Dick Lugar: “during my campaign for reelection in 1994, a number of Indiana papers published articles describing the fourth-term jinx…”

“during my campaign for reelection in 1994, a number of Indiana papers published articles describing the fourth-term jinx that had afflicted Indiana Senators and speculating whether I would be fortunate enough to overcome that jinx. Although five of my predecessors had each won three Senate elections, all of them had been defeated in their fourth race. Some of the most prominent and accomplished names in Indiana politics, including James Watson, Homer Capehart, Vance Hartke, and Birch Bayh had fallen victim to the fourth-term jinx. The independent-minded voters of Indiana have never been shy about expressing their dissatisfaction with an incumbent. In fact, the average length of service among all Indiana Senators is just a little more than 8 years. Five Hoosier Senators held office less than a year. The shortest Senate service was that of Charles William Cathcart, who served less than 2 months of an unexpired term. Only 10 of the 43 Hoosier Senators served more than 2 terms.”