The 2024 Indiana State Legislature election concluded on Nov. 5. Photo by Elizabeth Stevenson.
MOLLY DURM l STAFF REPORTER l mdurm@butler.edu
Indiana’s state and local elections concluded on Nov. 5 with key wins for Danny Lopez (R) and Jim Lucas (R). In addition to the races for Indiana’s General Assembly — the state’s legislative body — each county held elections for city council, school board and judicial appointments.
These officials represent each county in Indiana and are responsible for focusing on local and state-level issues such as education, transportation and public safety. The agenda of each representative can create major changes in Indiana districts.
This year, there were 170 candidates fighting to claim one of 100 seats in Indiana’s House of Representatives. Republicans held 70 seats and Democrats held 30. In a predominantly red state, the Democrats have hopes to end the four-seat supermajority while Republicans plan to keep it. Ultimately, the Republicans maintained the supermajority.
There is no limit to the number of terms a state senator or representative may serve in Indiana. In most cases, a representative will serve until they retire, choose not to run or lose to a challenger. While around 36 incumbents have no competitor, tense races have emerged in some counties where there are candidates challenging the incumbent.
In the city of Seymour, House District 69, there was a heated race for the district’s seat in the Indiana General Assembly. Representative Jim Lucas (R) ultimately beat out Trish Witcomb (D). According to Indiana Citizen, in previous elections, Lucas won by over 70% of the vote each time, but after multiple incidents surfaced including a DUI and flashing a gun at high school students, the race became tighter. Constituents were left to wonder if a Democratic candidate had a chance at winning the seat.
In House District 39, incumbent Jerry Torr (R) retired and left his seat up for grabs. Danny Lopez (R) won the seat against Matt McNally (D). In 2022 McNally also lost to Torr with 48% to the incumbent’s 52%.
Brendan Byce, a junior finance major and president of Butler University College Republicans, believes that voters should recognize the importance of state representatives, as they can implement important changes through local government.
“I would argue personally that things like the state races and your local races are honestly going to affect your day-to-day life more than the presidential race does,” Byce said. “They inflict local regulations, local laws and zoning restrictions and things like that, which really affect your day-to-day life in your community. So it’s extremely important that you do your due diligence and do your research of those candidates and have an overall good idea of what you want to go on in your community.”
Junior political science major, Justin Deem-Loureio is a member of Butler University College Democrats and also emphasizes the importance of state legislatures. He urges voters to stay informed about candidates and policies specific to their counties.
“Do your research and see who your representatives are and what changes you want to see,” Deem-Loureio said. “Depending on whatever political beliefs you have, see what your state legislators are doing because a lot of that happens on a local level.”
As a senator of the Student Government Association, Deem-Loureio has first-hand experience with the power state and local governments hold and their ability to solve public issues that affect our communities.
“I reached out to John Barth, who’s the city councilor of our area,” Deem-Loureio said. “I told him ‘Hey, you know, we have these potholes on Hampton, is there anything that I can do, or is there anything you can do to help fix this?’ and he said, ‘Absolutely, I’ll take care of it.’ Then the next week it was fixed. So it’s important to have those connections on a local level and know that these are the people representing us and making changes.”
Political science lecturer Ryan Daughtery argues that local candidates are often overlooked in election seasons due to limited media exposure and campaign funding. However, he believes these offices are among the most important for citizens.
“Media plays a major role here, especially in our current environment, so the sources that we have available to us you have to go looking for,” Daughtery said, “Whenever I speak in Intro To U.S. Politics, I always tell students it’s local level and state level government that affect you most directly. Even though we place emphasis on the presidency, which is important, the things that actually affect your day-to-day living, or most directly and immediately affect you, are going to be decisions made at the State House and at the City Hall.”
The results of Indiana’s local elections highlight the powerful influence state and judicial officials have on communities and citizens’ everyday lives. These local and state races shape policies on education, infrastructure and public safety across Indiana. By engaging with state and local politics, citizens can stay well-informed and use their voice and their vote to shape the future of their communities.
