2016 Indiana gubernatorial election


The 2016 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor and governor of Indiana">Governor of Indiana">governor of Indiana, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on May 3, 2016. Republican lieutenant governor Eric Holcomb won the race with 51.4% of the vote.
Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Pence was running for reelection to a second term in office until July 15, 2016, when then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump selected Pence as his vice presidential running mate. As Pence was barred by Indiana law from simultaneously running for both offices, he subsequently withdrew from the gubernatorial election. Pence went on to be elected Vice President of the United States. He was replaced on the ballot for governor by his former running mate, incumbent lieutenant governor Eric Holcomb, who was selected by the Indiana Republican State Committee as the nominee on July 26, 2016. Holcomb later selected State Auditor Suzanne Crouch on August 1, 2016, to be his running mate as the nomination for lieutenant governor was made vacant by the decision of Holcomb to seek the gubernatorial nomination; she was confirmed at a subsequent meeting of the Indiana Republican State Committee later that day.
John Gregg, the former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, was the Democratic nominee. Gregg previously ran for Governor in 2012, but was defeated by Pence.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Republican State Committee selection

On July 15, 2016, Donald Trump announced that Pence would be his running mate as vice president in the 2016 presidential election. Under Indiana law, Pence was unable to run for both governor and vice president simultaneously; he therefore withdrew from the gubernatorial election, creating a vacancy on the Republican ticket. On July 26, the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, Jeff Cardwell, announced that Eric Holcomb had been nominated by the Indiana Republican State Committee to replace Pence on the ballot for governor. The vote totals were not released. Holcomb later selected Suzanne Crouch on August 1, 2016, to be his running mate as the nomination for lieutenant governor was made vacant by the decision of Holcomb to seek the gubernatorial nomination; she was then confirmed by the Committee at a meeting later that day.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn

Declined

Libertarian Party convention

Candidates

Declared

Nominated

  • Rex Bell, businessman
  • *Running mate: Karl Tatgenhorst

General election

Candidates

Debates

Polling

Aggregate polls

Source of poll
aggregation		Dates
administered		Dates
updated		Eric
Holcomb 		John
Gregg 		Other/Undecided
Margin
Real Clear PoliticsOctober 27 – November 3, 2016November 3, 201640.7%44.0%15.3%Gregg +3.3%

Graphical summary

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Eric
Holcomb 		John
Gregg 		Rex
Bell 		Undecided
SurveyMonkeyNovember 1–7, 20161,700± 4.6%47%49%–4%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 31 – November 6, 20161,383± 4.6%46%49%–5%
WTHR/HoweyNovember 1–3, 2016600± 4.0%42%42%5%11%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 28 – November 3, 2016923± 4.6%47%47%–6%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 27 – November 2, 2016790± 4.6%48%47%–5%
Gravis MarketingOctober 30 – November 1, 2016399± 4.9%38%42%4%16%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 26 – November 1, 2016638± 4.6%49%47%–4%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 25–31, 2016674± 4.6%47%48%–5%
Monmouth UniversityOctober 27–30, 2016402± 4.9%42%48%4%5%
Gravis MarketingOctober 22–24, 2016596± 2.3%38%42%4%16%
Ball State University (PSRAI)October 10–16, 2016544± 4.8%43%48%––
Monmouth UniversityOctober 11–13, 2016402± 4.9%38%50%4%7%
BK Strategies October 11–13, 2016800± 3.5%42%42%3%13%
WTHR/HoweyOctober 3–5, 2016600± 4.0%39%41%5%15%
WTHR/HoweySeptember 6–8, 2016600± 4.0%35%40%6%19%
Monmouth UniversityAugust 13–16, 2016403± 4.9%42%41%4%13%
Expedition Strategies August 1–3, 2016600± 4.0%39%46%6%9%
The Tarrance GroupJuly 20–21, 2016503± 4.4%34%42%–24%

with Mike Pence

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Mike
Pence 		John
Gregg 		OtherUndecided
Bellwether ResearchMay 11–15, 2016600± 4.0%40%36%—24%
WTHR/HoweyApril 18–21, 2016500± 4.3%49%45%1%5%
Bellwether ResearchMay 29–June 3, 2015800± 3.5%40%41%—19%
Bellwether ResearchApril 12–14, 2015607± 4.0%43%37%—21%
GQR ResearchApril 7–9, 2015500± 4.4%47%47%—6%

with Susan Brooks

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Susan
Brooks 		John
Gregg 		OtherUndecided
The Tarrance GroupJuly 20–21, 2016503± 4.4%36%41%—23%

with Todd Rokita

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Todd
Rokita 		John
Gregg 		OtherUndecided
The Tarrance GroupJuly 20–21, 2016503± 4.4%36%41%—23%
Public Opinion StrategiesJuly 16–18, 2016600± 4.0%45%43%—12%

with Baron Hill

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Mike
Pence 		Baron
Hill 		Undecided
Bellwether ResearchApril 12–14, 2015607± 4%43%36%21%

with Glenda Ritz

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Mike
Pence 		Glenda
Ritz 		OtherUndecided
Bellwether ResearchMay 29–June 3, 2015800± 3.5%42%42%—16%
Bellwether ResearchApril 12–14, 2015607± 4%42%39%—18%

Results

Holcomb won with 51.4% of the votes, with Gregg taking 45.4%, and Libertarian Rex Bell finishing with 3.2%.

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Holcomb won seven of nine congressional districts.
DistrictHolcombGreggRepresentative
36%62%Pete Visclosky
53%43%Jackie Walorski
60%37%Marlin Stutzman
58%39%Todd Rokita
52%45%Susan Brooks
59%36%Luke Messer
34%63%André Carson
52%45%Larry Bucshon
56%41%Todd Young