LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Voters in Indiana flocked to the polls Tuesday for the state's primary election.
The gubernatorial and presidential races were expected to boost voter turnout before polls closed at 6pm local time.
To track all races, click here to visit WDRB's election results page.
Indiana gubernatorial election:
Current Governor Eric Holcomb is term-limited, meaning Indiana will have a new governor by November. Six Republicans are running for governor in Indiana.
On Tuesday, Hoosiers selected Mike Brown as the Republican candidate for governor. He will face Democratic candidate Jennifer McCormick, a former Indiana State Superintendent, who ran uncontested in Tuesday's election in November.
Recent polls show Brown is expected to win. He flipped his Senate seat by defeating Joe Donnelly in 2018 and has the support of former President Donald Trump.
He defeated Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, who served as county auditor, state representative, and state auditor before taking her current position. Mr Crouch received 22% of the vote, to Mr Brown's 39%.
Brown also defeated Republican challenger Jamie Lightner, who was running for political office for the first time. Brad Chambers, former Secretary of Commerce and former president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation; Curtis Hill, attorney and former state attorney general. and Eric Dowden, a businessman who previously served as president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
Presidential primaries:
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have already won enough delegates to secure their respective parties' presidential nominations, with both parties winning by overwhelming margins in nearly every primary and caucus. I'm winning with it. Still, prospective candidates have faced continued protest votes in recent campaigns, and while primary campaign efforts have not been overturned, questions about voter dissatisfaction have been raised ahead of the November general election. It is occurring.
With Biden the only choice in the Democratic primary, Indiana voters cannot vote for another or “uncommitted” candidate.
Trump is the only active candidate in the Republican primary, but another candidate, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, has fared significantly in the recent campaign, despite suspending her campaign in early March. continues to receive votes.
But on Tuesday, Hoosiers voted for Trump in the primary. The former president secured 76% of the vote.
House and Senate primaries:
The most notable House races on Tuesday's vote are the 3rd Congressional District, where Banks is not running for Senate, and the Republican primaries in the 5th, 6th and 8th districts.
Half of Indiana's 50 Senate seats and all 100 seats in the state House of Representatives are up for election this year.
Democrat Valerie McCray defeated Mark Carmichael to secure the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Republican Erin Houchin received 81% of the vote and retained her seat representing the state's 9th District in the House. Houchin will face Democratic candidate Timothy Peck for the seat in the November election. Peck defeated Liam Doris to secure his nomination.
Mark Messmer defeated John Hostetler, Richard Moss, Dominic Kavanaugh, and Christy Riske to secure the Republican nomination for the 8th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Messmer will face Eric Hart, the Democratic nominee for the 8th District seat in the state House of Representatives. Hart came out on top ahead of Edward Sane, Michael Tarajczyk and Peter Priest.
The 66th District seat in the Indiana House of Representatives will also be up for grabs in November. Republican incumbent Zach Payne secured the Republican nomination over Jim Baker. As of 9:55 p.m., the race between Democrats Jennifer David and Rick Cannon had not yet been announced, but David had received 66.7% of the vote to Cannon's 33.3%. . The winner of that race will face Payne in the November election.
Incumbent Alex Zimmerman defeated Chad Meinders with approximately 65% of the vote to win the Republican nomination for the 68th District seat in the Indiana House of Representatives.
The Republican primary for the Indiana House District 69 seat had not been called as of 9:56 p.m., with Brian Savilla receiving 51% of the vote to Jim Lucas' 48.8%. Lucas is the incumbent in this election.
In the 70th District, incumbent Karen Engleman defeated John Colburn with nearly 70% of the vote, securing the Republican nomination for the Indiana House of Representatives seat.
In the 71st District, Scott Hawkins secured the Republican nomination for the state House of Representatives, defeating James McClure with 78% of the vote.
In the 73rd District, incumbent Jennifer Meltzer won the Republican nomination, defeating Edward Comstock with approximately 75% of the vote.
County races can be close calls:
In Floyd County, Republican Matthew Tomlin received 2,924 votes over fellow Republican Greg Routhion's 2,877 votes, securing his nomination for county coroner.
Republican Frank Roop, a former county sheriff, secured the nomination for Floyd County's 2nd District Commissioner with 3,747 votes to John Shellenberger's 2,624 votes.
Republicans Sam Sarkisian, DM Bagshaw, and Matt Millies defeated Connie Moon in the race for Republican Floyd County Legislature.
Several Republican races in Scott County were also called. Brighton Ritchie defeated Jonathan White with 1,115 votes, beating Jonathan White's 1,015 votes.
Republican Randy Julian won the District 1 Commissioner's seat, defeating fellow Republicans Ronnie Noble and Marvin Robinson.
For the District 2 Commissioner seat, Republican Adam Bomer defeated Republican Mike Jones with 1,112 votes to Jones' 1,061 votes.
James Ritchie, John Hardin and Justin Cheatham defeated Deborah Stroud-Hubbard and Brad Stotts to win the Republican seat for Scott County Councilman.
For the Democratic seat on the Scott County Council, John Lizenby, Teresa Vannersdal and Jim Boswell defeated Shane Deaton, Keith Henderson and Brandon Stagnolia.
In the race for Scott County Recorder, Republican Sara Helton received 1,171 votes, defeating Republican Stephanie Gabbard.
As of 10 p.m., several races in Indiana's Clark, Harrison, Jefferson, Washington and Orange counties had not yet been called. This includes elections for county coroner, commissioner and council.
Hoosiers to vote in Tuesday's primary
The last poll ended at 7pm ET, but most polls ended at 6pm ET. Indiana is located in both the Eastern and Central time zones.
Pollsters expected the busiest time to be “after work.” He also urged voters to bring a photo ID.
Election Supervisor Joe Graves was at New Albany High School, which served as a polling place.
“It's great to meet members of the community. The best part is running into people you haven't seen in years and making the process smooth and easy for voters,” Graves said. said.
Voter Mary Margaret Sparks cast her vote Tuesday as an example to the young people in her life.
“(I) wanted to teach my kids the importance of having a voice and voting and that we live in a democracy,” Sparks said.
This article will be updated as more results are published. You can watch it in real time on WDRB's election results page. click here.
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. The Associated Press contributed to this article. All rights reserved.
