Republican Turnout Drives Big State, National Victories
Holcomb and running mate Suzanne Crouch defeated Democrat John Gregg in the 2016 general election.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowWith reactions to the stunning election results pouring in, the director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at IPFW says "it would be wrong for many people to say they are not surprised," especially at the national level. Donald Trump and his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, won a commanding victory in Indiana on the way to taking the required electoral votes needed for the White House. At the state level, Republicans enjoyed a clean sweep of statewide offices, including Eric Holcomb’s defeat of John Gregg for governor and Todd Young’s defeat of Evan Bayh for U.S. Senate.
GOP candidates also held onto super-majorities in the Indiana House and Senate and newcomer "Trey" Hollingsworth won in a fierce battle in the state’s 9th Congressional District.
Andy Downs says individual outcomes may not have been a surprise, but the margins by which GOP candidates took seats were.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Downs says the tide of Republican voter turnout that helped drive big state and federal wins will effect business policy in Indiana. "I think it’s going to be pretty easy for people to say we’re going to stay on the track that we’re on right now, in fact, that’s one of the things Eric Holcomb talked about in his campaign. When you have super-majorities in both chambers and you have the governor’s office, if you are not able to move your party’s agenda, something is very wrong and more than likely, you would’ve been voted out." He says the question will be "how much more is there to do?"
Indiana Election Results:
President of the United States
Republican Donald Trump
U.S. Senator
- Republican Todd Young
Congress
- District 1: Democrat Pete Visclosky (incumbent)
- District 2: Republican Jackie Walorski (incumbent)
- District 3: Republican Jim Banks
- District 4: Republican Todd Rokita (incumbent)
- District 5: Republican Susan Brooks (incumbent)
- District 6: Republican Luke Messer (incumbent)
- District 7: Democrat André Carson (incumbent)
- District 8: Republican Larry Bucshon (incumbent)
- District 9: Republican "Trey" Hollingsworth
Governor
- Republican Eric Holcomb and Suzanne Crouch
Attorney General
- Republican Curtis Hill
Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Republican Jennifer McCormick
A state constitutional amendment concerning the General Assembly’s authority over hunting, fishing and harvesting wildlife was overwhelmingly approved.
You can connect to results of the Indiana House and Senate races, which resulted in Republicans maintaining a super-majority in both chambers.
Our partners at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis spoke with voters about the future of the state and country:
Downs says a lot of people are hoping the negative tone of the election, which was particularly a characteristic of the Trump/Clinton and Young/Bayh races, is "not the new normal." He adds, "this was not a pleasant election. The number of people who came up to me and said they voted early to that they could turn off their television and stop bringing their mail in, it was a large enough number of people that I think it’s something that has to be recognized as a factor this time around." Downs says, if such contentious campaigning becomes the way things are, we will begin to see "people who are out at the extremes, who really have very negative views of the other side becoming more and more engaged, and people who are in the middle who see some value in each side, becoming more and more aliented from the process and that’s where people begin to get concerned."
You can connect to the full election results through the Office of the Indiana Secretary of State by clicking here.
Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics Director Andy Downs says individual outcomes may not have been a surprise, but the margins by which GOP candidates took seats were.