Monroe wins as GOP rolls

Local voters overwhelmingly backed Republicans again.

Their support for former president Donald Trump was even greater than in his first two runs for office.

Republican Duane Monroe dominated the only local contested race, defeating Democrat Blake Watson by a 79% to 21% margin for the Jay County Commissioner south district seat in Tuesday’s election.

Trump pulled 76.6% of the local vote as the GOP earned at least 67% in all state and federal races.

In Jay County, Republicans had a more than 6-to-1 advantage in straight-ticket voting with 1,921 compared to 350 for Democrats.

“I think people like the conservative values the Republican Party tries to stand for,” said Jay County GOP chair Jenae Blasdel.

Monroe rolled in his second bid to become a Jay County Commissioner. After finishing second in a three-way race behind Brian McGalliard in the 2020 Republic primary, he won a head-to-head rematch in May with 67.7% of the vote. Early voting tallies, which are available shortly after the polls close at 6 p.m., showed Monroe with 79% of the vote Tuesday. Those numbers held as he outpolled Watson 6,148-1,590.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Monroe at a gathering of local Republicans at John Jay Center for Learning on Tuesday evening. “I’m excited for the future. From day one, this has never been about Duane Monroe; it’s been about Jay County, the people of Jay County. And it’s going to be that way at the beginning of my term and at the end of the term.”

He thanked his wife Rhonda, sons Josh and Jacob, supporters, employer Jay County REMC and all those who voted for him.

Monroe has previously expressed support for Jay County Development Corporation, making bridge repairs a priority and maintaining the county’s current assets.

“I just want to get back to the way it should be, not arguing,” he said. “Handling the things that need to be handled the right way. I just feel like there needs to be unity.”

The county will have two new commissioners in January as Republican Doug Horn was uncontested Tuesday for the north seat. He defeated former three-term commissioner Mike Leonhard in the Republican primary in May for the seat currently held by Republican Rex Journay, who chose not to seek a second term.

Atop the ballot, Jay County voters overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in the presidential race for the third time. His 76.6% of the vote was more than against President Joe Biden (75.1%) in 2020 or Hillary Clinton (71%) in 2016.

The Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket earned just 21.5% of the vote in Jay County.

In other voting in Jay County for federal offices, Republican Jim Banks won by a 76.8% to 20.5% margin over Democrat Valerie McCray for U.S. Senator and Republican Marlin Stutzman picked up 75.8% of the vote against Democrat Kylie Adolph (20.2%) for U.S. Representative in Indiana’s 3rd District. Banks, the 3rd District’s current Congressman, was polling at about 58.9% with about half of the state’s precincts reporting and will claim the seat being vacated by Republican Mike Braun. Stutzman reclaims the seat he gave up in 2016 to run for the Senate as he was at 65.1% of the vote across the district.

Braun earned the least support among Republicans in Jay County but still pulled more than two-thirds of the vote in his race for Indiana governor. He came in at 67.8% compared to 25.1% for Democrat Jennifer McCormick.

The Associated Press called the race for Braun within an hour of polls closing at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

In the other state races, Jay County voters backed Republicans Todd Rokita 75.5%-24.5% over Destiny Wells for attorney general and J.D. Prescott 74.8%-25.2% over Democrat John Bartlett for state representative in District 33. Both were projected to win, with Rokita at 59% of the vote statewide and Prescott at nearly 73% in District 33.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Prescott, who earned his fourth term. “I’m just really thankful to the voters of the district who have given me this opportunity to continue to serve.”

For the 2025 session, he said he is excited about working with Braun, streamlining state government agencies and crafting the two-year budget. He also noted property taxes as a key issue.

“Most of the discussion has been around homeowners, which that’s very important, we need to make sure we get property tax relief for homeowners,” said Prescott. “But our community is really a rural, agriculture-heavy community and the vast majority of the property taxes here in Jay County, Randolph, Blackford, Delaware and Henry … it’s really a rural, ag base. So we need to make sure we have that in mind — any tweak that we do for homeowners, if we’re not careful, it could shift that tax burden to ag.”

Jay County voters also supported an amendment to the state constitution to remove the state superintendent of public instruction from the list of officeholders in line for ascension to the office of governor. 

They were also in favor of the retention of Indiana Supreme Court Justices Loretta Rush, Mark Massa and Derek Molter and Fourth District Court of Appeals Judge Rudolph Pyle III, all by 70% or higher.

Voter turnout was up slightly in Jay County from the 2020 election, coming in at 68.5%. (Totals in the previous three presidential years were 68% in 2020, 64.7% in 2016 and 65% in 2012.) Out of 11,998 voters who are registered, 8,216 cast ballots. Of that total, 47.2% voted before election day.

Republicans uncontested in addition to Horn were incumbent Matt Lehman for state representative in District 79; Brian Hutchison for Jay Circuit Court Judge; Jonelle Foreman for treasurer; Brad Daniels for surveyor; incumbent Matt Minnich along with Michael Brewster and Bryan Alexander for three county council seats; Brayden Fields for coroner; and Missy Elliott for Jay Circuit Court clerk.

Jon Eads (District 1), Aaron Clark (District 4) and Chad Towell (District 6) were uncontested in the non-partisan election for Jay School Board.