GOP grabs supermajority in Indiana Senate and House

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - On Election night, four incumbents in the Indiana General Assembly lost their seat.  Three of those people were Democrats, including Win Moses . The losses caused Republicans to hold a supermajority in both the House and Senate for the first time since the 1964 election.

"Both the Indiana Senate now, and the Indiana House are walk-out proof," Steve Shine, the Allen County Republican chair, said.
 
Walk-outs happened last year during debate over the right-to-work issue.

"In this situation now, there's no reason for any Republican to pay any attention to any Democrat," said Andrew Downs of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics.

However, Downs said even with the supermajority, Republicans are still going to face some challenges.

"Now, a lot of the disagreement will be within their own party, and the question is how do you handle that," Downs said. "How publicly do you want people to see that you don't get along with one another."

Downs said having one party completely control law making means people won't develop the ability to work with the other side. However, Martin Carbaugh, who unseated Moses Tuesday night to claim Indiana's 81st District, thinks differently.

"We use our supermajority responsibility," said Carbaugh. "That is going to be the big thing.  We have a lot of work to do, and I want to make sure it will help everyone, not just Republicans, but Democrats and Independents, a like."

Downs said history shows that no party has been able to hold on to a supermajority in both chambers for an extended amount of time, so the Republicans job now is making sure they hold those seats.

"Listen. Listen. Listen. Do not take this great entrustment of power and trust for granted," Shine said.  "Be tuned in to what the people of your district and are saying, because it will be taken away from you at the next election.  Be responsible, be attentive, and be a good steward of the GOP."

Downs said Speaker of the House Brian Bosma said Republicans will keep the legislative agenda they had set some time ago, which includes job creation and improving education.