Both Republicans and Democrats had something to tout after Indiana’s 2019 municipal elections.

Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics director Andrew Downs says both political parties could “spin” results in their favor. Republicans, he says, can point to victories in mayor’s races across the state – the GOP captured 70 such seats, the most ever.

“And that’s good because theoretically volunteers and money follow those victories,” Downs says.

For Democrats, it’s celebrating huge margins of victory in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne and surprising upsets in Hamilton County. Long a Republican stronghold, Democrats won races there they’d literally never won before. Downs says that could have a ripple effect on next year’s 5th Congressional District race.

“It’s an open seat. Clearly Democrats are doing better there than previously,” Downs says. “This is where to put the money.”

There are already three Democrats and seven Republicans running for that congressional seat.

Contact Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.