Who won in Indiana? Democrats break GOP supermajority in state House

Indiana Democrats won a major shift in the state's legislature on Tuesday, breaking the Republican supermajority in the state House of Representatives that had stood for 14 years. Republicans also lost ground in the Senate, where Democrats gained at least four seats according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Vote counting ran late into Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday, and several races were still too close to call in the early hours.

House seats flip in the suburbs north of Indianapolis

Democrats gained most of their ground in suburbs north of Indianapolis, where the Capital Chronicle described the political landscape as rapidly shifting. Democratic challenger Tiffany Stoner defeated Republican Rep. Becky Cash of Zionsville, winning 59% to 41% as of 9:27 p.m. Cash had won her seat over Stoner by just 64 votes two years earlier.

In neighboring House District 24, Democrat Racheal Bleicher beat Republican Rep. Hunter Smith of Zionsville, a former Indianapolis Colts punter. Bleicher led 53% to 47% with 99% of ballots counted.

Democrats also flipped seats farther from the capital. In Madison County, Democrat Kimberly Townsend took nearly 55% of the vote against GOP Rep. Kyle Pierce of Anderson. In Hendricks County, Democrat William Colteryahn defeated longtime Republican Rep. Greg Steuerwald, who had served in the House since 2007, with nearly 55% of the vote.

Further south, Democrat Amy Huffman Oliver won 59% to 41% over Republican Rep. Dave Hall of Norman in House District 62, which covers all of Brown County and parts of Monroe and Jackson counties. In Allen County, early unofficial results showed Democrat Misti Meehan ahead of Republican Rep. Bob Morris of Fort Wayne, 51% to 49%.

Speaker Todd Huston trails in his race

House Speaker Todd Huston, a Republican, was trailing Democratic challenger Lauren Cole with 99% of votes reported, according to the Capital Chronicle and IndyStar. Reports described more than a dozen other Republican incumbents as in danger of losing their seats, with a long list of races still too close to call early Wednesday.

Democrats needed a four-seat gain in the House to break the two-thirds Republican hold on the chamber. Reports said they had passed that mark on Tuesday night, though final results in several districts were still pending.

Senate losses for Republicans

In the Senate, longtime Republican Sen. Ron Alting of Lafayette lost to Democrat Natasha Baker, with about 59% of the vote to Alting's 41%. Alting, 70, had earlier stepped back from campaigning and said he would resign if reelected, citing "concerning changes in my judgment." He was the chamber's most senior member, first elected in 1998. Reports linked him to a string of shoplifting incidents; the allegations were reported, not established, and he was not charged in the coverage provided to us.

Democrat Julie McGill also narrowly unseated veteran Sen. Liz Brown of Fort Wayne, 52% to 48%, according to final but unofficial Allen County results. In Senate District 11, an open seat was leaning toward a Democratic pickup but had not been called early Wednesday. Democrats also held a seat vacated by former Sen. J.D. Ford, who won election to the Fifth Congressional District, with Kristina Moorhead winning almost 62% against Republican John Ruckelshaus.

What we know so far

The results so far show a clear Democratic gain in both chambers, concentrated in fast-growing suburbs around Indianapolis. Several House and Senate races remained uncalled or close in early Wednesday reporting, and the results cited here are preliminary or unofficial. Final certified outcomes will decide the full composition of the legislature and whether Huston keeps his post.

Reports cited voter discontent and the Senate's earlier Republican-backed congressional map as factors in the shift, though those were described as context rather than confirmed causes.

Indiana's House and Senate results will be confirmed as counties finish canvassing their ballots.