Indiana’s 2012 election split could be Pence, Donnelly

INDIANAPOLIS — As the countdown to the November election picks up steam, establishment Democrats and Republicans have been quietly talking about the possibility that Indiana swing voters could pick Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Pence and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Joe Donnelly in November.

If Pence and Donnelly both won election, it would be in keeping with a rich tradition of Hoosier voting that has sent candidates such as former Democratic U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh to Washington and Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to the Statehouse in the same election.

“There is a theory that at a minimum, voters subconsciously look for balance in government,” said Andrew Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics.

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