Indiana Democrats celebrate local wins, concede in statewide elections
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Despite losing all the statewide races on the ticket in the 2022 midterms, Indiana’s Democrats were excited when it came to the races where they did come away with victories.
Party leaders and supporters alike celebrated the wins in the races for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, Marion County Sheriff, State Senate District 46, and U.S. House District 7 with speeches and celebration.
Ryan Mears came away with a victory for his first time on the ballot for Marion County Prosecutor after being appointed to the role in 2019. After winning, he said, “I think we need to be aggressive on those issues. Not everything can be a priority and we’re going to continue to focus our efforts on violent crime and we’re not going to get distracted by things like marijuana or a woman’s right to choose. That’s not the role of the prosecutor’s office and we’re going to stay out of that.”
Kerry Forestal handily defeated his Republican challenger for Marion County Sheriff. In his victory speech, he said, “We’ve got a lot of work for the next four years and I know a lot of the staff is here tonight and I would like to say I will continue to work as hard as I have for you to get things done.”
Redistricting shifted the location of State Senate District 46. The seat was once Republican-held but will now have Andrea Hunley, a Democrat, in it.
“As Democrats, we are here to see you and to represent you,” Hunley said. “I am proud to stand in this room among a slate of candidates who ran hard for Hoosiers in this election cycle.”
During both victory and concession speeches, democrats focused on creating a movement of steady change in Indiana politics.
“Movements are not created behind computer screens. They’re not created when we’re sitting at home hoping things will get better. They are created when we do the work and you all have done the work today,” said Rep. André Carson, who was re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Indiana District 7.
“Do not let this moment be lost upon us in the next couple of years because the work starts tomorrow in expanding the Democratic Party. Campaigning is tough demanding work and while we didn’t win this year I have been reassured by your support,” Destiny Wells, the Democrat candidate for Indiana Secretary of State, said during her concession speech.
Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Thomas McDermott conceded the race to incumbent Sen. Todd Young but then threw support behind his opponent, saying, “It’s imperative that we get behind Senator Young and try to move America forward. We have a lot of problems in this country, we have a lot of problems in this state and we need our elected leaders in Washington D.C. to do a great job for us.”
Republicans came away with a majority of the victories in the Hoosier state. Take a look at the full results here.