1982Final results
1982 election for Indiana's 8th District
U.S. House · Indiana
Francis McCloskey (D) won with 51.4% of the vote, defeating Joel Deckard (R) by 3.3 points.
Francis McCloskeyDemocrat · winner
51.4%100,592
Joel DeckardRepublican
48.1%94,127
Robert F. ArnoveOther party
0.5%1,006
195,725 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1982
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Francis McCloskeyJoel Deckard
$153.4K
Raised by the campaign
$293.3K
$154K
Spent by the campaign
$286.7K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1982.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1982