Blake Smith

You win some, you lose some. We lost a lot last night. There is no way to sugarcoat this: There were huge swings against Republicans in almost every state, and almost every district. Indiana, unfortunately, had one of the largest Democrat over performances in the country. Most of the largest swings against Republicans came in states that we have won overwhelmingly as of late. Texas, South Carolina, and Indiana all saw Democrat wins for the first time in a decade. When you have nothing but Republican elected officials and Republicans supermajorities in your state, and Republicans in control of Washington, it is hard to campaign on how scary Democrats winning would be. I have traveled to, and heard many stories, of counties in deeply Republican rural Indiana where party officials and politicians do almost no door knocking, social media, or public events, and they are very unwelcoming to anyone who wants to do those things. Why should they? Republicans win in that county and in Indiana every election! When that mindset has taken place, your reign in power won’t last long. I talked to many voters at the door, lots of national and state issues came up that Republicans and Independents expressed deep concern about: The War in Iran (and it’s economic costs), tariffs, allegations of corruption at the state and national levels, support of data centers, solar, and wind in spite of local opposition, flock cameras, the Epstein Files, SB1 (property taxes), lack of action on the SAVE act, and continued silence or support on legal mass migration which is rapidly changing communities all around our state and country. No single one of these cost us the election, and many of them are more nuanced than a lot of voters make them out to be, but the combination of all killed Republican enthusiasm and led too many independents to vote Democrat. I truly believe last night will be disastrous for our state and our country. The US senate and Supreme Court could be in for long-term Democrat control. On top of that, many fantastic candidates and elected officials didn’t make it. @AndrewIrelandIN is our best state rep, a great guy, and someone who is a rare leader in that role. Many politicians just try to skate by and refuse to say anything that will make even one single person angry, even if it is the right thing to do. Andrew isn’t like that at all, and we need alot more of that attitude. @MaxForIndiana had a real plan to secure Indiana’s elections, and make our roads safer for every Hoosier by ending CDL fraud. Despite knowing it would be a tough race, he jumped in anyway because he knew what would happen if we lose that office. And lastly, @Trevor4indiana . When I moved up to Lake County 9 months ago, Trevor was literally the only person I knew, and I had met him just twice. I truly believed he was going to be the best state senator we had seen in quite a while, on top of being the hardest working campaigner I have ever met. There is no reason why he, as a 30-year-old father of 4, should have to run for political office. He knew he would have to sacrifice his own personal finances, and time with his family, for the good of the state. That is extremely selfless, and the type of person we need running in every single primary against weak Republicans. Straight ticket Democrat votes went from 29% in Lake County in 2024 to 40% in 2026. In any other year, he would’ve won in a landslide, but this race, unfortunately, was unwinnable. I truly believed the election was around 50/50. I was dead wrong. To all the people in my replies on this website predicting a blue wave for years: You were right. Take your victory lap. And I congratulate all election winners, including Scott Houldieson, Beau Bayh, and David Boyd, and hope they represent all Hoosiers. I am going nowhere! Political winds can change quickly, and I can’t wait to keep fighting to make sure we come back stronger than ever! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

While a handful of ballots remain to be counted, it is clear that we have narrowly lost this race. I want to congratulate David Boyd on his victory and wish him well as he prepares to serve our Southside community. To everyone who knocked doors, put up a sign, donated, or trusted me with your vote - thank you. To my wife and family and the volunteers who gave so much of themselves to this campaign over the last two years, I am more grateful than I can ever put into words. Serving the Southside has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am incredibly proud of my record and what all we accomplished at the Statehouse. For Republicans, the message could not be clearer. Voters spoke in May and again this fall. If we want to win, we need a new direction in leadership here in Indiana. I look forward to being an active part of that conversation in the years ahead. This is a tough and humbling setback, but my commitment to our community and the principles I ran on has never depended on holding an office. There is much more work to do. We will be back. God is good, always!

We need every patriot at the polls today. Democrats from across the country have spent MILLIONS trying to flip key races across Indiana. Let’s make sure they wasted every penny 🇺🇸

DEMOCRATS WILL GAIN CONTROL OF U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES — PROJECTION

IF YOUR IN LINE STAY IN LINE, STAY IN LINE!!!