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2018 United States Senate election in Indiana

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The 2018 United States Senate election in Indiana took place on November 6, 2018, along with other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly ran for re-election to a second term, however, he lost in the general election to Republican Mike Braun by a margin of 6%. This was the second consecutive election for this seat in which the incumbent was defeated and/or the seat flipped parties.

Quick facts Turnout, Nominee ...
2018 United States Senate election in Indiana

← 2012
November 6, 2018 (2018-11-06)
2024 →
Turnout50.42% Decrease
 
Nominee Mike Braun Joe Donnelly
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,158,000 1,023,553
Percentage 50.73% 44.84%

Braun:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Donnelly:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      50%      No data

U.S. senator before election

Joe Donnelly
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Mike Braun
Republican

Close

This was one of ten Democratic-held Senate seats up for election in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. In 2017, Politico described the race as "possibly the GOP's best opportunity to seize a Senate seat from Democrats" in the 2018 elections.[1] The primary election was held on May 8, 2018.[2] In October 2018, RealClearPolitics rated the race a toss-up between the Democratic and Republican nominees, with the Libertarian receiving a poll average of 6%.[3]

Instead of running for a second senatorial term in 2024, Braun campaigned successfully to become Governor of Indiana.

Background

In 2012, Joe Donnelly was elected to the Senate with 50% of the vote to Republican nominee Richard Mourdock's 44%. In the 2016 presidential election, Republican nominee Donald Trump won Indiana with about 56.5% of the vote to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's 37.5%.[4][5]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Withdrew

  • Martin Del Rio, Iraq War veteran[7][8]

Endorsements

Joe Donnelly
U.S. executive branch officials
U.S. senators
Organizations

Results

More information Party, Candidate ...
Democratic primary results[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe Donnelly (incumbent) 284,621 100.00%
Total votes 284,621 100.00%
Close

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in the primary election

Declined

Withdrawn

Endorsements

Luke Messer
U.S. representatives
State-level officials
Former state party chairs
Local-level officials
Individuals
Todd Rokita
State-level officials
Former state party chairs
Local-level officials
Individuals
Newspapers

Polling

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Luke
Messer
Todd
Rokita
Mike
Braun
Other Undecided
Strategic National (R)[60] May 5–6, 2018 300 ± 5.7% 29% 28% 44% – –
Gravis Marketing[61] April 6–11, 2018 280 ± 5.9% 13% 16% 26% – 45%
GS Strategy Group (R-Rokita)[62] January 6–9, 2018 500 ± 4.4% 9% 24% 9% – 58%
GS Strategy Group (R-Rokita)[63] July 16–18, 2017 500 ± 4.4% 20% 28% – – 51%
14% 21% 11% – 55%
OnMedia (R-Messer)[64] July 10–12, 2017 400 ± 4.8% 23% 23% 2% 7%[a] 45%
Close

Results

Results by county:
  Braun
  •   80–90%
  •   60–70%
  •   50–60%
  •   40–50%
  •   <40%
  Rokita
  •   <40%
  •   40–50%
  Messer
  •   <40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
More information Party, Candidate ...
Republican primary results[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike Braun 208,602 41.17%
Republican Todd Rokita 151,967 29.99%
Republican Luke Messer 146,131 28.84%
Total votes 506,700 100.00%
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Independent

Candidates

Declared

  • James Johnson Jr.[65]

General election

Candidates

  • Mike Braun, businessman and former state representative (R)
  • Lucy Brenton (L)
  • Joe Donnelly, incumbent (D)
  • James Johnson Jr. (I)

Debates

Predictions

More information Source, Ranking ...
Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[66] Tossup October 26, 2018
Inside Elections[67] Tossup November 1, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[68] Lean R (flip) November 5, 2018
CNN[69] Tossup November 5, 2018
RealClearPolitics[70] Tossup November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[71] Tossup November 5, 2018
Fox News[72] Tossup November 5, 2018
FiveThirtyEight[73] Lean D November 5, 2018
Close

Fundraising

More information Campaign finance reports as of October 17, 2018, Candidate (party) ...
Campaign finance reports as of October 17, 2018
Candidate (party) Total receipts Total disbursements Cash on hand
Joe Donnelly (D) $16,100,528 $13,872,981 $2,321,981
Mike Braun (R) $16,964,706 $15,576,842 $1,387,861
Source: Federal Election Commission[74]
Close

Endorsements

Mike Braun (R)

U.S. executive branch officials

U.S. senators

U.S. representatives

Governors

State senators

State representatives

Cabinet-level officials

Individuals

Organizations

Joe Donnelly (D)

U.S. executive branch officials

U.S. senators

Local officials

Individuals

Organizations

Newspapers

Declined to endorse

Organizations

  • Indiana Chamber of Commerce[136]

Newspapers

Polling

Graphical summary

%support01020304050605/15/201810/10/201810/28/201811/5/2018DonnellyBraunBrentonOther/UndecidedOpinion polling for the 2018 United States S...
More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Joe
Donnelly (D)
Mike
Braun (R)
Lucy
Brenton (L)
Other Undecided
HarrisX[139] November 3–5, 2018 600 ± 4.0% 42% 43% – – –
HarrisX[140] November 2–4, 2018 600 ± 4.0% 43% 41% – – –
HarrisX[141] November 1–3, 2018 600 ± 4.0% 43% 42% – – –
HarrisX[142] October 31 – November 2, 2018 600 ± 4.0% 44% 42% – – –
HarrisX[143] October 30 – November 1, 2018 600 ± 4.0% 43% 43% – – –
HarrisX[144] October 29–31, 2018 600 ± 4.0% 40% 43% – – –
Fox News[145] October 27–30, 2018 722 LV ± 3.5% 45% 38% 5% 2% 9%
852 RV ± 3.0% 42% 38% 6% 2% 11%
HarrisX[146] October 24–30, 2018 1,400 ± 2.6% 42% 42% – – –
NBC News/Marist[147] October 24–28, 2018 496 LV ± 5.5% 45% 42% 7% <1% 5%
48% 46% – 2% 5%
800 RV ± 4.2% 43% 40% 9% <1% 7%
47% 45% – 2% 7%
Cygnal (R)[148] October 26–27, 2018 505 ± 4.4% 46% 49% – 3% 2%
YouGov[149] October 23–26, 2018 975 ± 3.7% 43% 46% 3% 0% 8%
Mason Strategies (R)[150] October 15–20, 2018 600 ± 3.9% 43% 47% 3% – 7%
American Viewpoint (R-Braun)[151] October 14–17, 2018 800 – 40% 44% 7% – 5%
SurveyUSA[152] October 12–16, 2018 816 ± 4.6% 41% 40% 8% – 11%
Gravis Marketing[153] October 12–16, 2018 377 ± 5.1% 44% 40% 7% – 10%
Vox Populi Polling[154] October 13–15, 2018 783 ± 3.5% 55% 45% – – –
American Viewpoint (R-Braun)[151] October 7–10, 2018 800 – 40% 44% 7% – 7%
American Viewpoint (R-Braun)[151] September 30 – October 3, 2018 800 – 39% 43% 7% – 5%
Fox News[155] September 29 – October 2, 2018 695 LV ± 3.5% 43% 41% 6% 2% 9%
806 RV ± 3.5% 41% 40% 6% 1% 10%
Ipsos[156] September 12–20, 2018 1,181 ± 3.0% 46% 43% – 3% 8%
Fox News[157] September 8–11, 2018 677 LV ± 3.5% 43% 45% 3% 1% 8%
804 RV ± 3.5% 42% 41% 4% 1% 10%
NBC News/Marist[158] August 26–29, 2018 576 LV ± 5.0% 44% 41% 8% 1% 6%
49% 43% – 2% 7%
816 RV ± 4.2% 43% 40% 8% 1% 8%
48% 42% – 2% 9%
Trafalgar Group (R)[159] July 31 – August 7, 2018 1,420 ± 2.6% 51% 39% – – 11%
SurveyMonkey/Axios[160] June 11 – July 2, 2018 952 ± 5.0% 47% 49% – – 4%
Gravis Marketing[161] May 10–15, 2018 400 ± 4.9% 46% 47% – – 7%
Close
Hypothetical polling

with Todd Rokita

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Joe
Donnelly (D)
Todd
Rokita (R)
Undecided
Gravis Marketing[61] April 6–11, 2018 411 ± 4.8% 50% 32% 18%
Close

with Luke Messer

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Joe
Donnelly (D)
Luke
Messer (R)
Undecided
Gravis Marketing[61] April 6–11, 2018 411 ± 4.8% 46% 36% 18%
Close

with generic Republican

More information Poll source, Date(s) administered ...
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Joe
Donnelly (D)
Generic
Republican
Undecided
SurveyMonkey/Axios[162] February 12 – March 5, 2018 1,809 ± 3.8% 45% 51% 4%
Close

Results

State House district results

On November 6, 2018, Braun won the general election.[163] He swept southern Indiana, the exurbs of Indianapolis, and most other rural areas in the state. Donnelly ran well behind his 2012 vote totals, winning only in Indianapolis, the university centers (Bloomington, Terre Haute, West Lafayette, South Bend), and the suburbs of Chicago in Northwest Indiana.[164]

More information Party, Candidate ...
United States Senate election in Indiana, 2018[165]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Braun 1,158,000 50.73% +6.45%
Democratic Joe Donnelly (incumbent) 1,023,553 44.84% −5.20%
Libertarian Lucy Brenton 100,942 4.42% −1.3%
Write-in 70 <0.00% N/A
Total votes 2,282,565 100.00% N/A
Republican gain from Democratic
Close

By county

Source[166]

More information County, Mike Braun Republican ...
County Mike Braun
Republican
Joe Donnelly
Democratic
Lucy Brenton
Libertarian
Margin Total
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
Adams 7,511 67.39% 3,146 28.23% 489 4.39% 4,365 39.16% 11,146
Allen 65,927 52.36% 55,903 44.40% 4,080 3.24% 10,024 7.96% 125,910
Bartholomew 15,222 57.41% 10,071 37.98% 1,223 4.61% 5,151 19.43% 26,516
Benton 1,926 64.98% 847 28.58% 191 6.44% 1,079 36.40% 2,964
Blackford 2,303 59.39% 1,275 32.88% 300 7.74% 1,028 26.51% 3,878
Boone 15,540 56.43% 10,981 39.87% 1,019 3.70% 4,559 16.55% 27,540
Brown 4,103 57.07% 2,768 38.50% 318 4.42% 1,335 18.57% 7,189
Carroll 4,518 65.35% 2,071 29.95% 325 4.70% 2,447 35.39% 6,914
Cass 6,617 57.79% 4,061 35.47% 772 6.74% 2,556 22.32% 11,450
Clark 22,766 52.60% 18,551 42.86% 1,967 4.54% 4,215 9.74% 43,284
Clay 6,207 66.91% 2,601 28.04% 469 5.06% 3,606 38.87% 9,277
Clinton 5,967 64.81% 2,755 29.92% 485 5.27% 3,212 34.89% 9,207
Crawford 2,252 56.83% 1,504 37.95% 207 5.22% 748 18.87% 3,963
Daviess 6,555 75.01% 1,901 21.75% 283 3.24% 4,654 53.26% 8,739
Dearborn 13,287 72.79% 4,481 24.55% 487 2.67% 8,806 48.24% 18,255
Decatur 6,246 69.35% 2,287 25.39% 473 5.25% 3,959 43.96% 9,006
DeKalb 9,167 65.80% 4,204 30.18% 561 4.03% 4,963 35.62% 13,932
Delaware 17,447 46.27% 18,159 48.16% 2,099 5.57% -712 -1.89% 37,705
Dubois 11,204 65.42% 5,264 30.74% 658 3.84% 5,940 34.68% 17,126
Elkhart 31,164 57.83% 21,062 39.09% 1,661 3.08% 10,102 18.75% 53,887
Fayette 4,704 63.02% 2,295 30.75% 465 6.23% 2,409 32.27% 7,464
Floyd 16,588 52.12% 14,070 44.21% 1,167 3.67% 2,518 7.91% 31,825
Fountain 4,060 69.18% 1,496 25.49% 313 5.33% 2,564 43.69% 5,869
Franklin 5,614 75.54% 1,619 21.78% 199 2.68% 3,995 53.75% 7,432
Fulton 4,154 59.28% 2,539 36.23% 315 4.49% 1,615 23.05% 7,008
Gibson 8,040 64.26% 4,001 31.98% 471 3.76% 4,039 32.28% 12,512
Grant 12,393 61.76% 6,745 33.61% 929 4.63% 5,648 28.15% 20,067
Greene 6,949 64.50% 3,313 30.75% 511 4.74% 3,636 33.75% 10,773
Hamilton 72,325 52.38% 61,337 44.42% 4,410 3.19% 10,988 7.96% 138,072
Hancock 19,097 63.10% 9,770 32.28% 1,399 4.62% 9,327 30.82% 30,266
Harrison 9,847 63.05% 5,131 32.86% 639 4.09% 4,716 30.20% 15,617
Hendricks 36,966 58.85% 23,599 37.57% 2,247 3.58% 13,367 21.28% 62,812
Henry 9,569 60.98% 5,171 32.95% 953 6.07% 4,398 28.03% 15,693
Howard 16,736 57.18% 11,159 38.12% 1,376 4.70% 5,577 19.05% 29,271
Huntington 8,879 67.22% 3,699 28.00% 631 4.78% 5,180 39.22% 13,209
Jackson 9,431 65.43% 4,198 29.12% 785 5.45% 5,233 36.30% 14,414
Jasper 6,987 66.00% 3,278 30.97% 321 3.03% 3,709 35.04% 10,586
Jay 3,990 63.42% 1,933 30.73% 368 5.85% 2,057 32.70% 6,291
Jefferson 6,345 56.44% 4,313 38.37% 584 5.19% 2,032 18.08% 11,242
Jennings 5,921 64.72% 2,686 29.36% 542 5.92% 3,235 35.36% 9,149
Johnson 32,540 62.70% 17,479 33.68% 1,883 3.63% 15,061 29.02% 51,902
Knox 7,876 62.38% 3,977 31.50% 772 6.11% 3,899 30.88% 12,625
Kosciusko 18,558 70.34% 6,801 25.78% 1,022 3.87% 11,757 44.57% 26,381
LaGrange 5,183 67.49% 2,217 28.87% 280 3.65% 2,966 38.62% 7,680
Lake 54,564 33.62% 104,390 64.32% 3,340 2.06% -49,826 -30.70% 162,294
LaPorte 16,008 42.98% 20,014 53.73% 1,225 3.29% -4,006 -10.76% 37,247
Lawrence 10,274 66.30% 4,434 28.61% 788 5.09% 5,840 37.69% 15,496
Madison 22,841 51.83% 18,701 42.44% 2,526 5.73% 4,140 9.39% 44,068
Marion 98,385 32.04% 197,880 64.43% 10,840 3.53% -99,495 -32.40% 307,105
Marshall 8,747 58.71% 5,619 37.71% 533 3.58% 3,128 20.99% 14,899
Martin 2,997 69.31% 1,127 26.06% 200 4.63% 1,870 43.25% 4,324
Miami 6,975 67.30% 2,862 27.61% 527 5.08% 4,113 39.69% 10,364
Monroe 15,540 29.94% 34,193 65.87% 2,174 4.19% -18,653 -35.94% 51,907
Montgomery 8,362 66.69% 3,518 28.06% 659 5.26% 4,844 38.63% 12,539
Morgan 17,539 69.72% 6,471 25.72% 1,148 4.56% 11,068 43.99% 25,158
Newton 2,966 65.00% 1,402 30.73% 195 4.27% 1,564 34.28% 4,563
Noble 8,993 65.70% 4,132 30.18% 564 4.12% 4,861 35.51% 13,689
Ohio 1,586 66.22% 747 31.19% 62 2.59% 839 35.03% 2,395
Orange 4,353 64.28% 2,135 31.53% 284 4.19% 2,218 32.75% 6,772
Owen 4,601 63.96% 2,210 30.72% 383 5.32% 2,391 33.24% 7,194
Parke 3,532 66.12% 1,499 28.06% 311 5.82% 2,033 38.06% 5,342
Perry 3,450 48.25% 3,364 47.04% 337 4.71% 86 1.20% 7,151
Pike 3,235 62.71% 1,679 32.55% 245 4.75% 1,556 30.16% 5,159
Porter 29,368 45.32% 33,390 51.53% 2,037 3.14% -4,022 -6.21% 64,795
Posey 6,324 59.44% 3,881 36.48% 435 4.09% 2,443 22.96% 10,640
Pulaski 2,583 59.26% 1,617 37.10% 159 3.65% 966 22.16% 4,359
Putnam 7,814 65.67% 3,512 29.52% 573 4.82% 4,302 36.15% 11,899
Randolph 5,138 63.35% 2,467 30.42% 505 6.23% 2,671 32.93% 8,110
Ripley 6,880 72.66% 2,350 24.82% 239 2.52% 4,530 47.84% 9,469
Rush 3,991 65.61% 1,690 27.78% 402 6.61% 2,301 37.83% 6,083
St. Joseph 36,456 39.08% 53,758 57.63% 3,073 3.29% -17,302 -18.55% 93,287
Scott 4,241 55.34% 3,113 40.62% 309 4.03% 1,128 14.72% 7,663
Shelby 9,340 64.78% 4,333 30.05% 745 5.17% 5,007 34.73% 14,418
Spencer 5,202 58.61% 3,218 36.26% 455 5.13% 1,984 22.35% 8,875
Starke 4,149 54.71% 3,119 41.13% 316 4.17% 1,030 13.58% 7,584
Steuben 7,839 64.39% 3,864 31.74% 472 3.88% 3,975 32.65% 12,175
Sullivan 4,340 58.66% 2,663 36.00% 395 5.34% 1,677 22.67% 7,398
Switzerland 1,874 64.07% 936 32.00% 115 3.93% 938 32.07% 2,925
Tippecanoe 22,649 44.02% 26,376 51.26% 2,431 4.72% -3,727 -7.24% 51,456
Tipton 4,062 66.30% 1,734 28.30% 331 5.40% 2,328 38.00% 6,127
Union 1,749 69.85% 682 27.24% 73 2.92% 1,067 42.61% 2,504
Vanderburgh 29,375 50.20% 27,183 46.45% 1,962 3.35% 2,192 3.75% 58,520
Vermillion 3,002 53.68% 2,198 39.31% 392 7.01% 804 14.38% 5,592
Vigo 14,813 46.79% 15,171 47.92% 1,674 5.29% -358 -1.13% 31,658
Wabash 7,658 67.78% 3,159 27.96% 482 4.27% 4,499 39.82% 11,299
Warren 2,208 67.34% 914 27.87% 157 4.79% 1,294 39.46% 3,279
Warrick 14,010 57.50% 9,594 39.37% 762 3.13% 4,416 18.12% 24,366
Washington 6,127 65.31% 2,806 29.91% 448 4.78% 3,321 35.40% 9,381
Wayne 11,241 56.88% 7,482 37.86% 1,039 5.26% 3,759 19.02% 19,762
Wells 7,819 71.79% 2,694 24.73% 379 3.48% 5,125 47.05% 10,892
White 5,100 60.05% 2,739 32.25% 654 7.70% 2,361 27.80% 8,493
Whitley 9,019 67.39% 3,818 28.53% 547 4.09% 5,201 38.86% 13,384
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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Braun won six of nine congressional districts, with Donnelly winning the other three, including one held by a Republican.[167]

More information District, Donnelly ...
District Donnelly Braun Elected
representative
1st 61% 37% Pete Visclosky
2nd 45% 51% Jackie Walorski
3rd 37% 60% Jim Banks
4th 37% 58% Jim Baird
5th 48.4% 47.9% Susan Brooks
6th 34% 61% Greg Pence
7th 65% 32% André Carson
8th 38% 57% Larry Bucshon
9th 41% 54% Trey Hollingsworth
Close

Analysis

Voter demographics

More information Demographic subgroup, Donnelly ...
Edison Research exit poll
Demographic subgroup Donnelly Braun No
Answer
% of
voters
Gender
Men 40 57 3 49
Women 49 46 5 51
Age
18–29 years old 48 45 7 13
30–44 years old 49 43 8 20
45–64 years old 44 54 3 39
65 and older 41 57 1 28
Race
White 40 56 4 86
Black 88 11 1 8
Latino 71 22 6 3
Asian N/A N/A N/A 1
Other N/A N/A N/A 2
Race by gender
White men 35 62 3 42
White women 44 51 5 44
Black men 82 15 2 4
Black women 95 5 0 4
Latino men N/A N/A N/A 1
Latina women N/A N/A N/A 2
Others N/A N/A N/A 2
Education
High school or less 40 56 4 23
Some college education 40 54 6 26
Associate degree 41 55 4 13
Bachelor's degree 46 51 3 22
Advanced degree 61 36 2 16
Education and race
White college graduates 49 48 3 34
White no college degree 33 62 5 53
Non-white college graduates 80 19 2 4
Non-white no college degree 76 20 4 10
Whites by education and gender
White women with college degrees 57 39 4 17
White women without college degrees 36 59 6 27
White men with college degrees 41 57 2 17
White men without college degrees 31 65 4 26
Non-whites 77 20 3 14
Income
Under $30,000 49 44 8 15
$30,000–49,999 46 49 4 23
$50,000–99,999 44 55 2 35
$100,000–199,999 44 52 4 22
Over $200,000 N/A N/A N/A 5
Party ID
Democrats 92 6 2 29
Republicans 8 90 2 39
Independents 47 44 9 31
Party by gender
Democratic men 92 6 2 12
Democratic women 93 5 2 18
Republican men 8 91 1 19
Republican women 8 90 2 20
Independent men 42 52 7 18
Independent women 55 33 12 13
Ideology
Liberals 86 8 6 20
Moderates 59 37 5 40
Conservatives 10 88 2 40
Marital status
Married 43 54 3 61
Unmarried 51 46 3 39
Gender by marital status
Married men 38 60 2 31
Married women 48 49 3 30
Unmarried men 42 53 5 19
Unmarried women 61 39 1 20
First-time midterm election voter
Yes 41 53 6 15
No 46 51 3 85
Most important issue facing the country
Health care 70 26 4 41
Immigration 10 85 5 27
Economy 31 66 3 21
Gun policy 66 31 3 8
Area type
Urban 63 33 4 31
Suburban 44 53 3 44
Rural 37 58 5 25
Source: CNN[168]
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Notes

  1. Curtis Hill* 4%; Mark Hurt†, Terry Henderson†, and Andrew Takami† with 1%. *Hypothetical candidate. †Withdrawn.

References

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