Democrats had a disappointing night in the battle for Senate control, but it was too soon for Republicans to take a victory lap Wednesday, although they brushed back multiple challengers to protect their now teetering majority.
The fate of the United States presidency hung in the balance Wednesday morning, as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden battled for three familiar battleground states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — that could prove crucial in determining who wins the White House.
Outgoing Republican Rep. Susan Brooks on Tuesday night appeared alongside fellow Republican Victoria Spartz at her campaign event in Carmel and declared Spartz the winner in the hard-fought race against Democrat Christina Hale to succeed Brooks in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. Hale, however, declined to concede Tuesday night.
Former Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita has claimed victory in the race for Indiana attorney general, securing about 66% of Hoosier votes compared to the nearly 34% won by former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel with about 60% of the statewide vote counted.
President Donald Trump is project to win the popular vote in Indiana and carry the state’s 13 electoral votes, news organizations including the Associated Press and the New York Times projected Tuesday night.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb will be reelected, the Associated Press projected Tuesday evening as polls closed across the state. Holcomb was projected to easily dispatch Democratic challenger Woody Myers, a physician and former state health commissioner, and Libertarian candidate Donald Rainwater.
Amid a global pandemic that defined a tumultuous presidential campaign, voters across the U.S. on Tuesday braved worries about getting sick, threats of polling place intimidation and expectations of long lines caused by changes to voting procedures.
Todd Rokita, the Republican candidate for attorney general, buried the lead in a release his campaign sent out Tuesday afternoon saying that he will be staying home with his family to watch election returns. The Rokita campaign said he tested positive for COVID-19.
County election offices around Indiana are gearing up to count the flood of early ballots as the final votes are being cast in this year’s election, a process that in Marion County and elsewhere may take days to complete.
The race for the Indiana Attorney General’s Office between Republican Todd Rokita and Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel is the most-contested statewide campaign for this year’s election ballot.
Even before Election Day, the 2020 race was the most litigated in memory. President Donald Trump is promising more to come. The candidates and parties have enlisted prominent lawyers with ties to Democratic and Republican administrations should that litigation take on new urgency in the event of a close election in key states.
In the only election lawsuit the state did not appeal, the plaintiffs have filed a third request with the Southern Indiana District Court for more time in filing a petition for attorney fees.
The flood of Indiana voters choosing mail-in ballots or heading to early voting sites has kept up as the final votes are being cast in this year’s election. The volume could delay final results on Election Night.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett is expected to join her Supreme Court colleagues on Monday to hear arguments for the first time. Participating in oral arguments will be among the first things Barrett, a former University of Notre Dame law professor, will do after being confirmed last week in a 52-48 virtual party-line vote.
A major political analyst has changed the outlook for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District from toss-up to “tilt Democrat.” Inside Elections made the rating change this week for the tight race between Republican state Sen. Victoria Spartz and former Democratic state lawmaker Christina Hale.
At first blush, the difference in outcomes at the U.S. Supreme Court in cases regarding the counting of absentee ballots seems odd because the high court typically takes up issues to harmonize the rules across the country. But elections are largely governed by states, and the rules differ from one state to the next.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would not grant a quick, pre-election review to a new Republican appeal to exclude absentee ballots received after Election Day in the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania, although it remained unclear whether those ballots will ultimately be counted.
The Supreme Court will allow absentee ballots in North Carolina to be received and counted up to nine days after Election Day.
As this election season comes to a close, the IndyBar recognizes the hard work and dedication of the Public Outreach Committee during the past few months for helping nearly 100 Indiana residents either register to vote or request absentee ballots.
Amy Coney Barrett’s first votes on the Supreme Court could include two big topics affecting the man who appointed her.