After a months-long election and thousands of doors knocked on both sides, Republican Ethan Lawson won the race to be the next representative for District 53 of the Indiana State House of Representatives, defeating Democrat Nate Anderson by over a two-to-one margin.
Lawson received 24,443 votes across the district, including 19,959 in Hancock County while Anderson received a grand total of 10,271 votes, with 8,093 of those coming from Hancock.
Both campaigns sported a strong ground game, boasting strong volunteer numbers throughout the election while meeting voters across the county.
Lawson said that he was grateful when he heard the nose, crediting that work on the ground for his victory.
“A lot of hard work has been put in by us since January, and a lot of hard work has been put in by a lot of candidates over the course of the year,” Lawson said. “I have a lot of respect for that. Now comes the time of coming together and focusing on the job that I’ve been given representing all of us in the Hancock and Madison County parts of this district that I’m honored to represent.”
Anderson had a similar pride in what he achieved over the course of the campaign, albeit through the lens of disappointment with the final results.
“We were trying to put a legislator in office who’s going to be people focused, not just for our constituents, but for all Hoosiers, regardless of background, sex, orientation, any of that, so I’m just disappointed,” Anderson said. “But, you know, looking at the positives and looking at what we were able to accomplish, we got over 10,200 votes. That’s pretty amazing. We are narrowing the gap, which is good, and any time you have healthy competition, you end up with better competition in the long run.”
Anderson went on to thank Lawson for keeping the campaign policy-focused and keeping the “mudslinging” out of the process.
Lawson now begins the work of preparing for the January session of the State House, beginning with the election of House leadership before organizing committees and writing legislation to hit the floor when the session begins in 2025.
Anderson, on the other hand, said that the next year will be focused on rebuilding the local party to establish a better foundation for future candidates.
“What we’ve got going and what we’re fighting for is just too important to keep sitting out or being defeated,” Anderson said. “Over 10,200 people have said they want real change, and there’s folks like that throughout the entire state and throughout the entire country.”
Anderson went on to wish Lawson luck and said that he hoped Lawson will be an “independent Republican thinker” in the legislature.
Lawson assumes his seat today, the day after the election, and the next legislative term is scheduled to begin on Jan. 8, 2025.
