With a strong grassroots campaign, Welch won in an upset over frontrunner William Schreiber, the Marion County chairman.

[1] Former congressman William H. Hudnut III won a decisive victory over two other candidates in the Republican primary.

[1] Hudnut proposed improving the convention and tourism budget, better optimizing use of Economic Development Commission, and floated the possibility of using tax-free bonds as a means to enlarge the city's employment base.

[1] The creation of Unigov had added predominantly Republican suburban areas of the county to the city of Indianapolis.

[1] Hudnut's victory was also credited to the migration of people leaving the Indianapolis area, moving into bordering counties.