INDIANAPOLIS – Today the Indiana House Democratic Caucus was proud to welcome 17 new members into the largest Democratic freshman class since 1974.
IHDC’s electoral victory follows a record-setting year for the Caucus, which started with recruiting 97 out of 100 seats for the legislature and raising a record-breaking 3.5 million dollars to help support candidates this election cycle.
“Our incredible new members come from all corners of the Hoosier state and include union members, a former prosecutor, business leaders, a research scientist, teachers, and veterans,” said Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta. “The incredible diversity of these new members shows that our message of supporting our public schools, reigning in utility bills, and lowering costs for Indiana families resonated with voters statewide.”
As of Wednesday morning, State House Democrats held a 100,000 popular vote lead over State House Republicans. Across all competitive seats, IHDC’s candidates and incumbents had a 9.5% average swing in their favor.
“Our candidates did the work to meet voters in their communities and talk about the issues that really mattered to them,” said Megan Ruddie, Executive Director of IHDC. On election day alone, our Caucus worked with the Indiana Senate Democratic Caucus and the Jessica Bailey campaign to make 40,000 calls to voters and over 200,000 election day reminder texts to ensure that democrats turned out to vote.”
Listed below are the 16 flipped incumbents, along with IHDC’s hold incumbent.
- State Representative Sara Gullion (HD 34, Muncie) is a former Muncie City Councilor, paralegal professional, community activist, and mom.
- State Representative Ryan Kominakis (HD 4, Valparaiso) is a Marine veteran, steelworker, union representative, husband, and father.
- State Representative Alex Wait (HD 5, Granger) is a native Hoosier, husband, and father who works as a scriptwriter for content creators.
- State Representative Nick Neal (HD 19, Crown Point) was born and raised in Northwest Indiana and is a former member of law enforcement and a current nonprofit leader.
- State Representative Racheal Bleicher (HD 24, Westfield) is a mom, a wife, a leader in corporate America, the daughter of two veterans, a survivor of a school shooting, and an involved community member in Hamilton County.
- State Representative Tiffany Stoner (HD 25, Zionsville) is a wife of a veteran, community fundraiser, and small business owner.
- State Representative Kimberly Townsend (HD 36, Anderson) is a CEO of the Anderson Housing Authority, breast cancer survivor, and community advocate.
- State Representative Lauren Cole (HD 37, Fishers) is a cancer research scientist in clinical trials and community advocate.
- State Representative Lindsay Gramlich (HD 39, Carmel) is a non-profit CEO, daughter of two public school administrators, granddaughter of immigrants, wife, and mom of three.
- State Representative Will Colterhayn (HD 40, Avon) is a husband and father who formerly worked in state social services, helping Hoosiers with disabilities, seniors, and families.
- State Representative Amy Huffman Oliver (HD 62, Nashville) is a former prosecutor, a former teacher, a current school board member, and a community leader.
- State Representative Michele Henry (HD 72, New Albany) is a civil rights lawyer, board member for the Waterfront Botanical Gardens and Women Lawyers Association, and community advocate.
- State Representative Stephanie Jo Yocum (HD 88, Lawrence) is the former Chair of the Governor-appointed Commission on Service and Volunteerism for the state of Indiana, an AmeriCorps advocate and member, wife, and mom.
- State Representative Misti Meehan (HD 84, Fort Wayne) is the former Chairwoman of the Allen County Democratic Party, an Army National Guard veteran, and a small business owner.
- State Representative David Boyd (HD 90, Indianapolis) is an insurance adjuster, former TSA security professional, and previously worked for the Federal Department of Homeland Security.
- State Representative Jarren Hurt (HD 91, Indianapolis) is a Navy veteran, husband, father, small business owner, and a real estate agent.
- State Representative Eva Rosberg (HD 93, Indianapolis) is a small business owner, wife, mom, and currently works for the Marion County Assessor’s Office.
