Owen County Democratic and Republican parties rally bases ahead of upcoming November midterm election

The Sept. 15 Blue Bash event hosted by the Owen County Democrats and the Sept. 26 Lincoln Day Dinner event organized by the Owen County Republicans brought many state legislators and legislative hopefuls to Owen County to fundraise for their respective parties and to energize their respective bases in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 midterm election.

The Democrats’ Blue Bash was held at Abram Farms east of Spencer. Speakers at the event included Indiana State Minority Caucus Leader Shelli Yoder, Vincennes Mayor Joe Yochum, U.S. 8th District Congressional candidate Mary Allen, Indiana House District 46 candidate Jimmy Pittsford, and Indiana State Treasurer candidate Coumba Kebe.

The Republicans’ Lincoln Day Dinner was held at the Christian Life Center in Spencer and featured several speakers including former Indiana Secretary of State Ed Simcox, District 37 State Senator Rodric Bray, State Treasurer Daniel Elliott, State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla, and Indiana House District 46 Representative Bob Heaton.

In a rare example of bipartisanship, both events were catered by Cassie Britton.

As the midterm elections draw nearer, both parties are doing what they can to rally their bases before Election Day. Both events featured speakers emphasizing how important it is to vote and to get as many people to the polls as possible.

The Democrats often focused on the fact that people in Indiana are having trouble making ends meet and that the Republican supermajority at the state level wasn’t doing enough to address issues that people are experiencing. State Representative Matt Pierce pointed out that the number of Democrats running in Indiana has increased dramatically during this midterm election, something he sees as a reaction to these issues.

“Just looking around and seeing what’s happening, the state going in the wrong direction, people’s basic needs not getting addressed; so people are basically saying, ‘I’ve gotta get out there and get our state on the right path,’” he said.

Republicans focused heavily on state financial wins, often describing Indiana’s balanced budget and the fact that 24 years ago, the state found itself less financially solvent than during the succeeding Republican tenure.

“There was a time when we ended the year with six cents in the bank when the democrats were in leadership in this state, owing millions of dollars,” said Indiana Republican Chairwoman Lana Keesling. “Today, we have a AAA credit rating and are one of only 16 states with economic growth.”

Midterm elections often bring in a fraction of the voters that a presidential election cycle does, often due to the fact that there are not as many high profile candidates on the ballot. The 2020 election brought out 69% of registered Owen County voters, while the 2022 midterms only saw 42% participation.

At the state level, Owen County voters will have their choice of Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Comptroller, and Indiana House District 46. There is only one national race Owen County can vote on, the 8th District of the U.S. Congress, between Mary Allen and incumbent Mark Messmer. There are, however, 42 separate races at the county level on the ballot this November. Many of these races are unopposed or have the exact number of people running as there are open seats, but 18 races are contested and will be decided by constituents on Election Day. With historically lower voter turnout, each vote has a much higher ability to swing a race one way or another.