By Niki Kelly | Editor-in-Chief
“I’m not here to answer to party bosses, big donors, or the Statehouse insiders. I’m here to answer to you.” — Secretary of State-elect Beau Bayh
It was a stunning night for Democrats across Indiana — taking one, and possibly two, statewide races; a congressional seat and at least 10 races in the Indiana House and Senate.
Beau Bayh led the onslaught in the secretary of state race alongside state Sen. J.D. Ford, who upset 5th District U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz.
Democrats also broke the supermajority in the Indiana House, and GOP House Speaker Todd Huston appeared to be defeated.
Two constitutional amendments passed, and all three counties rejected a casino in northeast Indiana.
Democrat Beau Bayh celebrates his upset victory for secretary of state on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Bayh puts Indiana Democrats back in winning column with secretary of state victory
By Tom Davies
A new generation of the Bayh family is a winner again for Indiana Democrats.
Beau Bayh prevailed in the secretary of state’s race with about 51.4% of the vote in Tuesday night’s vote tallies over Republican candidate Max Engling’s 43%. About 90% of the vote had been counted statewide.
“Today, Hoosiers voted for change,” Bayh told a jubilant crowd of Democrats in Indianapolis. “For too long, the people of our state have been taken for granted. Too many decisions have been made behind closed doors by insiders. Too many families have played by the rules, while the people in the halls of power have played by a different set.”
Indiana Reps. Ed DeLaney, Cherrish Pryor, Phil GiaQuinta, Carey Hamilton, Vanessa Summers and Greg Porter declare that Indiana Democrats have broken the House GOP’s supermajority during the state Democratic election night gathering on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Indiana Dems break GOP supermajority in House, notch Senate wins
By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Indiana Democrats on Tuesday shattered the GOP’s 14-year supermajority in the state’s House of Representatives.
More than a dozen additional Republican incumbents appeared in danger of losing their seats as vote-counting continued late Tuesday. This includes House Speaker Todd Huston, who was trailing his opponent Democrat Lauren Cole with 99% reporting.
Incumbent Democrats in uncalled races, meanwhile, had comfortable leads.
Republican U.S. Rep Victoria Spartz, left, speaks with Democratic state Sen. J.D. Ford following a news conference about flooding damage in Carmel, Indiana, on Aug. 31, 2026. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Democrat J.D. Ford declares victory over Victoria Spartz in major upset for Indiana’s 5th District
By Casey Smith
Hoosier Democrat J.D. Ford declared victory in a major political upset Tuesday night, unseating three-term Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District and flipping a seat the GOP had held for years.
Ford, a two-term state senator from Indianapolis, defeated Spartz in a closely watched contest that became one of Indiana’s most competitive congressional races as Democrats sought to gain ground in the U.S. House.
With 93% of votes counted as of 10:15 p.m., Ford had received 51.6% of the vote to Spartz’s 48.4%, according to the Associated Press. Nearly 255,000 votes had been tallied at that point.
COMMENTARY
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith preaches at Faith Baptist Church in Elkhart on July 26, 2026. (Photo from public livestream)
Islamophobic rhetoric is common in Indiana. Here’s how newsrooms cover it.
By Tracey Compton
In the run-up to this week’s midterm election, it was not uncommon to hear Indiana political figures attack Muslims.
Our local news media have important choices to make when xenophobic speech peppers our information feeds. Journalists must decide what to report on and how to add context. Simply repeating shocking and offensive claims like these runs the risk of giving them more power than they deserve.
NATIONAL NEWS
Michigan’s 2026 race for U.S. Senate was one of the most watched in the nation. In this photo, voters wait in line outside the Department of Elections in Detroit on Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by Janelle D. James/Michigan Advance)
Democrats score control of US Senate in stunning midterm victory
By Ashley Murray and Shauneen Miranda
WASHINGTON — In a stunning upset, Democrats ousted Republicans and flipped control of the U.S. Senate Tuesday night, effectively establishing a barricade for President Donald Trump’s agenda for the last two years of his term.
Democrats will now have the power to block many of Trump’s nominees, both executive and judicial, including if a spot opens on the U.S. Supreme Court bench.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Voters change Indiana’s Constitution — twice | Niki Kelly
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