Ryan Mears overcomes police union opposition to win Marion County prosecutor race

Democrat incumbent Ryan Mears overcame strong opposition from the local police union and a well-funded Republican challenger Tuesday to remain Marion County’s prosecutor for another four years.

Mears, who was appointed to the office in 2019 after Terry Curry stepped down, defeated Republican Cyndi Carrasco, who conceded shortly after 9:15 p.m. Tuesday. As of 11:50 p.m., with 98% of voting centers reporting, Mears had 59% of the votes to 41% for Carrasco.

Mears, for the entirety of Tuesday night, stayed solidly ahead in the race as votes trickled in, despite the high-profile criticism lobbed against him throughout the campaign by conservatives and the Fraternal Order of Police, who cast blame on Mears' office for the city’s rising violence.

Carrasco hoped for an upset in Democrat-dominated Marion County, repeatedly claiming throughout her campaign the city of Indianapolis is in the throes of a "public safety crisis." She tried to peg crime in Indianapolis, and last year's record-breaking spike in homicides, to Mears' tenure.

Mears had accused his opponent of cherry-picking.

“I'm just incredibly grateful to all the people in Marion County today who didn't give in to some of the negative things that were out there. It was really easy to demonize someone, but it's a lot harder to come up with concrete solutions and what the people in Marion County said today is, 'We want solutions,'” Mears said at a post-election celebration.

Greeted with chants of “four more years,” Mears thanked his supporters, family and friends on Tuesday for helping him stay Marion County prosecutor.

The race garnered lots of attention with Marion County voters. Carrasco also raised more in donations than Mears. For those reasons, said Laura Merrifield Wilson, an associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, she thought the race would turn out to be more competitive.

“Carrasco ran a good campaign. It was very fear-based. It was focused on convincing voters that Mears was the reason crime was a problem in Indianapolis, but it just didn’t resonate with voters,” Merrifield Wilson said. “I was surprised the margin wasn’t as close as we expected.”

Indiana Election ResultsCheck out the latest results here as they come in

Mears was criticized during much of his campaign for his handling of the FedEx shooting last year, the worst in the city’s history, and the crime rate. In August, the divide between his office and police officers was highlighted when the local police union shared its members overwhelmingly voted having “no confidence” in the prosecutor’s office and the courts.

Mears in his speech Tuesday night further alluded to the public critiques as he thanked his parents and mother-in-law.

“One of the most important lessons that I learned from them is that you succeed on our own merit," he said. "You don’t have to talk about other people.”

In a concession statement from her campaign, Carrasco said she knew her chance to win as a Republican in a heavily Democrat county would be an uphill climb, while adding the “stakes were too high” not to run, referring to the city’s past few years of record-breaking violence.

“Our campaign was about change, and although we came up short in our ultimate goal, we have made real, meaningful change,” Carrasco’s statement said.

“To Ryan Mears, I offer my congratulations, and hope you will take the trust voters have placed in you to make much-needed changes in our criminal justice system. To my family and friends, to all of our dedicated supporters, and to everyone we’ve met along this journey, thank you. Our efforts were not in vain, and I’m hopeful for Marion County.”

More:Who donated to Ryan Mears, Cyndi Carrasco campaigns for Marion County Prosecutor?

More:Democrats dominate Marion County. Can Carrasco pull off an upset against Prosecutor Mears?

A spokesperson for Carrasco said she would not be making additional public statements Tuesday night.

Rick Snyder, president of the local police union and staunch supporter of Carrasco, said in a statement Wednesday that the Fraternal Order of Police members respect the voice of Marion County voters following the election outcome.

"They have spoken and now we will see the outcomes moving forward," the tweet said. "Your officers are going nowhere and will continue to stand the line in the protection of residents and visitors in the neighborhoods we serve."

Mears called his victory an “affirmation” that Indianapolis voters want an experienced leader who focuses on addressing violent crime and a fair, respectful criminal justice system that makes everyone feel safe.

More:Indianapolis faces a 'public safety crisis.' Cyndi Carrasco says Ryan Mears is the problem.

During the campaign, Mears pointed to the office’s high conviction rate in response to the contentions that he’s not doing enough about violent crime in the city. His office said its deputy prosecutors achieved guilty verdicts in 84% of the 31 murder cases that went to trial in 2021.

Another cornerstone of his campaign was his decision shortly after taking office to not prosecute low-level marijuana possession crimes, which Mears says disproportionately affect people of color. Mears took a similar stance this summer when he announced his office would not prosecute doctors accused of providing abortions in Marion County, before the Indiana General Assembly voted to restrict the procedure.

More:Mike Pence leans into Marion County prosecutor race with candidate endorsement

During his first full term in office, Mears said he will work to build a criminal justice system worthy of the community’s trust.

“I will continue to strive to be a prosecutor for the people," he said in a statement. "We’ve never shied away from the tough calls, because it’s always the right time to do the right thing.”

Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny

IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson can be reached at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mears overcomes police, GOP attacks in Marion County prosecutor race