Republican incumbent Dan Coats, who served in the Senate since 2011 and previously from 1989 to 1999, ultimately chose to not seek reelection.[1] U.S. Representative Todd Young won the May 3 Republican primary to succeed him, with former U.S. Representative Baron Hill winning the Democratic nomination. However, Hill withdrew from the race on July 11, with former senator Evan Bayh entering the race to regain the seat, which he held from 1999 to 2011.
The Indiana Democratic Party formally chose Bayh as Hill's replacement on July 22. Following his entry, Bayh was initially seen as the frontrunner in the race. However, during the campaign, he faced heavy criticism over his post-Senate career as a lobbyist, as well as questions about his residency in the state. Young ultimately won by a comfortable margin, defeating Bayh in the general election by 10 points.[2]
Background
Republican Senator Dan Coats, who had served in the Senate since 2011, and previously from 1989 to 1999, stated that he planned to run for re-election,[3][4] but in March 2014 his chief of staff said that Coats had "decided not to decide whether to run again until after the [2014] midterm elections".[5]
On March 24, 2015, Coats announced that he would not run for re-election, citing that he would be of advanced age (just under 80 years old) by the end of the 2017–2023 term, should he complete it.[1]
On July 11, 2016, CNN's Tom LoBianco announced that Bayh would enter the race to regain his old Senate seat and Hill would drop out and withdraw his name from the November ballot.[44] Hill soon released a statement formally dropping out of the race, saying he did not "...want to stand in the way of Democrats winning Indiana and the U.S. Senate. That would not be fair to my party or my state. And, the stakes are far too high in this election not to put my country above my own political ambitions,"[45] without explicitly endorsing Bayh.[45] The first candidate to declare was Bob Kern, a frequent candidate for Congress in various districts around the state.[46] Bayh officially declared for the race July 13.[47] The Indiana Democratic Party's State Central Committee chose Bayh as Hill's replacement, for the general election.[45]
^ a b c d e f g h iJoseph, Cameron (March 24, 2015). "Coats retirement in Indiana shakes up 2016 battle for Senate". The Hill. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^Maureen Groppe (July 12, 2016). "Few former senators have done what Bayh might do". IndyStar.
^ a bBradner, Eric (December 8, 2012). "Coats preparing for re-election in 2016 » Evansville Courier & Press". Courierpress.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
^Francisco, Brian (November 2, 2011). "Coats gets head start on 2016". Journal Gazette. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
^ a b c d"Tully: Dan Coats weighing another term in Senate". IndyStar.com. March 4, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
^ a b c d eBrian Howey (January 30, 2015). "If Sen. Coates doesn't run, who does?". KokomoPerspective.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.[permanent dead link]
^Cahn, Emily (May 9, 2015). "Marlin Stutzman Leaving House to Run for Senate". Roll Call. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
^Francisco, Brian (August 18, 2015). "Candidate fields growing quietly". Journal Gazette. Retrieved August 18, 2015.[permanent dead link]
^"May 3, 2016 Primary Election Candidates" (PDF). Indiana Secretary of State Election Division. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
^Joseph, Cameron (March 26, 2015). "Chief of staff launches Senate bid for Coats's seat". The Hill. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
^"Eric Holcomb drops out of Indiana senate race". WRTV. February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
^Francisco, Brian (May 11, 2015). "Banks set for Congress run". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
^ a b cHowey, Brian A.; Schoeff, Mark Jr. (March 24, 2015). "Coats decision sets off 2016 Senate mad scramble". Howey Politics. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^de la Bastide, Ken (April 20, 2015). "Brooks won't run for U.S. Senate". The Herald Bulletin. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
^Sullivan, Sean (March 24, 2015). "Cross Rep. Larry Bucshon's name off the list of possible GOP candidates for the Indiana Senate race. He tells me he is not interested". Twitter. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^Hakim-Shabazz, Abdul (March 24, 2015). "Coats Not Running For Re-Election". Indy Politics. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^"TBangert: Governor run for Purdue's Mitch Daniels? 'Nope'". The Indianapolis Star. April 21, 2015.
^ a bHowey, Brian (May 26, 2015). "A fascinating U.S. Senate race is setting up". News and Tribune. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^Carden, Dan (September 15, 2015). "UPDATE: Delph opts out of U.S. Senate race". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
^Raju, Manu (March 25, 2015). "Dick Lugar won't be making a comeback, declines to run for Coats' seat in #INSEN, per @kyledcheney". Twitter. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
^Helms, Aubrey (August 4, 2015). "Young locking in fundraising advantage for U.S. Senate race". The Statehouse File. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
^Eric Bradner; Dana Bash; MJ Lee (July 15, 2016). "Donald Trump selects Mike Pence as VP". CNN.
^Carden, Dan (June 10, 2015). "Rokita opts out of U.S. Senate race". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
^Vandenack, Tim (April 15, 2015). "U.S. Rep. Walorski to seek third term in House, won't run for Senate after all". The Elkhart Truth. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
^Marturello, Mike (April 9, 2015). "Zoeller quiets talk of Senate run to replace Coats". News and Tribune. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ a b cFrancisco, Brian (January 17, 2016). "GOP Senate hopefuls aim right". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
^Francisco, Brian (March 22, 2016). "FreedomWorks endorses Stutzman in Senate race". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^NBC/WSJ/Marist
^IPFW/Downs Center
^ a b cWTHR/Howey
^ a b"Indiana Primary Election, May 3, 2016". Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
^Lewis, Olivia (August 15, 2015). "Dickerson kicks off campaign for U.S. Senate seat". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
^"John Dickerson Drops Out of Race For U.S. Senate". wfyi Indianapolis. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
^Howey, Brian A.; Butler, Matthew (June 25, 2015). "Gov. Pence prepares to pick a fight" (PDF). Howey Politics Indiana. 20 (39). Retrieved September 17, 2019.
^Cahn, Emily; Levinson, Alexis (March 24, 2015). "Coats Retirement Sparks Hoosier State Free-for-All". Roll Call. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^ a bLivingston, Abby (June 19, 2013). "Ambitious Hoosiers Wait for Future Statewide Races Farm Team". Roll Call. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
^Smith, Brandon (May 25, 2016). "John Gregg Announces Rep. Christina Hale As Running Mate". WFIU. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
^Bruggeman, Karyn (March 8, 2015). "Mike Pence and Indiana's Deep Freeze". National Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
^Howey, Brian A. (March 24, 2015). "Sen. Coats will not seek reelection in 2016; won't endorse". Howey Politics. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^Howey, Brian (September 10, 2015). "U.S. Senate race: McDermott considers" (PDF). Howey Politics. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
^Joseph, Cameron (March 24, 2015). "GOP braces for free-for-all in Indiana". The Hill. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
^Turner, Kris (June 4, 2015). "Glenda Ritz calls education 'catalyst for improvement' in run for governor". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^Tester, Jon (March 8, 2016). "DSCC Endorses Baron Hill in Indiana Senate Race". Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^ a bTom LoBianco (July 11, 2016). "First on CNN: Evan Bayh mounting Senate return". CNN.
^ a b c"Baron Hill withdraws from U.S. Senate race; Evan Bayh to enter race". WTHR. July 11, 2016. Archived from the original on July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ a b"Bob Kern Senate filing" (PDF). Indiana Secretary of State. July 12, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
^ a bTom LoBianco (July 13, 2016). "Bayh announces Senate bid, puts Indiana seat in play". CNN. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
^Full debate
^Rucker, Philip (October 23, 2016). "Clinton infuses cash into Senate, gubernatorial races, including Indiana and Missouri". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^Roberts, Kelly (October 26, 2016). "Mayor Tom Henry campaigns for Evan Bayh". WANE-TV. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^"Daily News Bin endorses Democrat Evan Bayh in 2016 Senate race in Indiana". Daily News Bin. July 12, 2016. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^Shella, Jim (September 8, 2016). "UAW endorses Bayh, attacks Young". WISH-TV. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^"Bayh best for Indiana, Senate". The Journal Gazette. October 23, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^"Endorsements: A tough choice for U.S. Senate but Bayh is sensible pick for Indiana". South Bend Tribune. October 30, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^Schneider, Chelsea. "Bush campaigns for Todd Young in Indy, Elkhart". The Indianapolis Star.
^"Tom Cotton campaigns with Todd Young". tomcotton.com. October 27, 2016. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
^Roberts, Kelly (November 5, 2016). "Senator Ted Cruz makes final push for Todd Young". WANE-TV. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
^Republican Party of Indiana (November 1, 2016). "I work with @ToddYoung closely- he's one of the most hardworking men in Congress. He's a servant leader.- @PRyan". Twitter. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
^ a b"Hubbard, Kittle Back Rep. Young to Get in Senate Race". June 2015.
^Fiorina, Carly (October 27, 2016). "Why Indiana needs a conservative fighter like @ToddYoungIN in the U.S. Senate: facebook.com/CarlyFiorina/p..." Twitter. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
^"ACU Endorses Todd Young". American Conservative Union. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ a b c"Endorsements". toddyoung.org.
^"NRA-PVF - Grades - Indiana". NRAPVF. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^DeFreeuw, Eric (September 21, 2016). "NRA ad takes aim at Bayh's gun control voting record". WPTA. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^Shella, Jim (March 30, 2016). "Todd Young wins business endorsements". WISH-TV. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
^"Editorial: Todd Young is best choice for Senate". The Indianapolis Star. October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
^"2016 Senate Race Ratings for November 2, 2016". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
^"2016 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
^"2016 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^"Daily Kos Election 2016 forecast: The final version". Daily Kos. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
^"Battle for the Senate 2016". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
^SurveyMonkey
^SurveyMonkey
^WTHR/Howey
^SurveyMonkey
^SurveyMonkey
^Gravis Marketing
^SurveyMonkey
^SurveyMonkey
^Monmouth University
^Gravis Marketing
^WISH/Ball State Hoosier Survey
^Monmouth University
^ a b c d ePublic Opinion Strategies (R-Young)
^The Times-Picayune/Lucid
^WTHR/Howey
^ a b c dDate of polling memo, not field dates, which remain unreleased
^WTHR/Howey Archived October 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
^Garin-Hart-Yang (D-Bayh)
^Monmouth University
^Global Strategy Group (D-SMP)
^Expedition Strategies (R-Gregg)
^Garin-Hart-Yang (D-DSCC)
^Bellwether Research
^"Indiana General Election, November 8, 2016". Indiana Secretary of State. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
