Democratic challenger defeats Indiana House GOP leader in stunning upset • Indiana Capital Chronicle

A virtual unknown unseated one of Indiana’s most powerful Republicans.

Democrat Lauren Cole, a clinical trial coordinator, defeated House Speaker Todd Huston 52% to 48%.

“This victory belongs to everyone who believed in this campaign and helped make it possible,” Cole said on social media. “To the voters of District 37: thank you for trusting me to represent you. This campaign has always been about putting people first, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

House District 37 covers parts of Hamilton County. It’s one of more than a dozen seats up for grabs for Democrats so far, shattering the Republican Party’s 14-year supermajority in the House.

Cole ran on a platform of access to affordable health care, boosting funding for public schools and investing in workers.

Huston, of Fishers, was first elected to the House in 2012. He has served as speaker since 2020.

His resounding defeat comes even as caucus leaders generally represent comfortably distributed constituencies.

“This was an incredibly tough midterm election, and ultimately the national headwinds were too difficult to overcome in a number of our races,” Huston said in a written statement. “We are so proud of our team and all of our candidates who stepped up and spent countless hours in their communities, listening to voters and speaking out on the issues that matter to Hoosiers.”

He said he is disappointed by the results, but proud of the progress we have made in Indiana to grow our economy, create good-paying jobs in our state, lower taxes and create thriving communities where people want to live, work, start a business and raise their families. It has been the honor of my life to serve Hoosiers in Hamilton County and throughout our great state. I am grateful for this opportunity and everything we have accomplished together.