Pence, Lake win nominations for 6th District congressional seat

Jeannine Lee Lake, left, Democratic candidate for the 6th Congressional District, talks with Don Trapp during the annual banquet for the Bartholomew County Area Chapter of the NAACP at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Mike Wolanin | The Republic Mike Wolanin | The Republic

Indiana’s 6th district voters selected Republican incumbent Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana as the GOP nominee and challenger Jeannine Lee Lake as the Democratic nominee in Tuesday’s primary, setting up a rematch between the two candidates in the fall.

In the Republican primary, Pence received 62,382 votes in the 19-county district which includes Bartholomew, Jennings, Decatur and Shelby counties, with challenger Mike Campbell of Wayne County receiving 12,220 votes in unofficial returns compiled by the The Associated Press.

In Bartholomew County, Pence received 8,657 votes, or 83.93% against GOP challenger Mike Campbell of Wayne County, who had 1,658 votes or 16.07%.

Pence is seeking a second term in the same seat his brother, Vice President Mike Pence, held before a successful 2012 gubernatorial bid and joining Donald Trump’s presidential ticket in 2016.

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“To every Hoosier who supported me and my family in this primary election, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you,” Pence said in a statement, declaring victory. “Having lived my entire life in the Sixth District, I am honored to serve my friends and neighbors in the United States House of Representatives.”

On the Democratic side, Jeannine Lee Lake, received more than triple the votes of her two challengers in Bartholomew County, Barry Welsh of Hancock County and George T. Holland of Rush County.

In unofficial election returns from the The Associated Press for the district, Lake received 23,932 votes to the 5,140 received by Welsh and 4,921 received by Holland.

In Bartholomew County, Lake had received 3,796 votes, or 76.22% against Welsh, who had received 457 votes, 9.18% and Holland, with 727 votes, 14.6%.

“I just feel as if the tide is changing in the Sixth District and in Indiana,” Lake said after the results were in “…I appreciate the people of Indiana for allowing me to represent them in the Democratic Party for a second time. I’m going to do everything I possibly can to win. I’m going to everything I possibly can legally, ethically, morally, spiritually to unseat Greg Pence in the fall.”

Lake won the Democratic primary in 2018, but lost the general election to Pence, who received 154,260 votes, or 63.8% of the vote, according to the Indiana Election Division. Lake received 79,430 votes, or 32.9%. Libertarian candidate Tom Ferkinhoff received 8,030 votes, or 3.3%.

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Democratic presidential primary for Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District

Jeannine Lee Lake;23,932

George T. Holland;4,921

Barry Welsh;5,140

Republican presidential primary for Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District

Greg Pence;62,382

Mike Campbell;12,220

– Results are unofficial from The Associated Press

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