Carson, Stutzman win re-election in House races

Incumbent Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman and incumbent Democratic Rep. Andre Carson were re-elected to the U.S. House on Tuesday, both easily winning seats long held by their parties.

With more than half the vote in, Carson had more than 60 percent of the vote in his Indianapolis district to beat Republican Carlos May. Carson won a third term in the 7th District seat his grandmother Julia Carson held for 11 years until her death in 2007.

With about a third of the votes in, Stutzman won a second term in his northeastern Indiana district. He had about 72 percent of the vote, beating Democrat Kevin Boyd.

Carson and Stutzman joined four other incumbent winners.

Democratic Rep. Pete Visclosky won his 15th term in Congress to become the senior member of Indiana's congressional delegation.

Visclosky defeated Republican Joel Phelps in the northwest Indiana district Democrats have held for decades. He replaces retiring GOP Rep. Dan Burton as the state's senior congressman.

Burton's retirement makes Stutzman the senior Republican in the delegation. Stutzman has seniority over freshman Reps. Todd Rokita and Todd Young because he took office in November 2010 after Mark Souder resigned.

Rokita defeated Democrat Tara Nelson, and Young bested Democrat Shelli Yoder.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon survived a heated challenge from former Democratic state Rep. Dave Crooks to win a second term in the southwestern Indiana congressional district known as the "Bloody 8th."

Bucshon first won the seat in the Republican-leaning district in 2010, when incumbent Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth vacated it to run for Senate. But he was vulnerable this year after Republican state lawmakers redrew congressional lines and included more Democrats in the district.

Bucshon sought to tie Crooks to President Barack Obama. He pointed out a 2009 article in the Washington Times-Herald in which Crooks referred to the president as "my guy Obama."

Crooks is a conservative Democrat and radio host. He said he's tired of partisanship and criticized Bucshon for opposing tariffs on China.

Elsewhere, former Republican state Rep. Jackie Walorski survived a contentious campaign to give the GOP the northern Indiana congressional seat vacated by Democrat Joe Donnelly.

Walorski defeated Democrat Brendan Mullen in the 2nd District. Her win (along with that of Susan Brooks in central Indiana's 5th District) marks the first time Indiana Republicans have sent a woman to Congress in half a century.

Walorski narrowly lost the 2nd District to Donnelly in 2010. Donnelly opted to run for Senate this year after state lawmakers redrew the district to include more Republican voters.

The last Republican woman to represent Indiana in Congress was five-term Congresswoman Cecil Harden. She lost her re-election bid in 1958.

Walorski served three terms in the Indiana General Assembly. Mullen is an Iraq War veteran.