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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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The1982 United States Senate election in Indiana was held on November 2, 1982. IncumbentRepublicanUnited States SenatorRichard Lugar facedDemocraticUnited States RepresentativeFloyd 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.
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 | |||
After the1980 Census, theIndiana General Assembly redistricted Indiana's congressional districts, pushing Democratic representativeFloyd Fithian's district into more conservative territory.[2] After redistricting, Fithian, the three term incumbent ofIndiana's 2nd congressional district, decided to run forSecretary of State of Indiana, but withdrew from the primary to ultimately run for the United States Senate. He challenged fellow Democrat and one termIndiana State Senator Michael Kendall ofJasper, Indiana, who Fithian earlier encouraged to run for the Senate.[3] Kendall, who represented Indiana's 47th Senate district and formed theNotre Dame Students forRobert 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]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Floyd Fithian | 262,644 | 59.5 | |
| Democratic | Michael Kendall | 178,702 | 40.5 | |
| Total votes | 441,346 | 100 | ||
In the general election, Lugar faced Fithian andAmerican 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 | |
| Republicanhold | ||||
