2010 United States 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 U.S. Senator Evan Bayh decided in February 2010 to retire instead of seeking a third term shortly after Republican former U.S. Senator Dan Coats, announced his candidacy for Bayh's contested seat.[2] 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 run against Evan Bayh in the 1998 United States Senate election in Indiana but with less success than in this election. Coats won the open seat.

2010 United States Senate election in Indiana
November 2, 2010
 
Nominee Dan Coats Brad Ellsworth Rebecca Sink-Burris
Party Republican Democratic Libertarian
Popular vote 952,116 697,775 94,330
Percentage 54.6% 40.0% 5.4%
Results by county
Coats:
     40–50%      50–60%.      60–70%      70–80%
Ellsworth:      40-50%      50–60%
U.S. senator before election

Evan Bayh
Democratic

 Elected U.S. Senator

Dan Coats[1]
Republican

Elections in Indiana
Federal government
U.S. President
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
State government
State elections
Gubernatorial elections
State Senate elections
State House of Representatives elections
Evansville
Mayoral Elections
Fort Wayne
Mayoral Elections
Gary
Mayoral Elections
Indianapolis
Mayoral Elections
Before Unigov
Unigov-era
City-County Council Elections
South Bend
Mayoral Elections

Democratic nomination

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.[3] U.S. congressman Brad Ellsworth was officially selected on May 15.[4]

Republican primary

Candidates

Debates

Coats
Notable Individuals and Organizations endorsing Dan Coats

Hostettler
Notable Individuals and Organizations endorsing John Hostettler

Stutzman
Notable Individuals and Organizations endorsing Marlin Stutzman

Polling
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%

Results
Republican Primary results[26]
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%

General election

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.[27] In response to Ellsworth's charges, Coats published his lobbying record in an 815-page document.[28]

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."[29]

Debates

The three candidates took part in three televised debates. [30]

  • Monday, October 11, in Indianapolis
  • Friday, October 22, in Fort Wayne
  • Monday, October 25, in Vincennes

Predictions
Source Ranking As of
Cook Political Report[31] Safe R (flip) October 30, 2010
Rothenberg[32] Lean R (flip) October 28, 2010
RealClearPolitics[33] Likely R (flip) October 30, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[34] Likely R (flip) October 28, 2010
CQ Politics[35] Safe R (flip) October 30, 2010

Polling
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 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 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%

Fundraising
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[36]

Results
General election results[37]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Dan Coats 952,116 54.60% +17.37%
Democratic Brad Ellsworth 697,775 40.01% -21.64%
Libertarian Rebecca Sink-Burris 94,330 5.39% +4.27%
Majority 254,341 14.58%
Total votes 1,743,921 100.00%
Republican gain from Democratic Swing

See also

References
  1. "Dan Coats Defeats Brad Ellsworth In Indiana Senate Race". Huffington Post. November 2, 2010.
  2. Fritze, John (February 15, 2010). "Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh Drops Out". USA Today. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
  3. Miller, Sean J. (February 16, 2010). "Republicans furious about timing of Bayh's retirement announcement". The Hill. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  4. "Dems make Ellsworth official pick to face Coats". Associated Press. May 15, 2010.
  5. "Former Sen. Coats to Challenge Sen. Bayh". Howey Politics Indiana. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  6. 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.
  7. Report, Staff. "GOP Senate candidates to debate in Evansville | RELATED LINK » Evansville Courier & Press". Courierpress.com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  8. InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report (March 30, 2010). "Franklin College to Host GOP Senate Candidates – Newsroom – Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick". Insideindianabusiness.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  9. Langhorne, Thomas B. "Debate commission locks in Indiana Senate contenders | LINK » Evansville Courier & Press". Courierpress.com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  10. 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.
  11. "Rep. Pence statement on Sen. Coats". Wane.com. February 3, 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  12. Heflin, Jay (June 10, 2010). "Chris Dickson". Chrisdickson.blogspot.com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  13. "GOP rivals take aim at Coats' Senate record". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  14. 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.
  15. "Coats tops field | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN". The Journal Gazette. April 18, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  16. 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.
  17. "Niet compatibele browser". Facebook. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  18. "Home". Team America PAC. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  19. "Home". Team America PAC. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  20. "2010 RLC Endorsements — Indiana | Republican Liberty Caucus". Rlc.org. Archived from the original on May 3, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  21. "Dan Coats, Gun Control and the Indiana Senate Primary". Gunowners.org. February 11, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  22. "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.
  23. "Candidate – Mark E. Souder". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  24. "Candidate – David C. Long". Our Campaigns. May 4, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  25. "Marlin Stutzman Gets Big Endorsement". RedState. February 21, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  26. "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico.Com. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  27. "Brad Ellsworth | Ellsworth for Indiana U.S. Senate Campaign | News". Ellsworthforindiana2010.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  28. "Dan Coats for Indiana" (PDF). Archived from the original on July 26, 2011.
  29. "Dan Coats for Indiana". Coatsforindiana.com. June 16, 2010. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  30. "Schedule for U.S. Senate debates" (PDF). Indiana Debate Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  31. "Senate". Cook Political Report. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  32. "Senate Ratings". Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  33. "Battle for the Senate". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  34. "2010 Senate Ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  35. "Race Ratings Chart: Senate". CQ Politics. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  36. "2010 House and Senate Campaign Finance for Indiana". fec.gov. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  37. Secretary of State : Elections Division: Election Foundation Wide
Debates
Official candidate sites (Archived)
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