Although Indiana is in the Great Lakes region, the five states with the most similar presidential voting records to Indiana are all located in the Western part of the United States. These states tend to be sparsely populated and have a lot of farmland. They tend to prefer presidential candidates that are Republicans.
5 States with similar presidential preferences to Indiana
- Oklahoma and Indiana often vote for Republican candidates. Since 1960, these states have preferred the same ticket, with the notable exception of 2008. In that year, Barack Obama defeated John McCain. It was the first time a Democrat won the state since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.
- North Dakota and Indiana have voted for the same presidential candidates in every election since 1940, with the exception of 2008. Both states voted for Donald Trump and Richard Nixon three times, as well as Ronald Reagan and Thomas Dewey twice.
- Kansas is extremely similar to North Dakota and Oklahoma as well. It has also voted for the same presidential ticket as these states in every election since 1952. However one difference is that Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were more popular in Indiana than in Kansas.
- Wyoming is yet another western state on this list. Indiana and Wyoming have preferred the same presidential candidates since 1952, with the exception of 2008. In the 1948 contest, Wyoming voted for the Democrat, Harry Truman, while Indiana voted for the Republican Thomas Dewey.
- South Dakota is very similar to North Dakota. With the exception of 2008, there were a few times that South Dakota actually preferred the Democratic candidate by a greater margin than Indiana. In 1988, Dukakis was more popular in South Dakota than in Indiana. Furthermore, in 1972 George McGovern was also more popular in South Dakota, since it was his home state. Still, both states ended up voting for the Republican in those contests.
5 States with least similar presidential preferences to Indiana
Indiana Presidential Voting History
2024: Donald Trump (R)
2020: Donald Trump (R)
2016: Donald Trump (R)
2012: Mitt Romney (R)
2008: Barack Obama (D)
2004: George W. Bush (R)
2000: George W. Bush (R)
1996: Bob Dole (R)
1992: George H.W. Bush (R)
1988: George H.W. Bush (R)
1984: Ronald Reagan (R)
1980: Ronald Reagan (R)
1976: Gerald Ford (R)
1972: Richard Nixon (R)
1968: Richard Nixon (R)
1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
1960: Richard Nixon (R)