Indiana Republican Party State Chairman Eric Holcomb is leaving his post next month after more than two years in the job.Indiana's race for governor isn't exactly a nail-biter.
Republican Mike Pence holds a large lead over Democrat John Gregg -- 50 percent to 32 percent -- according to a new poll released Thursday by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
Libertarian Rupert Boneham has 3 percent support. And 15 percent of respondents are still undecided in that race.
The poll also showed a statistical dead heat between Republican Richard Mourdock and Democrat Joe Donnelly in the race for the open U.S. Senate seat, with 17 percent of voters undecided.
By a 41 percent to 39 percent margin (within the survey's margin of error), Mourdock enjoys a slight lead over Donnelly. Three percent support Libertarian candidate Andrew Horning.
The scientific public opinion poll of 600 registered voters statewide was conducted by Market Research Insight in early August. It has a margin of error of 4 percent and utilized live interviewer telephone surveys for accuracy.
When poll respondents were asked to identify their political affiliations, results were 46 percent Republican and 38 percent Democrat, with 16 percent identifying as independents.
"As typical, both Democrats and Republicans are relatively polarized, favoring the candidate for their party," said Verne Kennedy, senior analyst for Market Research Insight. "The 16 percent of Indiana voters who say they are completely independent will likely determine the outcome of the Senate race.
The poll was commissioned by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and its political action program, Indiana Business for Responsive Government.
To contact Niki Kelly email her at nkelly@jg.net or follow her on Twitter @nkellyatJG
