Indiana Business for Responsive Government (IBRG), the non-partisan political action program of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, scored a successful general election. Thirty-five of 37 IBRG-endorsed candidates facing opposition were victorious. Thirty-four additional endorsed candidates did not face general election challenges.
While a widely anticipated “red wave” for Republican successes in an off-presidential election may not have occurred nationally, the Indiana GOP significantly out-performed expectations. In statewide and state legislative races, Republican vote totals significantly outpaced both 2020 and the last off-year election in 2018.
No Republican incumbent state candidate lost their reelection bids, while the GOP protected its current quorum-proof seat counts in both the Indiana House and Senate by: (1) defeating “moderate” Democratic state lawmakers in more GOP-leaning districts after redistricting; and (2) winning races in some Democratic-leaning open seats.
In the Indiana House, Republicans were able to achieve a net seat count matching their current 71 seats. In the Senate, the Republicans expanded by one seat to 40.
Due to the continuing populations shifts in Indiana towards urban and suburban areas, the number of House districts in rural and smalltown areas declined in the new redistricting maps. If not for winning on offense this year, House Republicans would have suffered a net decline in their number of seats after redistricting.
Now, the third election cycle in a row where the election fight focused on suburban areas that have become quite competitive, Republicans succeeded in significantly improving their election performance in both turnout and voter support. The GOP succeeded in outperforming the market, so to speak, as Democrats struggled to win in new GOP-leaning seats and to take advantage of opportunities in the suburbs.
It’s very hard to look at the 2022 midterms in Indiana state legislative races as a “status quo” election, even though on a net basis the number of state legislative seats changed little. Significant shifts in the electorate, redistricting, competitive districts and regions, high-profile legislative actions this summer that enjoyed little public support, very low approval ratings for the General Assembly and the fallout from the biggest primary election cycle in history in the state created a truly tumultuous battlefield.
As noted earlier, 35 of the 37 IBRG-backed candidates won their races. Key IBRG-backed candidate wins included Sens. Kyle Walker (R-Indianapolis) and Linda Rogers (R-Granger), as well as Reps. Jerry Torr (R-Carmel) and Donna Schaibley (R-Carmel).
In this environment and in the battles across the state in both the primary and general elections, Indiana has been through a very active and unpredictable political year. That the final outcome looks like the status quo in terms of the net seats should be considered a decisive victory.
Read the full IBRG Election Report.
Resource: Jeff Brantley at (317) 264-7544 or email: jbrantley@indianachamber.com
