INDIANAPOLIS — In Tuesday's election, Republicans were hoping to take a northwestern Indiana congressional seat that has been a Democratic stronghold since the 1930s in the GOP-dominated state.
Democrat Frank Mrvan has won reelection to his congressional seat. Mrvan on Tuesday survived an expensive campaign in which Republicans made their first serious challenge for the longtime Democratic stronghold in decades. National Republicans had targeted first-term incumbent Mrvan for defeat as part of their push toward regaining a majority in the closely divided U.S. House.
DECISION 2022: See all of Tuesday's election results in Indiana
Jennifer-Ruth Green, who would have been the GOP’s only Black female House member, had touted herself as a Trump supporter during the Republican primary campaign but has backed away from talking about him in recent months. Utah’s Mia Love became the first Black Republican woman in Congress with her 2014 victory. She lost her reelection bid in 2018.
The 1st District was the only one of Indiana’s nine congressional districts that appeared to have had the potential to change political hands this election, although two new House members were elected.
Republican former state Sen. Erin Houchin won in southern Indiana’s 9th Congressional District to replace GOP Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, who unexpectedly announced in January he wouldn’t seek reelection after three terms.
Voters in northern Indiana’s solidly Republican 2nd District picked Rudy Yakym as the successor to GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski, who was killed along with two staff members in an August highway crash.
Yakym, an executive with Elkhart logistics company Kem Krest who was endorsed by Walorski's husband, won a vote among Republican precinct committee members to replace Walorski on the ballot. With Yakym's win over Democrat Paul Steury, a high school science teacher from Goshen, and Libertarian William Henry, he could be sworn into office in the coming days to complete Walorski’s term through the rest of this year and then start a full two-year term in January.
Incumbents held serve in the six other congressional races in Indiana Tuesday.
Republican Rep. Jim Banks easily defeated challengers Gary Snyder and Nathan Gotsch in the 3rd District.
In the 4th District, Rep. Jim Baird defeated Democrat Roger Day.
Rep. Victoria Spartz held onto her 5th District seat with a victory over Democrat Jeannine Lake.
Another Republican incumbent, Rep. Greg Pence, will stay in Congress with a win over Democrat Cinde Wirth in the 6th District.
Rep. André Carson, the lone Democrat to secure an election win as of Tuesday night, pending the 1st District race, will return to Washington for his eighth term in Indiana's 7th District.
Rep. Larry Bucshon, who has served in Congress since 2011, defeated Democrat Ray McCormick and Libertarian Andrew Horning Tuesday night.