SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan won a third term in Congress on Tuesday, foiling Republican hopes of flipping a district Democrats have controlled for nearly a century.
Republicans in Indiana retained three congressional seats without incumbents running in Tuesday’s election.
Three incumbents are retiring or seeking another office, creating vacancies that were filled with victories by the GOP, which now holds seven of Indiana's nine congressional seats.
In the state’s northwest corner, Mrvan defeated Randell Niemeyer, who was hoping to knock off the Democrat in a more conservative district created in a 2022 district map. A member of the Lake County Council and co-owner of a trucking business, Niemeyer criticized Mrvan and Democrats for not securing the border with Mexico and urged cuts in federal spending and regulation to spur job creation. He promoted support for law enforcement and energy independence.
Mrvan took credit for increased infrastructure funding and lower prescription drug costs. He supports codifying Roe v. Wade, the abortion-access ruling overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022. On the border issue, he says he has consistently supported investing in border agents and technology and putting resources toward ending trafficking in humans and drugs.
According to Ballotpedia, Democrats have held the seat since 1930, but a Republican-drawn map that took effect in 2022 made the district more conservative. Mrvan won in 2022 with nearly 53% of the vote after taking just under 57% in 2020.
In the state’s 7th District, incumbent Andre Carson, the only other Democrat in the delegation, easily won re-election.
Across the state on the eastern border, the 3rd District seat will be vacated by Rep. Jim Banks, who is ending a four-term tenure and on Tuesday won a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Marlin A. Stutzman, the man who preceded Banks, will return to Congress after an eight-year hiatus with a win in Tuesday’s election.
Republican Stutzman, a large-scale farmer and truck-company operator, defeated Democrat Kiley Adolph to reclaim the seat he vacated for an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 2016. His successor, Rep. Jim Banks, did the same this year and won his race for Senate.
Stutzman, who previously served in Congress from 2010-2017, campaigned on reining in federal spending, arguing that it would stimulate the economy. On immigration, he wants to complete the wall along the border with Mexico that former President Donald Trump proposed a decade ago. He supports abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, saying public schools should be run locally by parents. He points to a long record of expanding the rights of gun owners.
Adolph, a former professor, nonprofit vice president, teacher and consultant, focused on tax breaks and access to affordable housing to help families struggling in an uncertain economy. She emphasized education, from publicly funded universal pre-K to additional workforce training for high school graduates not bound for college. She wants to expand access to abortion and wants women to receive equal pay for equal work done by men.
In the 6th district, which runs from Indianapolis to the Ohio border in the central part of the state, Greg Pence, former Vice President Mike Pence’s older brother, is retiring after three terms.
Republican Jefferson Shreve, who ran unsuccessfully last year for Indianapolis mayor, won that seat in Congress on Tuesday.
Shreve defeated Democrat Cynthia Wirth for the post. Wirth challenged Pence for the seat in 2022.
Shreve, who built a self-storage business, calls immigration the nation’s most pressing issue. He believes the wall along the Mexican border should be finished, the policy of “catch-and-release” ended, and more should be done to end cross-border drug trafficking. He says excessive federal spending by President Joe Biden’s administration is driving inflation but backs more resources for police and the military. He’s opposed to abortion and is a strong supporter of gun rights.
Wirth, who has been a high school biology and environmental science teacher, argued for more job training to upgrade Indiana’s workforce to lure industry to the state and for incrementally raising the minimum wage. She campaigned on putting more resources into teacher training and promised to develop programs to improve Indiana’s air and water quality.
Seven-term congressman Larry Bucshon is retiring from his post representing the 8th Congressional District, in the southwest part of the state.
Mark Messmer, the former Indiana state Senate majority leader, won a seat in Congress Tuesday, defeating Democrat Erik Hurt for the 8th District post Bucshon left.
Messmer kept the seat in Republican hands after resigning his post in the state Senate in September to concentrate on his congressional bid. He beat Hurt, an Evansville movie theater manager.
Messmer is strongly opposed to abortion rights. He supports deporting migrants who have entered the country illegally and takes credit for votes in the General Assembly to allow local police detention of migrants charged with felonies, a ban on sanctuary cities and universities and requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
He steadfastly supports Israel and wants to promote blockchain technology and avoid central bank-issued cryptocurrency.
Hurt campaigned on codifying abortion rights and ensuring access to other family planning procedures and on providing universal pre-K education. He wants to require more background checks on gun purchases, ban assault rifles and reallocate funds from traditional policing to social services to prevent crime. He proposes ending all arms sales to Israel and on the subject of elections, suggests compulsory voter registration and abolishing the Electoral College.
John O'connor (), The Associated Press