Republican Representative Todd Young Tuesday finished off a bitter and sometimes divisive Senate primary race against Representative Marlin Stutzman, cruising to a double-digit victory.
Todd Young came into election night with comfortable leads in just about every poll that had been released. So while the mood at Marlin Stutzman's event was hopeful, it was perhaps not comfortably so.
Even early results showed Young with a lead, and supporters of both candidates recognized what that could mean.
"I'm still optimistic and holding out hope but I'm remaining realistic," said Brian Motley, Marlin Stutzman supporter, early in the evening.
Those early results confirmed what many Young supporters, like Nick Barbknecht, say they already suspected.
"And so that's encouraging already," Barbknecht said. "It would be hard to reverse that, largely, from where it's at right now. I feel good and I think it's in a good place."
Neither candidate had to wait very long. It took less than an hour after all of Indiana's polls were closed for various outlets to begin reporting a Young victory.
Looking Ahead to the General Election
"And to those Hoosiers whose vote we did not earn tonight, I just want to extend a hand to you," Young said in his victory speech. "I'm prepared to work very, very hard to earn your trust and support."
Marlin Stutzman wasn't quite so gracious in his election night speech, voicing concerns about the tone of the campaign.
"When you have millions of dollars from D.C. interests pouring into our state and running negative campaigns, running untruthful messages…I think that while that's part of it and I'm not going to complain – I know politics is a tough sport – but where's the money coming from and who is it?" Stutzman said.
But the candidates' own campaigns weren't shy about attacking each other during the primary. Some Young supporters, such as LaPorte mayor Blair Milo, shrug off the attack ads, saying they're mild when compared to other campaigns this election season.
"And ultimately it is a competition of ideas and I think that for the most part it has stuck to the principles that individuals wanted to focus on and where they want to put their emphasis when they go to Washington, D.C.," Milo says.
If we don't hold on to Indiana's U.S. Senate seat, Republican Senate seat, we may well not retain control of the entire U.S. Senate.
Outgoing Republican Senator Dan Coats, the man Young is vying to replace, says he's confident the party will come together, seeking to minimize any rifts between supporters for Young and Stutzman.
"The differences between these two candidates in terms of where they stand – Hoosier values and principles – is very minuscule," Coats says.
For some Stutzman backers, supporting Young won't be a problem.
But for Stutzman loyalists, throwing their support behind Todd Young won't be easy.
"I am going to be very disappointed," says Linda Zimmerman. "It's going to be tough for me to pull that level because I don't believe he won this honest…in an honest way."
Young's message to voters like Zimmerman is that there's more at play this year than one Indiana senate seat.
"If we don't hold on to Indiana's U.S. Senate seat, Republican Senate seat, we may well not retain control of the entire U.S. Senate."
In a statement, Baron Hill, the Democratic Senate candidate, congratulated Young on his victory but said a vote for the Republican embraces divisive politics.
