Indiana (ⁱ/ɪndiˈænə/) is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the midwestern and Great Lakes regions of North America. Indiana is the 38th largest by area and the 15th most populous of the 50 United States. Indiana is the least extensive state in the continental US west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis, the second largest of any state capital and largest state capital east of the Mississippi River.

Before it became a territory, varying cultures of indigenous peoples and historic Native Americans inhabited Indiana for thousands of years. Angel Mounds State Historic Site, one of the best preserved ancient earthwork mound sites in the United States, can be found in Southwestern Indiana near Evansville. Residents of Indiana are known as Hoosiers. The etymology of the word is disputed, but the leading theory as advanced by the Indiana Historical Bureau and the Indiana Historical Society has "Hoosier" originating from the upland South region of the U.S. as a derogatory slang term for a rough countryman, a country bumpkin.

The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms without term limits. According to the 2010 census, the average State Senator represents 129,676 people.

The Senate convenes at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Indiana State Senate is operated according to a set of internal regulations developed and maintained largely by tradition. These rules are similar to the rules that govern the upper house most of the state senates in the United States. The Senate convenes its annual session the first Tuesday following the first Monday of January every year. In odd numbered years the senate must meet for 61 days (not necessarily consecutive days), and must adjourn no later than April 30. This is typically called a long session. In even numbered years, when elections are held, the Senate must meet for 30 days (not necessarily consecutive days) and adjourn no later than March 15. This is typically called the short session. The only time the senate may convene outside of these dates is if the Governor calls a special assembly.

Richard E. Mourdock (born October 8, 1951) is the 53rd Treasurer of State of the U.S. State of Indiana and the Republican nominee for United States Senate election in Indiana, 2012. He began his term as treasurer on February 10, 2007 and was re-elected in November 2010. Mourdock became the Republican nominee for a United States Senate seat from Indiana in the 2012 election after he defeated incumbent Senator Richard Lugar in the primary election.

Murdock was born on October 8, 1951 in Wauseon, Ohio. He graduated from Defiance College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Systems and from Ball State University in 1975 with a Master of Arts degree in Geology. Afterwards, Mourdock took a position as a field geologist with AMAX Coal Company and was ultimately promoted to Surface Mine Geology Project Coordinator until his departure from the company in 1979.

From 1979 to 1984, Mourdock was employed by Standard Oil of Ohio as a Senior Geologist and ultimately became Chief Geologist for the company. In 1984, Mourdock accepted a position with Koester Companies in Evansville, Indiana. For sixteen years, Mourdock served as Vice President of the company's coal subsidiary and eventually became Vice President of Business Development for the parent company. In addition, Mourdock served as a Trustee for the company's employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). In 2000, Mourdock founded a successful environmental consulting business and provided various services to numerous clients until being elected as Indiana's State Treasurer in 2006.