The 1982 United States Senate election in Indiana was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Richard Lugar faced Democratic United States Representative Floyd Fithian in the general election. Lugar won with a margin of 54% of the vote, compared to Fithian's 46%. This was Lugar's closest election out of his 6 senate elections for the class 1 seat.
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 County results Lugar: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Fithian: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- Richard Lugar, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
Incumbent United States Senator Richard Lugar won the republican nomination in an uncontested primary on May 4, 1982.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Lugar (Incumbent) | 498,248 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 498,248 | |||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Floyd Fithian, U.S. Representative from Tippecanoe County
- Michael Kendall, State Senator from Jasper
Campaign
After the 1980 Census, the Indiana General Assembly redistricted Indiana's congressional districts, pushing Democratic representative Floyd Fithian's district into more conservative territory.[2] After redistricting, Fithian, the three term incumbent of Indiana's 2nd congressional district, decided to run for Secretary of State of Indiana, but withdrew from the primary to ultimately run for the United States Senate. He challenged fellow Democrat and one term Indiana State Senator Michael Kendall of Jasper, Indiana, who Fithian earlier encouraged to run for the Senate.[3] Kendall, who represented Indiana's 47th Senate district and formed the Notre Dame Students for Robert F. Kennedy organization during the 1968 presidential election,[4] was seen a young progressive alternative to Fithian, who he called the "ideological twin of Richard Lugar."[5] After the bitterly contested primary, Fithian prevailed over Kendall, winning with 59% of the vote.[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Floyd Fithian | 262,644 | 59.5 | |
| Democratic | Michael Kendall | 178,702 | 40.5 | |
| Total votes | 441,346 | 100 | ||
General election
In the general election, Lugar faced Fithian and American Party candidate Raymond James.[7]
On November 5, 1982, Lugar defeated Fithian and James in the general election, winning 74 of Indiana's 93 counties.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Lugar (Incumbent) | 978,301 | 53.8 | |
| Democratic | Floyd Fithian | 828,400 | 45.6 | |
| American | Raymond James | 10,568 | 0.6 | |
| Republican hold | ||||