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts. The elections will coincide with the elections of other federal and state...
- Indiana gubernatorial election, 2012Indiana gubernatorial election, 2012The 2012 Indiana gubernatorial election will take place on November 6, 2012.Incumbent governor Mitch Daniels is term-limited.-Candidates:* Mike Pence, U.S...
External links
- Indiana Secretary of State
- U.S. Congress candidates for Indiana at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
Official campaign websites