Major move: Democrats take back Indiana House
BYLINE: Niki Kelly, The Journal Gazette
Democrats scored key upsets in several tight districts around the state and wrested control of the Indiana House after a two-year absence.
While dozens of races were awaiting final results, Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma conceded shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The concession was quickly followed by House Minority Leader Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, introducing his leadership team and declaring victory at a raucous gathering of state Democrats.
"These are the people that represent working men and women. Voters know we will bring balance back to the state government, and they also know we will listen to them," Bauer said. "It won't be just 'Our way or no highway.' We will be the voice of all the people of Indiana."
As results were coming in, Bosma seemed resigned to the outcome.
"We knew this was going to be an uphill battle," he said.
In northeast Indiana, incumbent Republicans in two northeast Indiana districts along the Indiana Toll Road won their heated races, as well as a Democrat in a district representing the south side of Fort Wayne. But incumbent Republican representatives in Vincennes, New Albany, Kokomo and Culver lost.
Bosma said his caucus put together a great campaign, with better finances than ever before, more people in the field, better candidates and a better message.
"But we knew it was going to be tough," he said.
Democrats could end up holding 52 seats, which allows for control of the agenda and could stymie Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels' continued course of action.
The House chamber has been historically volatile, having switched five times in the past 10 election cycles, including two that resulted in ties.
Democrats went into Tuesday's election full of steam and bluster, confident of their ability to sway the necessary seats and gain control on a platform of bringing checks and balances back to a state government controlled solely by the GOP.
Daniels has two years left in his term, and the Senate remains solidly Republican.
But GOP House members campaigned with confidence that the difficult decisions they made in the past two years including moving to daylight-saving time and leasing the Indiana Toll Road for 75 years have moved Indiana forward economically.
They also used typical wedge issues such as prayer and gay marriage, promising to fight a ban on sectarian prayer in the House chambers and move forward a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
Although 100 seats were at stake, the battle came down to a dozen or fewer competitive districts around the state the most in recent memory. And the parties poured in millions.
"This party, your party, has left everything on the floor for its candidates," said Murray Clark, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.
Daniels said the elephant in the room during the campaign has been the political gerrymandering of the districts, saying it's not at all unlikely for Republicans to get a majority of the votes but not a majority of the seats.
Democrats drew the current seats after the last census in 2000.
But the governor promised to push ahead for progress even if Republicans lose, noting he has major proposals ready to unveil on strengthening the economy and affordable health care for Hoosiers.
"I have several more up my sleeve. I've been waiting out of respect for the candidates and no matter what happens tonight or even tomorrow we've got big business to do in this state, and I'll work with whoever's there," he said.
Bauer laughed at the idea that gerrymandering would decide the election.
"What's he complaining about?" Bauer asked. "Here's a man that did everything the people didn't want so they pay the price. We said, 'Listen to the people.' And the House Republicans rubber-stamped his unpopular ideas."
Rep. Win Moses Jr., D-Fort Wayne, said Democrats won't do that with the majority and instead will more closely scrutinize Daniels' plans.
"There's going to be a whole different approach," he said, noting the election was both a referendum on Daniels and President Bush.
Here is how area contested legislative races shaped up Tuesday night:
House District 80 Phil GiaQuinta, 42, had wrapped up a victory with 65 percent of the vote and 42 of 44 precincts reporting in the south-side Fort Wayne district.
He carries on his father's legacy in the Indiana House with the win over Republican opponent Kevin Howell, who earned 31 percent of the vote, and Libertarian Robert Enders, who received 4 percent.
GiaQuinta, service manager for City Utilities, has been around politics all of his life, including serving on the Wayne Township Advisory Board.
Howell, 51, failed for the third time in a row to win the seat. He is a teacher's aide in Whitley County and a former Marine.
Enders, 27, is a security officer who ran for public office for the first time.
House Districts 51 and 52 Howe Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman beat Democrat Dennis Rorick by 1,400 votes in House District 52, which covers parts of LaGrange, Noble and DeKalb counties, and Rep. Dick Dodge, R-Pleasant Lake, enjoyed a similar win of 56 percent to 44 percent against Democrat Joe Rauen in House District 51, which includes Steuben County and part of DeKalb.
The 30-year-old small-businessman and farmer won his third term in the Indiana House.
In the most recent session, he rose to chair a key committee, Public Policy, which handles thorny subjects such as abortion and gambling.
Rorick, 58, of Wolcottville, is a former pharmacist and current practicing attorney who used to run the LaGrange County Democratic Party. He also previously ran for prosecutor but lost.
Dodge, 76, is a retired small-businessman who got a break when Democrats decided not to target his race. Dodger was originally appointed to the House and is seeking his second term.
"It's always a lot better to win than it is to lose," he said. "I knew we were going to have a tough time of it, but it looks like we've gotten through."
He faced Rauen, 52, of Angola, a toll booth operator on the Indiana Toll Road, who had never run for office and focused his campaign only on the controversial Major Moves lease.
Senate District 15 Incumbent Sen. Tom Wyss, R-Fort Wayne, had nearly wrapped up a win against Republican opponent Mike Bynum.
With 92 of 99 precincts reporting late Tuesday, Wyss led 57 percent to 43 percent.
Wyss, 64, has served in the Indiana Senate since 1985 and previously spent eight years on the Allen County Council. His personality has been blamed for rubbing some fellow lawmakers wrong in the legislature, but he continues to move forward on various public safety and transportation issues.
Bynum, 53, is a journeyman machine repairman at Dana Corp. who ran for public office for the first time.
House District 22 North Manchester Republican Rep. Bill Ruppel earned his eighth term in the Indiana House on Tuesday night.
With all precincts counted, Ruppel had defeated Democratic challenger Larry E. Rensberger 58 percent to 42 percent in the race for House District 22, which covers Wabash County and part of Kosciusko County.
Ruppel, 59, is a retired teacher who still works on the family farm. In his most recent House term he chaired the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, and before that served six years on the Wabash County Council.
Rensberger, 67, is a retired small-business owner who switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic in 2005 and was especially angry that Ruppel voted in favor of daylight-saving time and the leasing of the Indiana Toll Road.
House District 50 Rep. Dan Leonard, R-Huntington, had wrapped up his race, beating his Libertarian opponent 85 percent to 15 percent with all precincts counted.
Leonard, 57, was first elected to the Indiana House in 2002 and is seeking a third term. He represents Huntington County and part of Whitley County.
Felix Aguilar, 35, is a commercial airline pilot who was seeking elected office for the first time.
House District 84 Fort Wayne Republican Rep. Randy Borror was coasting to victory late Tuesday in House District 84.
With 52 of 56 precincts reporting in Allen County, Borror was leading his Democratic opponent, Mark Wehrle, 64 percent to 36 percent.
Borror, 49, was first appointed to the House in 2001 and was elected twice since then. His stature has risen dramatically since Republicans took the majority, including chairing the House Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee.
He also helped shepherd the daylight-saving time bill through the system in 2005 and was the author of the controversial Toll Road lease plan in 2006.
Wehrle, 48, owns a purified water vending company and tried to beat Borror, a banker, in the 2005 Republican primary.