A projected blue wave made a dent in Indiana Republican power Tuesday. At the Statehouse, Democrats broke the supermajority in the House and won districts they have not won in decades.
Republicans have controlled a supermajority in the House since 2012 and won supermajority in the Senate two years earlier, in 2010. A supermajority is when a party controls more than two-thirds of the seats in a chamber.
Democrats also flipped seats in the Senate, but Republicans appear to have won enough seats to retain their advantage in that chamber.
The Democratic gains come after state Republican lawmakers failed President Donald Trump's demand they redraw congressional districts to favor the GOP.
A national group then aimed to strengthen the Democratic party's chances in statehouse races. In May, The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee named six races where it thought the Democratic challengers could win.
Here are the results for five high profile Central Indiana races. Results for all Statehouse races can be found on the Indiana Secretary of State website.
Indiana House District 25
Democrat challenger Tiffany Stoner takes Indiana House District 25 from Republican incumbent Becky Cash, according to unofficial results. The district includes Zionsville, Whitestown and parts of Boone and Hendricks County.
Stoner won 63.2% of the vote. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee committed support to Stoner in May, in a broader aim to flip six statehouse seats for Democrats.
The election for District 25 was a rematch of 2024. In that election, Stoner lost by only 64 votes.
During the campaign Stoner told WFYI she believes in strong public schools.
"Public schools are the backbone of our communities. Families choose to live in House District 25 in large part because of the quality of our schools, and I'll work to ensure we prioritize and fully fund public education," Stoner said.
Indiana House District 37
Democrat Lauren Cole appears to have won over Republican incumbent and House Speaker Todd Houston, with 99% of votes counted. This is the first time Cole will hold public office, and it is a big upset for Republicans.
The Hamilton County district runs from Fishers north to include Cicero and Arcadia. It is historically rated Republican. Houston was elected in 2012 and became speaker of the Indiana House in 2020.
During the campaign Cole told WFYI she believes listening is the most important part of her job.
"If elected, I'll continue holding regular town halls, community office hours, and meeting with residents across the district, not just during election season. I'll explain every vote I take and be available to anyone, regardless of party," Stoner said.
Indiana House District 39
Democrat Lindsay Gramlich won over Republican incumbent Danny Lopez. This is the first time Gramlich will hold public office.
The district includes portions of Carmel and Westfield and is historically rated Republican. Gramlich's win comes after the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee committed support to her in May, in a broader aim to flip six statehouse seats for Democrats.
Gramlich's background before the election was mainly in the nonprofit space, where she works as the CEO of an organization promoting girls' opportunities.
In a WFYI candidate survey Gramlich said too many politicians don't represent the residents of their districts.
"In the legislature, I will always bring experts and community members to the table for important decisions. The thoughts and opinions of the people I serve are incredibly important to me, and I will serve the people of House District 39 the same way," Gramlich said.
Indiana Senate District 23
Republican Spencer Deery won 53.8% of the vote over Democrat David Sanders and Independent Joshua Brant, according to unofficial results. This is Deery's second term in the state legislature. The district covers parts of Tippecanoe, Montgomery, Vermillion, Parke, Warren and Fountain counties.
The district is solidly Republican, but Deery's journey to reelection was tenuous. He was one of about a dozen Republican lawmakers that openly opposed President Donald Trump's redistricting push last year.
After that, Trump supported Republican challengers against those senators who opposed him, backing Paula Copenhaver to run against Deery in the primary. He was one of just two incumbent Republicans to survive Trump's efforts, but he won his race by just three votes.
That led to a recount that went to the Indiana Supreme Court before Deery was assured a spot on the November ballot.
"This was a lot bigger than me," Deery said, following the Supreme Court's decision.
Indiana Senate District 31
Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal took 57.6% of the vote over Republican Juanita Albright, according to unofficial results. Albright is a doctor and member of the Board of Trustees for Hamilton Southeastern Schools.
District 31 was also politically close in the last election. It includes the northeastern corner of Indianapolis and the Fishers area in Hamilton County. In the last election Republican State Sen. Kyle Walker won with 55% of the vote.
Walker announced last year he would not run again. He was among about a dozen Republican senators to publicly oppose redistricting. He first took the seat when he was appointed to replace Republican Jim Merritt, who resigned after decades of leadership in that seat.
Forestal served two terms as sheriff and is term limited. He pivoted to run for District 31 when Walker announced his retirement. This is the first time a Democrat won the seat in decades.
During the campaign Forestal told WFYI in a survey that he would listen to constituents.
"We must choose together to work together, 70% of the people in the middle want their government to succeed and not make promises that don't come to fruition," Forestal said. "The extremes on either side of the spectrum don't bring us results. They just bring us speeches."
