Indiana
Trump dominated Indiana. Where did he perform better, worse here than in 2020?
Americans react to Donald Trump’s presidential election win
President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters expressed relief after realizing he won. Meanwhile, Harris supporters were stunned.
Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Democrat Kamala Harris in Indiana was not a surprise on Election Day; the race was called for the former president right as all Indiana polls were closed.
Not only did he delivery a victory, getting 58.9% of the vote to Harris’ 39.4%, he also performed better in Indiana than he did in the previous two election cycles, according to the unofficial results.
Trump’s vote share this year was 19.5 percentage points higher than Harris’. In 2020, Trump defeated President Joe Biden here by 16 points. And in 2016, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton here by 19 points.
In both of those elections, Trump won between 56.5% and 57% of the vote. This year, he performed two points better than that.
Trump dominated Indiana in 2024 by winning 88 of Indiana’s 92 counties, with Harris winning just Marion, Monroe, Lake and St. Joseph counties.
In 2020 he won one fewer county here: Tippecanoe County, which comprises Lafayette and West Lafayette. Tippecanoe County flipped back to Trump this year, albeit narrowly. Trump got 49.2% of the vote there to Harris’ 48.9%. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who dropped out of the race, and Libertarian Chase Oliver each got about 1% in that county.
Though some Indiana Democrats hoped to chip into Trump’s vote share in suburban Hamilton County, that didn’t happen in a substantial way. Trump performed similarly in suburban Indianapolis this year to his 2020 showing, though Harris did just over a half-point better there than Biden.
This year, Trump won Hamilton County by 52.1% to Harris’ 46%, with RFK Jr. and Oliver each getting about 1%.
Where did Trump do better than in 2020?
Along with Tippecanoe County flipping for Trump, most of the state saw shifts to the right that contributed to Trump’s continued dominance here.
Lake County, which includes Gary, was nearly 10 points more Republican than in 2020, according to an analysis by the New York Times. Biden won Lake County by more than 33,000 votes in 2020. Harris won Lake County by just 11,775 votes this election.
LaPorte County also swung right by more than 7 points, according to that analysis. Several other counties, from Newton to Jasper to Pulaski Counties in the northwest part of the state each shifted to Republicans by about 5 points.
Where did Harris do better than in 2020?
There was no real good news for Indiana Democrats in Tuesday’s election results. But a few areas shifted a little bit more Democratic over 2020.
Besides the slight shift in Hamilton County, other Indianapolis suburbs where Harris performed marginally better than Biden in 2020 were Hancock County, where she did 3.8 points better than in 2020 and Boone County, which favored Harris by 2.4 points more than Biden, according to New York Times data.
Steuben County in the Northeast part of the state was more than 3 points more Democratic than 2020, Benton County on the far west side of the state was 1.6 points more Democratic and Harrison County near the Indiana-Kentucky border was seven points more Democratic.
Reactions to Trump’s performance
Indiana’s Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young congratulated Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance “on their decisive victory.”
“The incoming Trump administration and new Republican Senate majority will work together to reverse the open border policies of the last four years and address the economic challenges facing families in Indiana and across the country,” Young wrote in an X post.
Indianapolis City-County Councilor Nick Roberts, a Democrat, said the result of the election was “genuinely devastating” but praised Harris, saying she “ran an incredible campaign” in a tight window. He also pointed out that Harris carried the majority of precincts in suburban Carmel, signaling future potential for Democrats in the Indianapolis suburbs.
Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com.
Indiana
Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A Bloomington man was arrested Wednesday in Indianapolis on an attempted murder charge after police say he fired seven to eight rounds into a white GMC SUV occupied by three adults and four children last month in Bloomington before fleeing the area.
A news release issued Thursday from the Bloomington Police Department said members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s special weapons and tactics team took Kafern P. Johnson, 32, into custody near the intersection of West 84th Street and Allison Avenue in Indianapolis without incident.
The arrest came more than two weeks after the June 23 shooting in the 1000 block of North Summit Street. That’s in a residential area next to Crestmont Park in Bloomington.
Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch received 911 calls at 7:41 p.m. June 23 reporting gunfire in the area.
Responding patrol officers and detectives determined Johnson had fired into the SUV following a verbal fight with the vehicle’s driver. Police said the dispute stemmed from an argument over a relationship.
No injuries were reported despite the number of people inside the vehicle.
Following his arrest, Johnson was taken to an IMPD facility for questioning and later booked into the Marion County jail. On Thursday morning, he was booked into the Monroe County jail.
The release said Johnson could face felony charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a firearm, and pointing a firearm. No formal charges have yet been filed, according to online court records.
Bloomington police asked anyone with additional information to call 812-349-3324.
This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.
Indiana
FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME
Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.
Indiana
Indiana sees significant drop in number of homeless veterans
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana saw a significant decline in veteran homelessness last year, despite the total number of homelessness rising across the state.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual estimation of the homeless population, known as the Point in Time (PIT) count, Indiana saw an 18.7% decline in veteran homelessness in 2025 compared to the year before.
That marked the second-largest decline of any state by percentage.
Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) of Indiana specializes in assistance for veterans facing homelessness. CEO Emmy Hildebrand told News 8 the formula that’s finding success is the same that works with any at-risk group: housing and wrap-around services.
Hildebrand said that the formula needs support from the state.
“There is no state funding supporting homeless services in our state,” Hildebrand said. “And very little local funding outside Indianapolis.”
Safety net programs have faced budget cuts, with lawmakers eliminating funding for the Housing First program in 2025. It supported organizations helping people secure stable housing.
And housing advocates have criticized Indiana’s public camping ban as essentially making it illegal to be homeless.
HVAF client Terri Massey, a 34-year-old Navy veteran, said the stigma of being homeless was the most difficult challenge to overcome.
“I’m still trying to provide for my kids,” Massey said “I’m (not) out here being lazy or not trying to do better.”
Massey was working, supporting her children, but found herself sleeping in cars and hotel rooms because she didn’t have stable housing. “Going to that work, working 10 hours, leaving, going to sleep in my car.”
HVAF helped place Massey in a permanent apartment. HVAF also placed Massey in a different kind of “bootcamp” years after her time in the military, learning job skills. She’s looking for a job, but thankful to do it from a place she can call home.
“I am beyond grateful and thankful. I literally pray and thank God every day,” Massey said. “Because for the longest I felt like I was alone. And I had to figure everything out by myself. I didn’t.”
It’s estimated that seven percent of Indiana’s homeless are veterans. Hildebrand said there are federal funds for organizations working with veterans, which support HVAF’s programs.
Still, finding permanent housing is a struggle.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana, just 34 rental homes are affordable and available.
“There are so many people on the bubble that are just one emergency away from living in their car, staying with friends and family, or living on the streets because we don’t have the appropriate system here in Indiana,” Hildebrand said.
Hildebrand said lawmakers assured her they would work to support homeless services, but she hasn’t seen any drafted legislation that might be introduced in the next legislative session.
Across the country, about one in 25 people experiencing homelessness previously served active duty in the armed forces, according to numbers from HUD. Veteran homelessness declined 56% between 2009 and 2025.
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