O'Bannon Projected To Win Indiana Governorship

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AllPolitics, Nov. 5) -- Frank L. O'Bannon will keep the Indiana governorship in Democratic hands, CNN projects. O'Bannon -- the lieutenant governor -- overcame Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith's early double-digit lead.

Turnout across the state was heavy as voters had to pick a replacement for the popular Gov. Evan Bayh, who was barred by law from seeking a third term. O'Bannon apparently rode on Bayh's coattails, while Goldsmith's campaign stumbled, costing the Republican a double-digit lead.

A police brawl in Indianapolis August 27 -- drunken city police officers verbally accosted and beat citizens -- cast doubts on Goldsmith's management of the city. And a series of campaign ads attacking O'Bannon for supporting tax increases while he served in the state Senate were widely criticized as inaccurate.

Exit polls shows that nine out of 10 voters believed those ads were unfair, but Goldsmith was not necessarily held responsible for them.

Leaving the polls, moderate voters and those who said they were better off now than four years ago said they favored O'Bannon, while Goldsmith appeared to get heavy support from conservative religious voters and those who want to see government doing less.

On the eve of the election, both candidates said they were counting on voter turnout to sway the election their way.

"I'm confident we have run a strong campaign, a positive campaign, one to get the message out," O'Bannon -- with Bayh at his side -- said Monday night in Indianapolis. "I feel fairly confident we are going to win."

Goldsmith said that his polling showed the race close, but with a Republican victory.

"There is an enormous effort being used against us and if our voters come out to vote, we should have a pretty good victory," he said at his Indianapolis campaign headquarters.