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Local Republicans were ebullient on Tuesday night as the election returns revealed themselves. Once again, the party swept the evening, taking every contested seat on the ballot. And they did so by such wide margins that only one race could be considered close; most were won by margins greater than two to one.
“Get the damn broom!” exulted Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Jack as the final returns arrived.
Turnout for the mid-term election was robust on Election Day, with long lines reported at multiple voting centers, but the 35-percent participation rate was low, even by Howard County’s off-cycle standards. Four years earlier, more than 48 percent of eligible voters participated.
Comparisons to other county-wide elections are impossible, as no other results are available on the county clerk’s website, despite a link promising an archive reaching back to 2003. A scarecrow in a cornfield and an attempt at humor is all that meets citizens looking for such information.
No one at the GOP’s party at The Elite on Nov. 8 was looking at the past, however. The future in front of them is far too bright. State Rep. Mike Karickhoff encapsulated the message sent by Howard County voters on this night.
“This vote tonight shows that Hoosier values are reflected in the ballot box,” said Karickhoff. “No question about it. You have to be in touch with the people, and our party? We’re in touch with the people. That’s a fact.
“Who would have thought we would have a Republican sweep in ’19, ’20, and again in ’22? We don’t rebuild; we just reload. It’s time to move forward. The election is over. We are going to represent all Hoosiers.
“Some folks want to say, ‘We’re going to fight for you.’ In my 20 years of holding office, with people who want to fight there are no winners. I want to work for you. I want to listen to what the other side has to say. I want to find common sense compromise. I want to move the ball down the field in ways that we all prosper because that’s what it’s all about.”
At Howard County Democrat headquarters, hope was extinguished as soon as the first results arrived. In today’s age of voting centers, the returns are no longer segregated by small precincts and districts. Each center captures a cross-section of the voting populace, so when nearly every race showed big Republican leads just a few minutes after 7 p.m., the only smile in the room belonged to the old photo of Jack Kennedy sitting in the corner.
Only one Democrat, newly elected Center Township Trustee Andrew Durham, was victorious, and this was only possible because the Republicans failed to field a candidate.
One Democratic hopeful did keep things interesting until the final tally, however. Donnie Haworth, the current sitting Third District representative on the Howard County Council, lingered within striking distance of his opponent, Tim Cuthbert. That race, too, went to the Republicans, with Haworth falling just 197 votes shy of returning to his seat.
Haworth was gracious in accepting his defeat.
“Thank you all for supporting my campaign, and thank you Tim Cuthbert for running an honest campaign and for the courage to run at all,” said Haworth. “It takes a lot of effort and dedication to run for public office, and I’m honored to have run against him.
“I don’t look at the results of today’s election as a loss for me, but the opportunity to do something different. I sincerely believe our county government has the ability to be more responsible and transparent about county finances, and I hope they continue the good work this previous council started. Thank you all, again, for your support, and let’s give this new council a chance to work.”
The full results of the Nov. 8 election in Howard County can be viewed by clicking HERE.