Marc Huber (Hancock County Commissioner, District 2,) congratulates challenger Gary McDaniel, left, who unseated Huber during Tuesday’s election. Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD — Gary McDaniel broke out in a broad smile after it was announced that he had won the race for Hancock County Commissioner on Tuesday night, taking the seat from longtime incumbent Marc Huber in a closely contested race.
In the end, McDaniel bested Huber by 726 votes — earning 3,803 votes compared to Huber’s 3,077.
“This was probably the hardest battle of my life,” said McDaniel after the final votes were read at the Hancock County Annex just before 8 p.m.
The former Greenfield city councilman stepped down from his previous post to enter the race for county commissioner.
McDaniel credited his team of hardworking volunteers for helping him come out on top against the two-term incumbent, who served two years on the Hancock County council before serving eight years as a county commissioner.
“I have got a tremendous team behind me. I can’t thank them enough. They have kept me grounded and have been pushing me since day one,” he said.
The commissioner race in District 2 was marked by different stances on industrial development in the western part of the county. Huber has been a supporter of the building boom and said the $35 million estimated to come to the county in the coming years via agreements with industrial developers was a huge boon for the county.
In the end, it was McDaniel’s self-proclaimed “grassroots campaign” that won out in the end.
McDaniel finished with just over 55 percent of the vote, a number that held steady throughout the night as the election results rolled in.
When he was proclaimed the winner, his grandson, Cameron McDaniel of Zionsville, was the first to give him a huge hug.
“He’s supported me and my whole family in everything we’ve done, like my football games and wrestling tournaments, so I wanted to be there for him,” said the younger McDaniel as a crowd of well wishers gathered around the family.
A number of people also gathered around Huber to congratulate him on a race well run.
After a long day at the polls, he was looking forward to grabbing dinner with his family and easing back into life outside of politics.
“I guess it’s time for somebody else to take over,” he said on Tuesday, holding his head high after the upset.
“When I lay my head down at night, I can be really proud of the work that I’ve done,” he said, referencing the new county jail and public safety initiatives among his list of accomplishments. as well as revenue brought into the county through industrial development.
“Now I get to go back to focusing on my family, which is what’s really important,” he said.
McDaniel admitted to breathing a sigh of relief when the election was over.
“Anytime you’re running against an incumbent, you never know how it’s going to go,” he said.
“I have faced two incumbents in my lifetime — my very first council run and this — and my opponent Marc is a very popular commissioner. Iknew from day one that it wouldn’t be a light race, and I had to do everything I could do.”
McDaniel credits his ability to listen to the people with bringing him out on top.
“The people want somebody who is going to hear them. My first race I ran because I didn’t feel like I had a voice, so I know how they feel. So ever since then I have been listening to the people, and I will continue to do that,” he said. “I want to take that same mentality and see what we can get accomplished for the county. I think the people are hungry (for change), and I’m hungry too.”
