2010_United_States_Senate_election_in_Indiana
2010 United States Senate election in Indiana
U.S. Senate election in Indiana
The 2010 United States Senate election in Indiana took place on November 2, 2010, alongside 33 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 to fill Indiana's class III United States Senate seat. Incumbent Democratic Senator Evan Bayh decided in February 2010 to retire instead of seeking a third term shortly after Dan Coats announced his candidacy.[1] Bayh's announcement came one day before the filing deadline and no Democratic candidate submitted enough signatures by the deadline to run, so the State Democratic Party chose U.S. Congressman Brad Ellsworth as their nominee. The Libertarian Party nominated YMCA instructor Rebecca Sink-Burris, who had previously unsuccessfully run for this seat in 1998. Coats won the open seat; having previously held it from 1989 to 1999. Bayh later unsuccessfully ran for this seat again in 2016.
Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...
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 County results Coats: 40–50% 50–60%. 60–70% 70–80% Ellsworth: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Close
Senate candidates in Indiana were required to have submitted 500 signatures from each of the state's nine congressional districts by February 16, 2010, one day after Bayh announced his retirement. Democratic leaders thought the popular incumbent would run for reelection, and as a result, no Democratic candidate had submitted the requisite signatures by the deadline to run in the state's primary, meaning that the Indiana Democratic Party's executive committee chose the party's nominee.[2] U.S. congressman Brad Ellsworth was officially selected on May 15.[3]
Candidates
- Don Bates, businessman
- Richard Behney, businessman
- Dan Coats, former U.S. Senator[4]
- John Hostettler, former U.S. Representative
- Marlin Stutzman, State Senator
Debates
Endorsements
Coats
Notable Individuals and Organizations endorsing Dan Coats
- U.S. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona[10]
- U.S. Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana[11]
- Former United States Secretary of Education Bill Bennett[12]
- National Republican Senatorial Committee[13]
- Founder of Focus on the Family James Dobson[14]
- The Journal Gazette[15]
- Elizabeth Cheney
Hostettler
Notable Individuals and Organizations endorsing John Hostettler
- U.S. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas[16]
- Former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas[17]
- Former U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado[18]
- Team America PAC[19]
- Republican Liberty Caucus[20]
- Gun Owners of America[21]
- Indiana's Conservative Hardball Blog
Stutzman
Notable Individuals and Organizations endorsing Marlin Stutzman
- Former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas
- U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC)[22]
- U.S. Congressman Mark E. Souder[23]
- State Senator David C. Long[24]
- Chairman of the American Conservative Union David Keene
Polling
More information Poll Source, Date(s)administered ...
| Poll Source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of Error |
Dan Coats |
John Hostettler |
Marlin Stutzman |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA (report) | April 29, 2010 | 407 | ± 5.0% | 36% | 24% | 18% | 10% | 13% |
Close
Results
Coats
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
- 40–50%
- <40%
Stutzman
- <40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Hostettler
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Coats | 217,225 | 39.5% | |
| Republican | Marlin Stutzman | 160,981 | 29.2% | |
| Republican | John Hostettler | 124,494 | 22.6% | |
| Republican | Don Bates Jr. | 24,664 | 4.5% | |
| Republican | Richard Behney | 23,005 | 4.2% | |
| Total votes | 550,369 | 100.0% | ||
Close
Candidates
- Brad Ellsworth (D), U.S. Representative
- Dan Coats (R), former U.S. Senator
- Rebecca Sink-Burris (L), teacher and small business owner
Campaign
After Coats' win in the Republican primary, Ellsworth began to heavily criticize Coats for his ties to lobbyists. He called for more disclosure of the meetings lawmakers have with lobbyists, banning congressional staff from lobbying for six years after their congressional jobs, requiring Congress members to put all their investments in blind trusts, more disclosure of Senate candidates' personal financial information, and changes to the U.S. Senate filibuster rules. He proposed lowering number of votes required to break a filibuster to 55 from the current 60.[26] In response to Ellsworth's charges, Coats published his lobbying record in an 815-page document.[27]
Coats emphasized the individual issues rather than ethic reforms advocated by his opponent. He focused on Ellsworth's record of voting in support of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, cap and trade legislation, and health care bill. Coats opinion of the healthcare law was that "the only responsible solution ... is to repeal the Obama-Pelosi-Ellsworth health spending bill and quickly replace it with cost-effective, incremental pieces that will decrease costs, increase coverage and not break the bank."[28]
Debates
The three candidates took part in three televised debates. [29]
- Monday, October 11, in Indianapolis
- Friday, October 22, in Fort Wayne
- Monday, October 25, in Vincennes
Predictions
More information Source, Ranking ...
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[30] | Safe R (flip) | October 30, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[31] | Lean R (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[32] | Likely R (flip) | October 30, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[33] | Likely R (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[34] | Safe R (flip) | October 30, 2010 |
Close
Polling
More information Poll source, Date(s)administered ...
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Dan Coats (R) |
Brad Ellsworth (D) |
Other | Unde cided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | February 16–17, 2010 | 500 | ± 3.5% | 46% | 32% | 7% | 15% |
| Research 2000 | February 22–24, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 37% | 36% | — | 27% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 17–18, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 49% | 34% | 6% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 13–14, 2010 | 500 | ± 3.5% | 54% | 33% | 5% | 9% |
| SurveyUSA | April 22–26, 2010 | 407 | ± 5.0% | 47% | 31% | — | 22% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 5–6, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 51% | 36% | 6% | 8% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 2–3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 47% | 33% | 7% | 14% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 7–8, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 51% | 30% | 6% | 12% |
| The Polling Company | July 11–15, 2010 | 502 | ± 4.2% | 51% | 25% | — | 14% |
| The Polling Company | July 31 – August 3, 2010 | 502 | ± 4.2% | 50% | 35% | — | 14% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 4–7, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 50% | 29% | 7% | 14% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 14–15, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 50% | 34% | 8% | 9% |
| WISH-TV/EPIC-MRA Archived October 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | September 29 – October 1, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 51% | 33% | 5% | 11% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 20, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 52% | 34% | 5% | 9% |
| WISH-TV/EPIC-MRA Archived October 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine | October 19–21, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 53% | 35% | 5% | 7% |
| SurveyUSA | October 21–25, 2010 | 1,600 | ± 3.0% | 54% | 32% | 7% | 3% |
| Indiana Times | October 29, 2010 | 1,600 | ± 3.0% | 60% | 32% | 4% | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 30 – November 1, 2010 | 1,600 | ± 3.0% | 60% | 39% | 4% | 3% |
Close
Fundraising
More information Candidate (Party), Receipts ...
| Candidate (Party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash On Hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Coats (R) | $4,408,537 | $3,384,413 | $1,024,123 | $185,500 |
| Brad Ellsworth (D) | $2,256,505 | $2,369,943 | $119,329 | $22,726 |
| Rebecca Sink-Burris (L) | $7,331 | $2,175 | $5,351 | $0 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[35] | ||||
Close
Results
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Coats | 952,116 | 54.58% | +17.35% | |
| Democratic | Brad Ellsworth | 697,775 | 40.00% | -21.65% | |
| Libertarian | Rebecca Sink-Burris | 94,330 | 5.41% | +4.28% | |
| Write-in | 260 | 0.01% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 1,744,481 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Close
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Delaware (largest city: Muncie)
- Porter (largest city: Portage)
- Madison (largest city: Anderson)
- Spencer (largest city: Santa Claus)
- Starke (largest city: Knox)
- Tippecanoe (largest city: Lafayette)
- Vanderburgh (largest city: Evansville)
- Scott (Largest city: Scottsburg)
- Blackford (Largest city: Hartford City)
- Clark (Largest city: Jeffersonville)
- Crawford (Largest city: Marengo)
- Floyd (Largest city: New Albany)
- Gibson (Largest city: Princeton)
- Jefferson (Largest city: Madison)
- Knox (Largest city: Vincennes)
- Pike (Largest city: Petersburg)
- Posey (Largest city: Mount Vernon)
- Switzerland (Largest city: Vevay)
- Warrick (Largest city: Boonville)
- Adams (Largest city: Decatur)
- Allen (Largest city: Fort Wayne)
- Bartholomew (Largest city: Columbus)
- Benton (Largest city: Fowler)
- Brown (Largest city: Nashville)
- Carroll (Largest city: Delphi)
- Cass (Largest city: Logansport)
- Clay (Largest city: Brazil)
- Clinton (Largest city: Frankfort)
- Daviess (Largest city: Washington)
- Decatur (Largest city: Greensburg)
- DeKalb (Largest city: Auburn)
- Dubois (Largest city: Jasper)
- Elkhart (Largest city: Elkhart)
- Fayette (Largest city: Connersville)
- Fountain (Largest city: Attica)
- Franklin (Largest city: Brookville)
- Fulton (Largest city: Rochester)
- Grant (Largest city: Marion)
- Greene (Largest city: Linton)
- Hancock (Largest city: Greenfield)
- Harrison (Largest city: Corydon)
- Henry (Largest city: New Castle)
- Howard (Largest city: Kokomo)
- Huntington (Largest city: Huntington)
- Jackson (Largest city: Seymour)
- Jay (Largest city: Portland)
- Jennings (Largest city: North Vernon)
- Johnson (Largest city: Greenwood)
- LaGrange (Largest city: LaGrange)
- Lawrence (Largest city: Bedford)
- Marshall (Largest city: Plymouth)
- Martin (Largest city: Loogootee)
- Miami (Largest city: Peru)
- Montgomery (Largest city: Crawfordsville)
- Morgan (Largest city: Martinsville)
- Newton (Largest city: Kentland)
- Noble (Largest city: Kendallville)
- Ohio (Largest city: Rising Sun)
- Orange (Largest city: Paoli)
- Owen (Largest city: Spencer)
- Parke (Largest city: Rockville)
- Pulaski (Largest city: Winamac)
- Putnam (Largest city: Greencastle)
- Randolph (Largest city: Winchester)
- Ripley (Largest city: Batesville)
- Rush (Largest city: Rushville)
- St. Joseph (Largest city: South Bend)
- Shelby (Largest city: Shelbyville)
- Steuben (Largest city: Angola)
- Tipton (Largest city: Tipton)
- Union (Largest city: Liberty)
- Wabash (Largest city: Wabash)
- Warren (Largest city: Williamsport)
- Washington (Largest city: Salem)
- Wayne (Largest city: Richmond)
- Wells (Largest city: Bluffton)
- White (Largest city: Monticello)
- Whitley (Largest city: Columbia City)
- Fritze, John (February 15, 2010). "Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh Drops Out". USA Today. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
- Miller, Sean J. (February 16, 2010). "Republicans furious about timing of Bayh's retirement announcement". The Hill. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- "Dems make Ellsworth official pick to face Coats". Associated Press. May 15, 2010.
- "Former Sen. Coats to Challenge Sen. Bayh". Howey Politics Indiana. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- Olsen, Eric. "GOP Senate candidates Square Off in Warsaw | RELATED LINK » Indiana News Center". indiananewscenter.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- Staff Report. "GOP Senate candidates to debate in Evansville | RELATED LINK » Evansville Courier & Press". Courierpress.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- Dick, Gerry (March 30, 2010). "Franklin College to Host GOP Senate Candidates". Inside Indiana Business. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- Langhorne, Thomas B. "Debate commission locks in Indiana Senate contenders | LINK » Evansville Courier & Press". Courierpress.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "2010 U.S. Senate Republican Primary - Indiana Debate Commission (04-20-10)". Youtube.com. IndianaDebate. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- Giroux, Greg (March 11, 2010). "Kyl Maxes Out To Coats – The Eye (CQ Politics)". Blogs.cqpolitics.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "Rep. Pence statement on Sen. Coats". Wane.com. February 3, 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- Heflin, Jay (June 10, 2010). "Chris Dickson". Chrisdickson.blogspot.com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "GOP rivals take aim at Coats' Senate record". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
- Giroux, Greg (April 19, 2010). "Indiana: Dobson For Coats, Keene For Stutzman – The Eye (CQ Politics)". Blogs.cqpolitics.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "Coats tops field | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN". The Journal Gazette. April 18, 2010. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- W. James Antle III on 4.16.10 @ 3:46PM (April 16, 2010). "The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Ron Paul Endorses John Hostettler in IN Senate Race". Spectator.org. Archived from the original on April 22, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "Niet compatibele browser". Facebook. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "2010 RLC Endorsements — Indiana | Republican Liberty Caucus". Rlc.org. Archived from the original on May 3, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "Dan Coats, Gun Control and the Indiana Senate Primary". Gunowners.org. February 11, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "Fox Exclusive: DeMint Backs Stutzman « Liveshots". Liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com. April 20, 2010. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "Candidate – Mark E. Souder". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "Candidate – David C. Long". Our Campaigns. May 4, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico.Com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- "Brad Ellsworth | Ellsworth for Indiana U.S. Senate Campaign | News". Ellsworthforindiana2010.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "Dan Coats for Indiana" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 26, 2011.
- "Dan Coats for Indiana". Coatsforindiana.com. June 16, 2010. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- "Schedule for U.S. Senate debates" (PDF). Indiana Debate Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
- "Senate". Cook Political Report. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- "Senate Ratings". Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- "Battle for the Senate". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- "2010 Senate Ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- "Race Ratings Chart: Senate". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
- "2010 House and Senate Campaign Finance for Indiana". fec.gov. Retrieved July 25, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- "INDIANA November 2, 2010 General Election". Indiana Voters.
- Indiana Secretary of State Elections Division
- U.S. Congress candidates for Indiana at Project Vote Smart
- Indiana U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions from Open Secrets
- Indiana Polls graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: Indiana Senate from Rasmussen Reports
- 2010 Indiana Senate Race from Real Clear Politics
- 2010 Indiana Senate Race from CQ Politics
- Race profile from The New York Times
- Debates
- Indiana Senate Republican Primary Debate, C-SPAN, April 20, 2010
- Official candidate sites (Archived)