INDIANAPOLIS – Eric Holcomb will serve another four years as the governor of Indiana, according to an Associated Press race call.
The news organization called the race at 7 p.m., just as the final polls were scheduled to close in Indiana.
Holcomb fended off criticism from the left and right on his handling of the coronavirus against challengers Woody Myers, a Democrat, and Donald Rainwater, a Libertarian.
As of 10:15 p.m., Holcomb had 58% of the vote to Myers’ 29% and Rainwater’s 13%. Both challengers conceded to Holcomb but called for statewide improvements.
“This is not good enough,” Rainwater said.
“I ran because I knew we could do better,” Myers said.
In the 2016 general election, Holcomb won with 52% of the vote, compared to Democrat John Gregg’s 45%. The Libertarian candidate, Rex Bell, garnered just 3% of the vote.
“We have so much work to do, and I am flat out eager to continue to get 'er done,” Holcomb said. “Let’s get busy building one Indiana for all.”
Holcomb’s vision for a second term seems to be a continuation of his current policies, with a particular focus on workforce development. Myers and Rainwater, on the other hand, offered alternatives that respectively restricted or loosened government actions surrounding the coronavirus.
Myers, a physician and former state health commissioner, pushed for a mask mandate with penalties and bringing back some springtime restrictions. Though his message was supported by the state’s increasing case numbers and deaths, Myers won less of the vote than Gregg did in 2016.
Rainwater catapulted to prominence this year with his anti-mask mandate message. Voters frustrated with the mask mandate and earlier business closures rewarded Rainwater with 12% of the vote, more than four times what Bell received in the 2016 election.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
The Associated Press called the race for Republican Todd Rokita at 10:20 p.m., with 62% of the vote compared to Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel’s 38%.
Democrats viewed the race as their best chance to grab a statewide seat following Attorney General Curtis Hill’s court battles amidst allegations that he had groped women at a party. Republicans declined to nominate Hill for another term during their summer convention.
Rokita announced in a campaign email on Election Day that he was quarantining at home after testing positive. Rokita didn’t reveal when he first tested positive or if he received results before Election Day.
In the days leading up to the race, Weinzapfel called for the legalization of marijuana in Indiana while Rokita said he would continue with Hill’s anti-abortion agenda and Republican lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act.
STATEHOUSE
Both parties kept a close eye on several statehouse races but many were too close to call by 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Democrats needed to win just one seat to break the Republican supermajority of 67 seats in the House but couldn’t lose any of their current seats. However, Democrat losses seemed poised to cut into their gains in Indianapolis’ suburbs.
Incumbent Republicans Donna Schaibley (Carmel) and House Speaker Todd Huston (Fishers)won their races, which Democrats had hoped to turn, while Democrat incumbent Terry Goodin (Austin) lost his race in Southern Indiana to Republican Zach Payne.
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