Indiana GOP Portends ‘Red Tsunami’ At Dinner Days Before Election

BY: LESLIE BONILLA MUÑIZ, Indiana Capital Chronicle

November 4, 2022

Republican leaders celebrated their party’s dominance over Indiana governance and predicted more red success Thursday at an annual dinner days before the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

“We continue to turn out our voters, not just in Indiana, but all of America can feel the red wave building,” Indiana Republican Party Chair Kyle Hupfer told a large room of guests. “At the same time, Democrat policies continue to fail, and newsrooms continue to shrink. I think the clear message is the Indiana Republican Party is not going anywhere.”

At one point Hupfer highlighted U.S. Sen. Todd Young — who spoke later, and who’s running for reelection — and five other specific candidates who will be elected. Among them was a local race: Marion County Prosecutor challenger Cyndi Carrasco.

Hupfer mentioned embattled Secretary of State candidate Diego Morales as a donor to the event.
The Indianapolis Star, in an opinion column Thursday, reported that Morales may have violated Indiana election law in 2018, when he voted in Hendricks County while maintaining primary residency in Marion County.

Hupfer declined to comment after the dinner Thursday on the latest allegation.

Morales has previously been plagued by controversies regarding his work performance, campaign spending, military service, policy reversals and sexual assault allegations. He’s denied the accusations, instead consistently emphasizing a “grassroots” strategy of meeting with everyday voters in all 92 counties.

Young led a rousing and at times lighthearted Q&A with U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, jokingly thanking Scott for being “kind enough to maintain this commitment and rescue me from political oblivion.”

Young himself faces Democrat Thomas McDermott, the mayor of Hammond, in a reelection race that’s polling more competitive than expected, but that he’ll likely win. Three major race trackers – The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball – at least rate the race safely Republican.

Young, like Republicans around the country, has centered his strategy on inflation and crime, while McDermott has criticized him on specific spending votes and continued to emphasize abortion rights.

Scott, the primary guest, discussed his upbringing, took shots at U.S. President Joe Biden, portended a “red tsunami.”

But, Scott cautioned, “Red waves don’t happen by themselves; we have to run through the tape and not [just] to finish line.”

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.