INDIANA
     Nov. 6, 2018 U.S. Senate

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+Mike Braun (R)
1,158,000
50.73%
Joe Donnelly (D) i
1,023,553
44.84%
Lucy Brenton (L)
100.942
4.42%
write-ins (3)
70
0.0%

2,282,565

Registered voters: 4,536,326.  Voters voting: 2,229,619.
Plurality: 134,447 votes (5.89 percentage points)

 IN Secretary of State




REPUBLICAN PICK-UP
Notes:
Sen. Joe Donnelly (D), seeking a third term, was seen as among the most vulnerable Senators seeking re-election; in 2016, Trump easily won Indiana's 11 electoral votes, gaining a margin of 524,160 votes (19.17 percentage points).  Donnelly faced Mike Braun, president and CEO of Jasper-based Meyer Distributing (auto parts distributor), and Lucy Brenton (L), who also ran for Senate in 2016.

The May 8 Republican primary was a very contentious affair (>); Braun won 41.2% of the vote, defeating two congressmen, U.S. Reps. Todd Rokita (30.0%) and Luke Messer (28.8%) in what USA Today described as a "huge upset."  Braun loaned his campaign millions, spending at least $4.5 million in winning the primary.  In addition to his business career, he was elected to the State House in 2014 and 2016, but resigned his seat effective Nov. 1, 2017 to focus on his Senate run.  

In the general election, Donnelly, Braun and Brenton participated in two debates: at Purdue University Northwest in Westville on Oct. 8 (>) and at the Toby Theater at Newfields in Indianapolis on Oct. 30 (>), both organized by the Indiana Debate Commission.


Trump held four rallies in Indiana: on May 10 (Elkhart), Aug. 30 (Evansville, where he endorsed Braun), Nov. 2 (Indianapolis) and Nov. 5 (Fort Wayne) (+).

The Wesleyan Media Project reported that from Jan. 1, 2017 to Oct. 25 2018 Indiana TV viewers saw the most Senate ads of any state, a total of 132,788; Republican and Republican groups had an advantage of 20,664 ads aired.  Through Oct. 25 the Indianapolis media market was number one in the country in Senate ad airings—a total of 43,299 compared to 36,313 in Senate ad airings in Las Vegas, NV (+).

Braun defeated Donnelly by 5.9 percentage points, carrying 83 counties to nine.


Campaign Managers:
Mike Braun:  Ben Mitchell
Political training director (April-Nov. 2017) and NH state director (June 2015-Dec. 2016) for the RNC.  Deputy Victory director for the Republican Party of Arkansas, June 2014-Feb. 2015.  Campaign manager on Corey Stapleton for U.S. Congress (MT), March-June 2014.  Political director on Don Huffines for Texas Senate, Dec. 2013-Mar. 2014.  Associate at Axiom Strategies, Oct.-Dec. 2013.  Campaign manager on Jones for Speaker (MO), June-Sept. 2013.  Statewide field director on Dan Winslow for Senate (MA), Mar.-May 2013.  Deputy campaign manager on Chip Limehouse for U.S. Congress (SC), Feb.-Mar. 2013.  Regional Victory director in Fort Myers for Florida Victory, 2012.  Field director on Tisei for Congress, May-June 2012.  B.A. in economics from University of Maine, 2012.

Joe Donnelly:  Peter Hanscom 
(Jan. 2017)  State director of Hillary Clinton's general election and primary campaigns in Indiana, announced on Mar. 30, 2016 for the May 3 primary.  Initiative director/chief organizer for Indiana Competes from Oct. 2015.  Outreach director for U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, Jan.-Oct. 2015.  Caucus director for Indiana House Democrats, March 2014-Jan. 2015.  Deputy campaign manager for Freedom Indiana, Aug. 2013-March 2014.  Political director at the Indiana Democratic Party, Nov. 2012-Sept. 2013; deputy campaign manager on the IDP Coordinated Campaign, Aug.-Nov. 2012; data director at the Indiana Democratic Party, May 2010-Aug. 2012.  Junior consultant at Exxtreme Consulting, Inc, May 2007-May 2010.  Field organizer on Brad Ellsworth for Congress, July-Nov. 2008.  B.S. in communication and political science from University of Evansville, 2010.



 





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