Indiana - 2nd District

North central -- South Bend, parts of Elkhart and Kokomo

CQ Politics Race Rating: Safe Democratic

House Race Rating Chart

Incumbent — Joe Donnelly (D); Running for re-election

Most Recent Election
Year	Election	Candidate	Votes	Percent
2008	general	Joe Donnelly (D)	187,416	67.1%
		Luke Puckett (R)	84,455	30.2%

Details and state election history

It took Donnelly two tries before he claimed this northern Indiana House seat, winning a 2006 rematch with Republican Rep. Chris Chocola by 8 percentage point after losing to Chocola by 10 just two years earlier. But he busted out to a 2008 landslide, with 67 percent of the vote, over a Republican challenger whose campaign never got off the ground.

It won’t be hard for the Republicans to do better in 2010, and they should have a more solid candidate. Republican state Rep. Jackie Walorski, who is well-liked by conservative activists, is planning to challenge Donnelly.

The 2nd District is a demographic mix, with its northern end including South Bend — a longtime industrial city best known as home to University of Notre Dame — and the fringes of metropolitan Chicago, and its southern reaches mainly rural territory. Barack Obama, as the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee, carried the 2nd District vote by 54 percent to 45 percent for Republican John McCain, an outcome that was crucial to his narrow statewide win that made him the first of his party to win Indiana for president since 1964. But in 2004, the year when Donnelly made his initial and unsuccessful House bid, Republican incumbent George W. Bush took 56 percent of the district’s presidential vote at the top of the ticket.

Race Information

Incumbent: Joe Donnelly, D
First Elected: 2006 (2nd term)
Last Elected: 2008 (67.09%)
Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
CQ Politics Race Rating: Safe Democratic

District Information

Politics in America District Profile

The 2nd begins in Kokomo and moves north through small farming communities before reaching counties on the state’s northern border, which include the cities of South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart and are home to nearly one-third of district residents.

South Bend, in St. Joseph County, is home to an ideologically and economically diverse population. The wealthy, white-collar, Catholic Notre Dame community that hosts faculty and professionals is joined by low-income, minority residents downtown, as well as blue-collar areas east of the city. Neighboring Mishawaka has grown as some South Bend residents have left downtown. Michigan City’s steel manufacturers along the shores of Lake Michigan in the district’s northwest have led to a strong northern Democratic-leaning region.

East of Mishawaka, communities in Elkhart County (shared with the 3rd) round out the 2nd’s heavily populated northeast. Farming and business in Elkhart create a faithful conservative constituency. But Elkhart, a national center for the manufactured housing industry, has experienced skyrocketing unemployment rates and the collapse of local manufacturing. Extended unemployment here has been coupled with a nationwide economic downturn that reduced demand for the recreational vehicles produced in the county. Kokomo (shared with the 5th) is another mainly white, blue-collar area; it relies on the struggling auto industry, and volatile markets have hurt key local employers Delphi and DaimlerChrysler.

The once Republican-leaning U.S. House seat flipped to Democratic control in 2006, and Rep. Joe Donnelly solidified his hold on the seat in 2008. LaPorte County gave Democrat Barack Obama is fifth-highest statewide percentage in the 2008 presidential election, and Obama won the district with 54 percent.

Major Industry

Manufacturing, higher education, agriculture

Cities

South Bend, 107,789; Elkhart (pt.), 48,783; Mishawaka, 46,557; Michigan City, 32,900

Notable

The World Whiffleball Championship is played every year in Mishawaka.

Demographics (2000 census): Population: 675,766; Under 18: 26.1%; Over 65: 13.3%; Married: 55.4%; Non-Hispanic White: 84%; Black: 8%; Hispanic: 5%; Asian: 1%; Foreign Born: 4.2%; Language other than English: 7.9%; Median Household Income: 40,381; Owner Occupied Housing: 72.8%; Income above $200k: 1.2

Workforce/Education (2000 census): White Collar: 50.7%; Blue Collar: 35.1%; Services: 14.2%; Bachelor's Degree: 17%; Graduate Education: 6.6%; Civilian Veterans: 67,624

District Election History
Year	Election	Candidate	Votes	Percent
2008	general	Joe Donnelly (D)	187,416	67.1%
		Luke Puckett (R)	84,455	30.2%
		Mark Vogel (LIBERT)	7,475	2.7%

2006	general	Joe Donnelly (D)	103,561	54%
2006	general	Chris Chocola (R)	88,300	46%

2004	general	Chris Chocola (R)	140,496	54.2%
		Joe Donnelly (D)	115,513	44.5%
		Douglas Barnes (LIBERT)	3,346	1.3%

2002	general	Chris Chocola (R)	95,081	50.4%
		Jill Long Thompson (D)	86,253	45.8%
		Sharon Metheny (LIBERT)	7,112	3.8%
		M. Blatt (Write-In)	6
		James Mello (Write-In)	6