INDIANAPOLIS – Now that all 75 races in Indiana’s General Assembly have been called by the Associated Press, we have a clearer idea of the makeup of the state’s lawmaking body.
The Democratic Party picked up one seat in the Indiana Senate, cutting the Republicans’ majority to 39-11. But Republicans expanded their majority in the Indiana House of Representatives to 71-29.
Indiana Senate
Note: Click through the years to see how many seats Republicans and Democrats held in the Indiana Senate.
In the Indiana Senate, only one seat flipped parties – District 30, which includes part of Indianapolis’ north side, into some of Hamilton County. Democrat Fady Fady Qaddora beat incumbent Republican John Ruckelshaus to take the seat.
Ruckelshaus had held the seat since 2016. He is the nephew of William Ruckelshaus, the former deputy attorney general under President Richard Nixon who resigned in October 1973 as part of the “Saturday Night Massacre.”
Qaddora, the former controller of the City of Indianapolis and Marion County, had been endorsed by Republican State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick. He will be the first Muslim state senator in Indiana history.
Note: Click on the image to see Indiana's Senate map before and after the election.
Indiana House of Representatives
Note: Click through the years to see how many seats Republicans and Democrats held in the Indiana House.
More changes happened in the Indiana House in the 2020 election, as all 100 seats were up for reelection.
The Republican Party picked up five seats over the Democratic Party, but the Democrats flipped one seat. This means the Republicans expanded their supermajority in the House from 67-33 to 71-29.
Two of the seats the Republicans flipped were in northwestern Indiana, as Republican Julie Olthoff beat Democrat Lisa Beck, and Republican Harold Slager beat Democrat Chris Chyung.
Chyung first won the seat in 2018 and was the youngest lawmaker in the state. But Slager beat him by about three points Tuesday, winning back the seat he held for six years.
Another win for Republicans in Indiana came in the southeast part of the state, where Democrat Terry Goodin lost to challenger Zach Payne. Goodin was defeated after holding his seat for 20 years.
Republican Jake Teshka beat Democrat Ross Deal in District 7, which includes part of South Bend.
The last flip for Republicans came in District 58, which includes parts of Delaware and Madison counties. The district has Yorktown, Alexandria and Part of Elwood in it.
Republican Elizabeth Rowray beat Democrat Melanie Wright in Tuesday’s election. Wright had held seat since 2014.
The one seat that Democrats took from Republicans in 2020 was in District 89, which includes parts of east and southeast Marion County. Republican Cindy Kirchhofer had held the seat for a decade before losing this year to Democrat Mitch Gore.
Gore is a captain in the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. The latest results from the Associated Press show Gore beat Kirchhofer by less than 700 votes.
Kirchhofer also serves as the chair of the Marion County Republican Party.
Note: Click on the image to see Indiana's House map before and after the election.
