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Election 2016: Republicans win Indiana races in landslide

Posted at 1:01 AM, Nov 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-09 07:52:46-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- After months of talk of Democrats taking Indiana’s governor position, open Senate seat or possibly even the state’s 11 electoral votes, all three went to the Republicans in a victory for the state’s conservatives Tuesday night.

Eric Holcomb, Todd Young and Donald Trump all won in Indiana.

Trump’s win in Indiana came first, around 7 p.m. Then Young at 8:30 and Holcomb at 9:20

It was a landslide win for the GOP in the state, with Republicans taking the major state races.

Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton 57-38 percent.

Here’s a look at the Indiana electoral map as of 12:30 a.m., with 91 percent reporting.

Clinton won in Marion, Monroe, St. Joseph and Lake counties, while Trump won the others. Results for Henry, Brown, and Elkhart counties hadn’t been reported.

Young beat Democrat Evan Bayh by double digits, 52-42 percent.

Young, a three-term member of the U.S. House from southern Indiana won the GOP primary over fellow GOP Congressman Marlin Stutzman.

“When I grew up here in Indiana, my dad used to tell me, almost every day, that if I dream really big, if I work really hard, good things will happen,” Young said in his victory speech. “Dad, this is a good thing.”

Bayh joined the race in July after Baron Hill dropped out and Democrats tapped him as the best choice to help regain Senate control.

Bayh had served as Indiana’s governor as well as two terms in the U.S. Senate but did not run for reelection in 2010 and left Congress in 2011.

Early polls showed Bayh with a strong lead over Young, but those numbers didn’t last.

Lingering questions about Bayh’s residency and work after leaving the Senate in 2010 eroded his lead as Election Day drew closer.

RELATED | Todd Young projected to win Indiana U.S. Senate race

Holcomb will take the mantle from Gov. Mike Pence as Indiana’s governor. He beat Democrat John Gregg, 51-45 percent.

Holcomb served on the staffs of Dan Coats and Mitch Daniels before running for the open Senate seat. He dropped out of the race to serve as Pence’s lieutenant governor.

“We just captured the checkered flag,” Holcomb said Tuesday night. “We’re not competing anymore -- we have won.”

READ | Eric Holcomb projected to be Indiana's 51st Governor

Republicans also won big in other state races.

Republican Jennifer McCormick beat incumbent Glenda Ritz to be Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. She won with 53 percent of the vote.

McCormick has been the superintendent of Yorktown Community Schools since 2010.

Rep. Susan Brooks won re-election in Indiana’s 5th District with 61 percent of the vote. She beat Angela Demaree in the race.

Initially, Brooks withdrew from the race in July 2016 to run for governor. However, she was not chosen to fill the vacancy. She then began to seek re-election for her House of Representative seat.

In Indiana’s 9th District, Trey Hollingsworth beat Shelli Yoder 54-40 percent.

The race for the district was competitive and, at times, ugly as Hollingsworth’s opponents labeled him “Tennessee Trey,” saying he lived in Tennessee and only moved to Indiana to win a seat in Congress.

Considered one of the closest House races in Indiana, the 9th District race had seen an unusually high amount of campaign money spent by outside groups.

RELATED | Todd Young projected to win Indiana U.S. Senate race | Eric Holcomb projected to be Indiana's 51st Governor | Marion County transit referendum passes | Trey Hollingsworth projected to win 9th Congressional District | Susan Brooks projected to win 5th District Congressional race | MAP: 2016 Nationwide election results | Indiana Election Results