Joe Donnelly Defeats Richard Mourdock
Indiana Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly is headed to the Senate, beating GOP Treasurer Richard Mourdock and aiding Democrats in their effort to keep control of the Senate. Fox and NBC both called the race
The battle for the Indiana Senate seat was an uphill challenge for Donnelly, who has represented Indiana's Republican-leaning 2nd congressional district since 2006. He was undoubtedly aided in an October debate when Mourdock said pregnancies that result from rape are "something God intended to happen."
Democrats' pick-up of the Indiana seat would've been nearly impossible before Mourdock defeated six-term incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Lugar in an ugly primary fight. Lugar is an institution in Indiana politics, and without him in the picture Democrats saw a chance to pick up a seat.
(PROFILE: Joe Donnelly, Indiana's New Senator)
Donnelly is the rare moderate Democrat who survived the 2010 election. He has one of the most moderate voting records in the Democratic Caucus, and his voting record was more liberal than 45.3 percent of the House according to National Journal vote rankings.
Check out our analysis of the Indiana Senate race here.
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