2020 Indiana gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	2020 Indiana gubernatorial election
Country:	Indiana
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 Indiana gubernatorial election
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2024 Indiana gubernatorial election
Next Year:	2024
Election Date:	November 3, 2020
Image1:	Holcomb Official Headshot (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Eric Holcomb
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Running Mate1:	Suzanne Crouch
Popular Vote1:	1,706,727
Percentage1:	56.51%
Nominee2:	Woody Myers
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Running Mate2:	Linda Lawson
Popular Vote2:	968,094
Percentage2:	32.05%
Image3:	Donald Rainwater (cropped).png
Nominee3:	Donald Rainwater
Party3:	Libertarian Party (United States)
Running Mate3:	William Henry
Popular Vote3:	345,569
Percentage3:	11.44%
Map Size:	250px
Governor
Before Election:	Eric Holcomb
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Eric Holcomb
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 2020 Indiana gubernatorial election was won by incumbent Republican Eric Holcomb on November 3, 2020. The election was held concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Holcomb was eligible to run for re-election to a second term in office, and announced his intention to do so on July 13, 2019 alongside his lieutenant governor, Suzanne Crouch.^[1] He faced Democrat Woody Myers, the former health commissioner of Indiana (and later, of New York City) and his running mate, Linda Lawson, the former minority leader of the Indiana House of Representatives, in addition to Libertarian Donald Rainwater, a U.S. Navy veteran and his running mate William Henry.^{[2] [3]} Primary elections were held on June 2; Holcomb and Myers ran unopposed.

In the general election, Holcomb won re-election to a second term. Myers also became the first major party candidate to receive fewer than one million votes since Republican David McIntosh in 2000.^[4] The election was also notable for the strong performance of Libertarian candidate Rainwater, who finished in second place, behind Holcomb and ahead of Myers, in over one-third of Indiana's counties, 33 out of 92.^[5] The stronger-than-expected performance by Rainwater was perceived to be a reaction to Governor Holcomb's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Rainwater pushing for fewer government restrictions.^[6]

The Associated Press’s large-scale pre-election survey found that Eric Holcomb won white Hoosiers 62–27%, while Myers won black Hoosiers 76–20%.^[7]

This election marked the worst performance by a Democratic candidate for governor in Indiana history.^[8]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Eric Holcomb, incumbent governor of Indiana

• Running mate: Suzanne Crouch, incumbent lieutenant governor

Removed from ballot

• Brian Roth, businessman^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

Declined

• Curtis Hill, Attorney General of Indiana (running for re-election)^{[13] [14]}

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Woody Myers, business executive and former Indiana Health Commissioner and New York City Health Commissioner^{[15] [16]}

• Running mate: Linda Lawson, former Minority Leader of the Indiana House of Representatives^[17]

Withdrew

• Eddie Melton, state senator from the 3rd district^[18]
• Josh Owens, businessman, former chairman of the Indiana Charter School Board, and former Luke Messer congressional staffer (endorsed Myers)^[19]

Declined

• Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend and former 2020 presidential candidate
• Joe Donnelly, former U.S. senator^[20]
• Greg Goodnight, former mayor of Kokomo^[20]
• John R. Gregg, former speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, former state representative from the 45th district, and Democratic nominee for governor in 2012 and 2016^[21]
• Christina Hale, state representative from the 87th district and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2016^[21] (running for Indiana's 5th Congressional district)
• Baron Hill, former U.S. representative from Indiana's 9th congressional district^[22] (endorsed Myers)
• Joe Hogsett, mayor of Indianapolis^[20]
• Karlee Macer, state representative from the 92nd district ^[23]
• Thomas McDermott Jr., mayor of Hammond^[20] (running for Indiana's 1st congressional district)
• Jonathan Weinzapfel, former mayor of Evansville (running for Attorney General)^[24]

Results

Libertarian convention

Candidates

Nominee

• Donald Rainwater, U.S. Navy veteran; Libertarian candidate for Indiana State Senate in 2016 and for Indiana House of Representatives in 2018^{[25] [26]}

• Running mate: William Henry

Eliminated at convention

• Bill Levin, Grand Poobah of the First Church of Cannabis of Indianapolis^[27]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[28]		October 23, 2020
Inside Elections^[29]		October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[30]		November 2, 2020
Politico^[31]		November 2, 2020
Daily Kos^[32]		October 28, 2020
RCP^[33]		November 2, 2020
270towin^[34]		November 2, 2020

Polling

Graphical summary

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Eric Holcomb (R)	Woody Myers (D)	Donald Rainwater (L)	Other / Undecided
Cygnal	October 21–23, 2020	600 (LV)	± 4%		47%	29%	15%	10%
Ragnar Research (R)	October 18–21, 2020	529 (LV)	± 4%		52%	26%	14%	8%
SurveyUSA	October 10–13, 2020	527 (LV)	± 5.2%		55%	25%	10%	11%
BK Strategies (R)	October 4–5, 2020	600 (LV)	± 4%		60%	21%	8%	11%
Change Research	September 3–7, 2020	1,033 (LV)	± 3.1%		36%	30%	24%	10%
Victoria Research (D)	May 21–23, 2020	894 (LV)	± 3.3%		53%	24%	–	23%-->
BK Strategies (R)	May 20–21, 2020	600 (LV)	± 4%		64%	21%	–	15%
Change Research	April 10–13, 2020	1,021 (LV)	± 3.1%		45%	25%	8%	22%

Results

Holcomb won reelection by over 24 percentage points, the biggest margin of victory for an Indiana gubernatorial candidate since Evan Bayh in 1992 as well as the biggest ever for a Republican. Exit polls show Holcomb won over 30% of voters who voted for Democrat Joe Biden for president. This is also one of the strongest performances for a third party candidate in a statewide election in Indiana, with Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater receiving over 11% of the total vote. Rainwater outperformed Myers in several counties; his best performance was in Putnam County, where he received nearly 26% of the vote.

Results by county

Vote breakdown by county

	Holcomb/Crouch Republican		Myers/Lawson Democratic		Rainwater/Henry Libertarian		Total
County	data-sort-type="number"	Votes	data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"	Votes	data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"	Votes	data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"	Votes
	9,441	66.7%	2,143	15.1%	2,570	18.2%	14,154
	98,406	58.5%	53,895	32.0%	16,011	9.5%	168,312
	21,959	60.9%	9,013	25.0%	5,065	14.1%	36,037
	2,815	68.7%	671	16.4%	614	15.0%	4,100
	3,333	63.1%	933	17.7%	1,017	19.3%	5,283
	23,737	61.7%	9,661	25.1%	5,094	13.2%	38,492
	4,953	55.3%	2,381	26.6%	1,623	18.1%	8,957
	6,077	63.9%	1,569	16.5%	1,864	19.6%	9,510
	8,833	58.3%	3,373	22.3%	2,940	19.4%	15,146
	34,669	60.4%	19,077	33.2%	3,680	6.4%	57,426
	8,164	67.0%	1,780	14.6%	2,242	18.4%	12,186
	7,971	61.8%	2,406	18.7%	2,514	19.5%	12,891
	3,064	63.1%	1,242	25.6%	553	11.4%	4,859
	8,313	70.1%	1,531	12.9%	2,016	17.0%	11,860
	18,353	72.6%	4,559	18.0%	2,383	9.4%	25,295
	7,911	64.5%	1,562	12.7%	2,787	22.7%	12,260
	13,042	66.9%	3,293	16.9%	3,158	16.2%	19,493
	26,829	56.0%	15,638	32.6%	5,482	11.4%	47,949
	14,403	66.7%	4,586	21.2%	2,599	12.0%	21,588
	46,223	62.1%	20,512	27.6%	7,690	10.3%	74,425
	6,933	69.0%	1,707	17.0%	1,414	14.1%	10,054
	24,972	60.0%	14,948	35.9%	1,669	4.0%	41,589
	5,189	65.3%	1,150	14.5%	1,613	20.3%	7,952
	8,633	73.0%	1,690	14.3%	1,499	12.7%	11,822
	5,436	59.6%	1,603	17.6%	2,084	22.8%	9,123
	11,607	72.0%	2,990	18.5%	1,533	9.5%	16,130
	16,847	62.3%	5,849	21.6%	4,325	16.0%	27,021
	9,579	65.2%	2,511	17.1%	2,604	17.7%	14,694
	117,749	60.8%	58,714	30.3%	17,121	8.8%	193,584
	25,647	59.9%	8,538	19.9%	8,624	20.1%	42,809
	14,083	69.7%	4,514	22.3%	1,602	7.9%	20,199
	50,697	57.5%	23,179	26.3%	14,246	16.2%	88,122
	12,491	59.3%	4,128	19.6%	4,442	21.1%	21,061
	24,359	60.1%	9,871	24.3%	6,317	15.6%	40,547
	11,759	66.3%	2,804	15.8%	3,168	17.9%	17,731
	11,714	61.2%	3,234	16.9%	4,188	21.9%	19,136
	10,378	67.5%	2,904	18.9%	2,089	13.6%	15,371
	5,227	62.2%	1,240	14.8%	1,938	23.1%	8,405
	9,076	62.4%	3,711	25.5%	1,750	12.0%	14,537
	7,547	62.1%	1,930	15.9%	2,676	22.0%	12,153
	47,467	61.4%	17,630	22.8%	12,177	15.8%	77,274
	11,210	70.8%	2,809	17.7%	1,821	11.5%	15,840
	23,029	64.6%	5,784	16.2%	6,845	19.2%	35,658
	7,520	71.1%	1,690	16.0%	1,365	12.9%	10,575
	94,841	43.7%	112,352	51.7%	10,039	4.6%	217,232
	26,129	53.7%	18,133	37.3%	4,356	9.0%	48,618
	13,371	64.1%	3,616	17.3%	3,881	18.6%	20,868
	29,434	56.8%	14,254	27.5%	8,118	15.7%	51,806
	152,405	39.0%	203,475	52.1%	34,974	8.9%	390,854
	13,145	66.4%	4,025	20.3%	2,634	13.3%	19,804
	3,232	63.1%	709	13.9%	1,177	23.0%	5,118
	9,208	64.1%	2,439	17.0%	2,714	18.9%	14,361
	24,605	39.4%	33,033	52.8%	4,885	7.8%	62,523
	10,587	61.6%	2,812	16.4%	3,785	22.0%	17,184
	22,161	61.6%	5,602	15.6%	8,184	22.8%	35,947
	4,358	66.5%	1,148	17.5%	1,050	16.0%	6,556
	12,498	65.5%	3,237	17.0%	3,353	17.6%	19,088
	2,210	69.4%	641	20.1%	335	10.5%	3,186
	5,591	63.8%	1,952	22.3%	1,216	13.9%	8,759
	5,857	59.5%	1,852	18.8%	2,137	21.7%	9,846
	4,766	68.4%	1,127	16.2%	1,079	15.5%	6,972
	5,523	63.9%	2,518	29.1%	607	7.0%	8,648
	4,199	68.4%	1,092	17.8%	850	13.8%	6,141
	45,996	53.2%	33,397	38.6%	7,131	8.2%	86,524
	9,648	72.9%	2,773	21.0%	809	6.1%	13,230
	3,874	67.2%	1,019	17.7%	875	15.2%	5,768
	9,375	56.7%	2,876	17.4%	4,269	25.8%	16,520
	7,399	67.3%	1,863	16.9%	1,732	15.8%	10,994
	9,518	67.0%	2,231	15.7%	2,458	17.3%	14,207
	4,949	62.8%	1,215	15.4%	1,716	21.8%	7,880
	6,065	60.8%	2,297	23.0%	1,613	16.2%	9,975
	12,269	61.8%	3,499	17.6%	4,099	20.6%	19,867
	7,272	68.2%	2,461	23.1%	926	8.7%	10,659
	60,696	52.9%	48,610	42.4%	5,387	4.7%	114,693
	6,730	66.1%	2,026	19.9%	1,427	14.0%	10,183
	11,407	70.9%	2,939	18.3%	1,739	10.8%	16,085
	6,009	67.4%	1,550	17.4%	1,357	15.2%	8,916
	2,846	69.8%	822	20.1%	412	10.1%	4,080
	37,979	53.3%	26,179	36.8%	7,057	9.9%	71,215
	5,169	64.0%	1,200	14.9%	1,707	21.1%	8,076
	2,533	73.2%	603	17.4%	323	9.3%	3,459
	46,490	60.1%	27,242	35.2%	3,658	4.7%	77,390
	4,938	66.9%	1,531	20.7%	917	12.4%	7,386
	25,917	59.8%	13,999	32.3%	3,419	7.9%	43,335
	9,111	62.8%	2,421	16.7%	2,979	20.5%	14,511
	3,009	67.5%	672	15.1%	777	17.4%	4,458
	22,703	67.7%	9,074	27.1%	1,747	5.2%	33,524
	7,919	65.6%	2,408	19.9%	1,746	14.5%	12,073
	16,914	61.2%	7,534	27.3%	3,172	11.5%	27,620
	9,371	66.7%	1,967	14.0%	2,712	19.3%	14,050
	7,334	65.8%	1,978	17.8%	1,826	16.4%	11,138
	11,522	66.0%	2,738	15.7%	3,191	18.3%	17,451

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Delaware (largest municipality: Muncie)
• Knox (largest municipality: Vincennes)
• LaPorte (largest municipality: Michigan City)
• Perry (largest municipality: Tell City)
• Porter (largest municipality: Portage)
• St. Joseph (largest municipality: South Bend)
• Sullivan (largest municipality: Sullivan)
• Tippecanoe (largest municipality: Lafayette)
• Vermillion (largest municipality: Clinton)
• Vigo (largest municipality: Terre Haute)

By congressional district

Holcomb won 7 of 9 congressional districts.^[35]

District	Holcomb	Myers	Rainwater	Representative
		47%	48%	6%		Frank J. Mrvan
		59%	31%	10%		Jackie Walorski
		62%	24%	13%		Jim Banks
		59%	25%	16%		Jim Baird
		56%	34%	10%		Victoria Spartz
		63%	22%	15%		Greg Pence
		37%	53%	10%		André Carson
		65%	25%	10%		Larry Bucshon
		58%	30%	12%		Trey Hollingsworth

Notes

Partisan clients

External links

Official campaign websites

• Eric Holcomb (R) for Governor
• Woody Myers (D) for Governor
• Donald Rainwater (L) for Governor

Notes and References

1. News: Smith . Casey . Gov. Eric Holcomb to run for reelection: 'Let's keep making Hoosier history for four more years' . 13 July 2019 . . July 13, 2019.
2. Web site: 2020 General Election Candidate List - Abbreviated. Indiana Secretary of State (Election Division). 2020-10-02. 2020-10-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20201003235827/https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/files/2020%20GE%20Candidate%20List%20-%2009.11.2020.pdf. dead.
3. Web site: Libertarian governor candidate Donald Rainwater to visit Kokomo. October 22, 2020. October 24, 2020. Kokomo Tribune.
4. Web site: 2000 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Indiana. 31 March 2023.
5. News: Martin . Ryan . Sikich . Chris . 'We sent a message': Donald Rainwater doesn't win, sets Indiana Libertarian record . 8 May 2021 . IndyStar.
6. Web site: Sikich . Chris . Indiana Libertarian candidate for governor targets voters upset by COVID-19 mandates . 2022-03-16 . The Indianapolis Star . en-US.
7. News: Poll Results . November 3, 2021.
8. Web site: Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page . 2022-03-18 . www.ourcampaigns.com.
9. News: Erdody . Lindsey . Carmel Republican planning election run against Holcomb . September 10, 2019 . Indianapolis Business Journal . September 10, 2019.
10. News: Smith . Brandon . Carmel Republican Files For Potential Holcomb Challenge . September 21, 2019 . WFYI . September 11, 2019.
11. News: Sikich . Chris . Westfield Republican signs up to challenge Gov. Holcomb in primary . 23 September 2019 . Indianapolis Star . September 11, 2019.
12. News: Berman . Eric . CHALLENGERS TO HOLCOMB AND BAIRD BOOTED FROM PRIMARY BALLOT . 22 February 2020 . WIBC . February 21, 2020.
13. Web site: Hill challenging Holcomb? A fool's errand. howeypolitics.com. April 24, 2018. April 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180424215806/https://howeypolitics.com/Content/Default/Howey-s-Daily-Beacon/Article/Hill-challenging-Holcomb-A-fool-s-errand/-3/383/17391. dead.
14. News: Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announces re-election campaign . December 1, 2019 . WNDU . November 14, 2019.
15. Web site: Davies . Tom . Business executive enters 2020 Indiana governor's race . AP News . July 11, 2019. 11 July 2019.
16. News: Johnson. Dirk. 1990-01-20. Man in the News: Woodrow Augustus Myers Jr.; A Commissioner Who Knows Strife. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-10-02. 0362-4331.
17. Web site: Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers names running mate. Matthew. VanTryon. May 8, 2020. September 23, 2020. The Indianapolis Star.
18. Web site: Senator Eddie Melton withdraws from Indiana's governor race . FOX 59 . January 7, 2020 . January 6, 2020.
19. News: Democrat Josh Owens withdraws from governor's race, endorses Woody Myers. Sikich. Chris. February 6, 2020. Indianapolis Star.
20. News: Howey. Brian A.. Democrats ponder gov race. Howey Politics Indiana. March 21, 2019. March 21, 2019. March 21, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190321193344/https://howeypolitics.com/Files/HPI190321-d1fdc5fb7b014162857a6c98723a1c9b.pdf. dead.
21. Web site: INDems ponder future after Donnelly loss. Howey. Brian A.. November 29, 2018. Howey Politics Indiana. November 30, 2018. December 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181201093208/https://howeypolitics.com/Files/HPI181129-b36c6539da4a4e15952f3e8a71e36061.pdf. dead.
22. News: Howey. Brian A.. Holcomb reelect on historic footing. Howey Politics Indiana. May 16, 2019. May 16, 2019. July 24, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190724201411/https://howeypolitics.com/Files/HPI190516-c780d6adda0d420f895ba66a32653922.pdf. dead.
23. News: Hakim-Shabazz. Abdul. Macer Not Running For Governor. Indy Politics. August 13, 2019. August 13, 2019.
24. Web site: Former Evansville mayor Weinzapfel will run for Attorney General. Courier & Press. Langhorne. Thomas B.. December 10, 2019.
25. News: Hakim-Shabazz . Abdul . LIBERTARIAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE . 2 March 2020 . Indy Politics . February 29, 2020.
26. Web site: WTHR.com Staff . Indiana Libertarians nominate Rainwater for Governor . wthr.com . 3 March 2020 . March 10, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200310162813/https://www.wthr.com/article/indiana-libertarians-nominate-rainwater-governor . dead .
27. News: First Church of Cannabis founder Bill Levin running for Indiana governor. RTV6 Indianapolis. July 1, 2019. July 1, 2019.
28. Web site: 2020 Governor Race Ratings for October 23, 2020. The Cook Political Report. en. March 11, 2021.
29. Web site: 2020 Gubernatorial Ratings. insideelections.com. March 11, 2021.
30. Web site: 2020 Gubernatorial race ratings . November 2, 2020 . Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball . March 13, 2021.
31. Web site: We rated every gubernatorial race in 2020. Here's who we think will win.. Politico. November 19, 2019.
32. Web site: 2020 Governor Race Ratings . . June 1, 2020 . June 5, 2020.
33. Web site: June 13, 2020 . 2020 Governor Races. June 14, 2020 . RealClearPolitics.
34. Web site: 2020 Gubernatorial Elections Map . 270towin.
35. Web site: Our Campaigns - IN Governor Race - Nov 03, 2020. www.ourcampaigns.com. August 18, 2024.