The 2016 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Indiana, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on May 3, 2016. Republican lieutenant governor Eric Holcomb won the race with 51.4% of the vote.

Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Pence was running for reelection to a second term in office until July 15, 2016, when then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump selected Pence as his vice presidential running mate. As Pence was barred by Indiana law from simultaneously running for both offices, he subsequently withdrew from the gubernatorial election. Pence went on to be elected Vice President of the United States. He was replaced on the ballot for governor by his former running mate, incumbent lieutenant governor Eric Holcomb, who was selected by the Indiana Republican State Committee as the nominee on July 26, 2016. Holcomb later selected State Auditor Suzanne Crouch on August 1, 2016, to be his running mate as the nomination for lieutenant governor was made vacant by the decision of Holcomb to seek the gubernatorial nomination; she was confirmed at a subsequent meeting of the Indiana Republican State Committee later that day.

John Gregg, the former Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, was the Democratic nominee. Gregg previously ran for governor in 2012 but was defeated by Pence. As of 2026, this is the last time an Indiana gubernatorial election was decided by single digits.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Results

Republican primary results
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanMike Pence (incumbent)815,699100.00%
Total votes815,699100.00%

Republican State Committee selection

On July 15, 2016, Donald Trump announced that Pence would be his running mate as vice president in the 2016 presidential election. Under Indiana law, Pence was unable to run for both governor and vice president simultaneously; he therefore withdrew from the gubernatorial election, creating a vacancy on the Republican ticket. On July 26, the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, Jeff Cardwell, announced that Eric Holcomb had been nominated by the Indiana Republican State Committee to replace Pence on the ballot for governor. The vote totals were not released. Holcomb later selected Suzanne Crouch on August 1, 2016, to be his running mate as the nomination for lieutenant governor was made vacant by the decision of Holcomb to seek the gubernatorial nomination; she was then confirmed by the Committee at a meeting later that day.

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Politicians

Organizations

Results

Democratic primary results
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticJohn R. Gregg547,375100.00
Total votes547,375100.00

Libertarian Party convention

Candidates

Declared

  • Rex Bell, businessman
  • Jim Wallace

Nominated

  • Rex Bell, businessman Running mate: Karl Tatgenhorst

General election

Candidates

Debates

  • Governor: , September 27, 2016 - C-SPAN , October 3, 2016 - C-SPAN , October 25, 2016 - C-SPAN
  • Lt. Governor: , August 9, 2016 - Hoosier Ag Today

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political ReportTossupAugust 12, 2016
Daily KosTossupOctober 14, 2016
Rothenberg Political ReportTilt RNovember 3, 2016
Sabato's Crystal BallLean D (flip)November 7, 2016
Real Clear PoliticsTossupNovember 1, 2016
GoverningTossupOctober 27, 2016

Polling

Aggregate polls

Source of poll aggregationDates administeredDates updatedEric Holcomb (R)John Gregg (D)Other/UndecidedMargin
Real Clear PoliticsOctober 27 – November 3, 2016November 3, 201640.7%44.0%15.3%Gregg +3.3%

Graphical summary

Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSample sizeMargin of errorEric Holcomb (R)John Gregg (D)Rex Bell (L)Undecided
SurveyMonkeyNovember 1–7, 20161,700± 4.6%47%49%–4%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 31 – November 6, 20161,383± 4.6%46%49%–5%
WTHR/HoweyNovember 1–3, 2016600± 4.0%42%42%5%11%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 28 – November 3, 2016923± 4.6%47%47%–6%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 27 – November 2, 2016790± 4.6%48%47%–5%
Gravis MarketingOctober 30 – November 1, 2016399± 4.9%38%42%4%16%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 26 – November 1, 2016638± 4.6%49%47%–4%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 25–31, 2016674± 4.6%47%48%–5%
Monmouth UniversityOctober 27–30, 2016402± 4.9%42%48%4%5%
Gravis MarketingOctober 22–24, 2016596± 2.3%38%42%4%16%
Ball State University (PSRAI)October 10–16, 2016544± 4.8%43%48%––
Monmouth UniversityOctober 11–13, 2016402± 4.9%38%50%4%7%
BK Strategies (R-Holcomb)October 11–13, 2016800± 3.5%42%42%3%13%
WTHR/HoweyOctober 3–5, 2016600± 4.0%39%41%5%15%
WTHR/HoweySeptember 6–8, 2016600± 4.0%35%40%6%19%
Monmouth UniversityAugust 13–16, 2016403± 4.9%42%41%4%13%
Expedition Strategies (D-Gregg)August 1–3, 2016600± 4.0%39%46%6%9%
The Tarrance GroupJuly 20–21, 2016503± 4.4%34%42%–24%

with Mike Pence

Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSample sizeMargin of errorMike Pence (R)John Gregg (D)OtherUndecided
Bellwether ResearchMay 11–15, 2016600± 4.0%40%36%—24%
WTHR/HoweyApril 18–21, 2016500± 4.3%49%45%1%5%
Bellwether ResearchMay 29–June 3, 2015800± 3.5%40%41%—19%
Bellwether ResearchApril 12–14, 2015607± 4.0%43%37%—21%
GQR ResearchApril 7–9, 2015500± 4.4%47%47%—6%

with Susan Brooks

Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSample sizeMargin of errorSusan Brooks (R)John Gregg (D)OtherUndecided
The Tarrance GroupJuly 20–21, 2016503± 4.4%36%41%—23%

with Todd Rokita

Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSample sizeMargin of errorTodd Rokita (R)John Gregg (D)OtherUndecided
The Tarrance GroupJuly 20–21, 2016503± 4.4%36%41%—23%
Public Opinion StrategiesJuly 16–18, 2016600± 4.0%45%43%—12%

with Baron Hill

Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSample sizeMargin of errorMike Pence (R)Baron Hill (D)Undecided
Bellwether ResearchApril 12–14, 2015607± 4%43%36%21%

with Glenda Ritz

Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSample sizeMargin of errorMike Pence (R)Glenda Ritz (D)OtherUndecided
Bellwether ResearchMay 29–June 3, 2015800± 3.5%42%42%—16%
Bellwether ResearchApril 12–14, 2015607± 4%42%39%—18%

Results

Holcomb won with 51.4% of the votes, with Gregg taking 45.4%, and Libertarian Rex Bell finishing with 3.2%.

2016 Indiana gubernatorial election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RepublicanEric Holcomb/Suzanne Crouch1,397,39651.38%+1.89%
DemocraticJohn R. Gregg/Christina Hale1,235,50345.42%−1.14%
LibertarianRex Bell87,0253.20%−0.75%
Write-in440.00%0.00%
Total votes2,719,968100.00%N/A
Republican hold

By county

CountyEric Holcomb RepublicanJohn Gregg DemocraticVarious candidates Other partiesMarginTotal
#%#%#%#%
Adams8,40864.4%4,27232.7%3712.8%4,13631.7%13,051
Allen80,45854.8%61,87942.1%4,4823.1%18,57912.7%146,819
Bartholomew19,06359.5%11,86937.0%1,1223.5%7,19422.5%32,054
Benton2,31863.2%1,20132.7%1504.1%1,11730.5%3,669
Blackford2,71956.8%1,85738.8%2134.4%86218.0%4,789
Boone19,26959.9%11,86836.9%1,0093.1%7,40123.0%32,146
Brown4,48856.4%3,20140.2%2723.4%1,28716.2%7,961
Carroll5,38162.2%2,92333.8%3534.1%2,45828.4%8,657
Cass8,05956.6%5,66239.8%5113.6%2,39716.8%14,232
Clark28,44056.5%20,29340.3%1,5973.2%8,14716.2%50,330
Clay6,45758.4%4,26038.5%3393.1%2,19719.9%11,056
Clinton7,12661.1%4,12035.3%4233.6%3,00625.8%11,669
Crawford2,38153.4%1,92443.1%1563.5%45710.3%4,461
Daviess6,46060.2%4,04937.7%2172.0%2,41122.5%10,726
Dearborn16,60671.5%5,93625.6%6702.9%10,67045.9%23,212
Decatur7,23166.8%3,29130.4%3102.9%3,94036.4%10,832
DeKalb10,50163.4%5,34032.2%7184.3%5,16131.2%16,559
Delaware20,77746.6%22,19549.7%1,6533.7%-1,418-3.1%44,625
Dubois10,82154.2%8,17140.9%9624.8%2,65013.3%19,954
Elkhart40,16161.0%23,74936.1%1,9352.9%16,41223.9%65,845
Fayette5,48559.0%3,36936.2%4414.7%2,11622.8%9,295
Floyd20,78356.2%15,17641.0%1,0422.8%5,60715.2%37,001
Fountain4,79264.1%2,40432.2%2773.7%2,38831.9%7,473
Franklin7,79572.5%2,69725.1%2542.4%5,09848.4%10,746
Fulton5,14261.1%2,97735.4%2913.5%2,16525.7%8,410
Gibson9,20359.3%5,96938.5%3442.2%3,23420.8%15,516
Grant14,92859.6%9,25736.9%8763.5%5,67122.7%25,061
Greene6,83449.7%6,61048.1%3102.3%2241.6%13,754
Hamilton90,38158.4%60,17638.9%4,1482.7%30,20519.5%154,705
Hancock22,68162.5%12,35034.0%1,2713.5%10,33128.5%36,302
Harrison11,69063.5%6,30334.2%4182.3%5,83729.3%18,411
Hendricks45,20760.6%27,18036.4%2,2283.0%18,02724.2%74,615
Henry10,76953.6%7,55137.6%1,7868.9%3,21816.0%20,106
Howard19,90353.8%15,81242.7%1,2903.5%4,09111.1%37,005
Huntington10,09264.2%4,94131.4%6794.3%5,15132.8%15,712
Jackson11,32065.1%5,61332.3%4662.7%5,70732.8%17,399
Jasper8,08661.3%4,73035.8%3782.9%3,35625.5%13,194
Jay4,60358.9%2,93537.6%2763.5%1,66821.3%7,814
Jefferson7,50556.8%5,37340.6%3442.6%2,13216.2%13,222
Jennings7,08964.2%3,60932.7%3413.1%3,48031.5%11,039
Johnson42,46563.6%22,26333.4%1,9943.0%20,20230.2%66,722
Knox6,51142.3%8,59755.8%2921.9%-2,086-13.5%15,400
Kosciusko22,29669.6%8,45426.4%1,2674.0%13,84243.2%32,017
LaGrange6,31665.7%2,95130.7%3453.6%3,36535.0%9,612
Lake64,99733.0%127,49164.7%4,6402.5%-62,494-31.7%197,128
LaPorte18,46541.7%24,13954.5%1,6683.8%-5,674-12.8%44,272
Lawrence11,68362.6%6,40234.3%5763.1%5,28128.3%18,661
Madison27,57951.4%24,04144.8%2,0633.8%3,5386.6%53,683
Marion127,46235.0%226,11662.1%10,7182.9%-98,654-27.1%364,296
Marshall10,48158.8%6,77238.0%5773.2%3,70920.8%17,830
Martin2,82959.3%1,82338.2%1202.5%1,00621.1%4,772
Miami8,09461.1%4,59634.7%5494.1%3,49826.4%13,239
Monroe19,91534.3%36,30462.4%1,9193.3%-16,389-28.1%58,138
Montgomery9,41262.1%5,20134.3%5513.6%4,21127.8%15,164
Morgan20,43066.1%9,35630.3%1,1283.6%11,07435.8%30,914
Newton3,48460.5%2,06635.9%2053.6%1,41824.6%5,755
Noble10,47563.0%5,51233.2%6373.8%4,96329.8%16,624
Ohio1,80563.1%99634.8%602.1%80928.3%2,861
Orange4,82760.1%2,97137.0%2292.9%1,85623.1%8,027
Owen5,08559.9%3,07336.2%3343.9%2,01223.7%8,492
Parke3,82457.6%2,60839.3%2073.1%1,21618.3%6,639
Perry3,52044.4%4,22253.2%1932.4%-702-8.8%7,935
Pike3,11452.6%2,67145.2%1302.2%4437.4%5,915
Porter32,91342.8%41,56354.1%2,3923.1%-8,650-11.3%76,868
Posey7,20257.7%5,02840.3%2502.0%2,17417.4%12,480
Pulaski3,00157.1%2,06939.4%1853.5%93217.7%5,255
Putnam9,09462.1%5,04934.5%4903.3%4,04527.6%14,633
Randolph6,09459.8%3,62135.5%4824.7%2,47324.3%10,197
Ripley8,94870.0%3,54027.7%2912.3%5,40842.3%12,779
Rush4,39361.5%2,44034.2%3064.3%1,95327.3%7,139
Scott4,86954.4%3,83042.8%2452.7%1,03911.6%8,944
Shelby10,99861.6%6,16234.5%6913.9%4,83627.1%17,851
Spencer5,51156.4%4,03041.2%2332.4%1,48115.2%9,774
St. Joseph48,83944.4%57,83552.5%3,4213.1%-8,996-8.1%110,095
Starke4,69452.4%3,90343.5%3684.1%7918.9%8,965
Steuben9,18062.9%4,91733.7%5073.5%4,26329.2%14,604
Sullivan3,62342.5%4,72055.4%1762.1%-1,097-12.9%8,519
Switzerland2,11658.9%1,37938.4%1002.8%73720.5%3,595
Tippecanoe30,14148.1%30,23448.2%2,3023.7%-93-0.1%62,677
Tipton4,71263.1%2,49233.4%2593.5%2,22029.7%7,463
Union2,17966.8%93628.7%1474.5%1,24338.1%3,262
Vanderburgh38,18852.7%32,37044.7%1,9032.6%5,8188.0%72,461
Vermillion3,27947.7%3,33948.6%2573.7%-60-0.9%6,875
Vigo16,77242.2%21,84155.0%1,0962.8%-5,069-12.8%39,709
Wabash8,63664.9%4,26232.0%4163.1%4,37432.9%13,314
Warren2,53864.7%1,26032.1%1263.2%1,27832.6%3,924
Warrick17,41859.1%11,43438.8%6272.1%5,98420.3%29,479
Washington7,29365.0%3,59332.0%3413.0%3,70033.0%11,227
Wayne13,47252.4%9,51837.0%2,70410.5%3,95415.4%25,694
Wells8,76666.9%3,90229.8%4283.3%4,86437.1%13,096
White6,07460.5%3,58635.7%3853.8%2,48824.8%10,045
Whitley9,97264.2%4,93331.8%6163.9%5,03932.4%15,521
Totals1,397,39651.4%1,235,50345.4%87,0693.2%161,8936.0%2,719,968

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Holcomb won seven of nine congressional districts.

DistrictHolcombGreggRepresentative
1st36%62%Pete Visclosky
2nd53%43%Jackie Walorski
3rd60%37%Marlin Stutzman
4th58%39%Todd Rokita
5th52%45%Susan Brooks
6th59%36%Luke Messer
7th34%63%André Carson
8th52%45%Larry Bucshon
9th56%41%Todd Young

Notes

External links

Official campaign websites (archived)