2012 Indiana gubernatorial election

The 2012 Indiana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. Incumbent governor Mitch Daniels was term-limited and unable to seek a third term. The Republican candidate, Congressman Mike Pence; the Democratic candidate, former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives John R. Gregg; and the Libertarian candidate, youth mentor, small business owner and reality TV personality, Rupert Boneham, were all unopposed in their respective primaries or conventions and contested the general election. This is the first open Indiana gubernatorial election since 1996 and the first gubernatorial election since 1972 without the governor or lieutenant governor as a nominee.

When the polls closed, the election was very close, and continued to stay close throughout the night. Gregg performed well in Marion County (Indianapolis) and Lake County (Gary), which were Democratic strongholds. Pence performed well in the Indianapolis suburbs and the Fort Wayne area. At 12:34 am EST, the Associated Press called the race for Pence. At 1:06 am, Gregg called Pence to concede, realizing there were not enough votes left to overtake him. Pence ultimately won the election and took office on January 14, 2013. This was the closest race for governor since 1960.

Democratic

 * John R. Gregg, former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives

Libertarian

 * Rupert Boneham, four-time contestant on Survivor and founder of Rupert's Kids. Boneham was nominated by delegates at his party's state convention.

Candidates

 * Mike Pence (Republican), U.S. Representative
 * Running mate: Sue Ellspermann, state Representative


 * John Gregg (Democratic), former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives
 * Running mate: Vi Simpson, state Senate Minority Leader


 * Rupert Boneham (Libertarian), four-time contestant on Survivor and founder of Rupert's Kids
 * Running mate: Brad Klopfenstein, former executive director of the Libertarian Party of Indiana


 * Donnie Harold Harris (Public Party) (write-in)
 * Running mate: George Fish

Debates
The Indiana Debate Commission organized three televised debates between Indiana Gubernatorial candidates Republican Mike Pence, Democrat John R. Gregg and Libertarian Rupert Boneham. The first debate was held on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center in Zionsville, Indiana and was moderated by former Indianapolis Star editor Dennis Ryerson.
 * Debate schedule
 * Complete video of debate, October 10, 2012 - C-SPAN

The second debate was held on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center in South Bend, Indiana and was moderated by Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute president John Ketzenberger.
 * Complete video of debate, October 17, 2012 - C-SPAN

The third debate was held on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at the WFWA PBS 39 studio in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was moderated by DePauw University Executive Director of Media Relations Ken Owen.
 * Complete video of debate, October 25, 2012 - YouTube

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

 * Delaware (largest city: Muncie)
 * Greene (Largest city: Linton)
 * Madison (largest city: Anderson)
 * Marion (Largest city: Indianapolis)
 * Scott (Largest city: Scottsburg)
 * Tippecanoe (largest city: Lafayette)
 * Vigo (largest city: Terre Haute)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Switzerland (Largest city: Vevay)

By congressional district
Pence won 6 of 9 congressional districts.