Colwell: Hoosier Dems show signs of life in election

After devastating defeats in St. Joseph County a year ago, Democrats won the big races in South Bend and Mishawaka Tuesday.

This time it was Republicans, lacking a ticket leader, who failed to get to the polls in numbers sufficient to prevent losing everything in South Bend, even the 5th District council seat that they held for many decades.

South Bend Mayor James Mueller, winning a second term with 73% of the vote, led the Democratic ticket to a sweep of all nine council seats and victory in a city clerk race in which Republicans had hopes of winning.

Republican mayoral nominee Desmont Upchurch, with baggage of two criminal cases over two decades ago, got no funding or help from the party’s county organization. He lacked any chance of being an effective ticket leader.

The situation was similar to Democrats having no effective ticket leader for Congress as they lost control of county government a year ago. It was unenthused Democrats who stayed home in droves in the election back then.

The biggest race Tuesday was in Mishawaka.

Debbie Ladyga-Block, long-time city clerk and No. 1 target of the Republican organization, won a ninth term with 55% of the vote. And Mishawaka voters again affirmed their approval of the city’s tradition of bipartisan city government — Republican mayor and Democratic council.

Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood, the popular Republican incumbent, ran unopposed for a fourth full term. So, the long GOP mayoral control continues. No Democrat has been elected mayor of Mishawaka since 1979.

But Democrats continue to hold a majority on the council and the clerk’s office.

Election reaction: Mishawaka Democrats claim 7-2 council edge; Republicans blame their own mayor for losses

Mishawaka voters seem to like that divided government. Wood says it has worked well, with bipartisan cooperation for a positive governmental role in spectacular commercial and residential developments in and around downtown.

Republicans had hoped to win one additional council seat needed to gain a majority. Instead, they lost two seats.

Wood made no endorsement in the clerk race. But he contributed $100 to and attended a fundraiser for Ladyga-Block, signaling that he wanted no part in any negative attacks on the incumbent.

Column: Contributing to effective bipartisanship

In South Bend, Eli Wax, the lone Republican on the council, was defeated in the 5th District, long a bastion of GOP strength in the city. That was as surprising as some of the unexpected Democratic losses last year.

While Wax was well-liked by Democrats on the council and faced no negative attacks, lack of Republican enthusiasm left him vulnerable. Democratic challenger Sherry Bolden-Simpson waged an impressive, hard-working campaign to pull the upset.

Mueller’s victory continued the long string of Democratic mayoral wins in the city. No Republican has been elected mayor since 1967.

The mayor was not just an effective ticket leader on Tuesday. He also led a ticket of nominees to victory in the May Democratic primary, assuring a council more cooperative than obstructionist and sidetracking a controversial city clerk.

In Elkhart, where Democratic Mayor Rod Roberson was unopposed for a second term, Democrats picked up additional council seats, although two close wins could involve recounts.

In the biggest spending mayoral race in Indiana history, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett won re-election to a third term in trouncing a wealthy, self-funding Republican challenger who had twice as much for campaign spending.

Indiana Democratic Chair Mike Schmuhl, pleased with Democratic wins Tuesday, especially in the state’s biggest city, said of the outcome there: “You can buy a lot with 14 million dollars, but you can’t buy a city and its future.”

Democrats also retained control of the mayor’s office in Fort Wayne and flipped control from Republicans in Evansville, Terre Haute and Michigan City.

Republicans still retain a majority of mayoral offices in Indiana and are favored to win statewide races in 2024. But Democrats show signs of regaining some momentum, including in South Bend, where they had no momentum at all last year.

Jack Colwell is a columnist for The Tribune. Write to him in care of The Tribune or by email at jcolwell@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana Dems show signs of regaining momentum.