Addressing a roaring crowd of Monroe County Democrats during her concession speech Tuesday night, Liz Watson said nothing more could have been done to help her win Indiana’s 9th Congressional District.
"You knew the odds were against us, but you also knew this was a fight worth fighting," Watson said.
Watson, who joined the Democrats’ watch party Tuesday night at Rhino’s Youth Center, lost to incumbent Republican Rep. Trey Hollingsworth 60 percent to 40 percent, according to the Associated Press at 11 p.m. In another closely watched race for the Democrats, incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly lost to Republican Mike Braun.
“We took a great big shot here, my friends, and we left it all out on the field,” Watson said.
Chuck Watson, Liz Watson’s father, said early in the night he was more optimistic about his daughter’s chances than he was a few days ago because of the unexpected voter turnout.
"It's very, very hard for a Democrat to win here," Chuck Watson said. "Everybody knows that."
Despite Liz Watson and Donnelly’s losses, Monroe County Democrats remained positive throughout the night, winning more than 13 local offices.
Someone moved a sign from the edge of the stage to the podium in the center. It read: "20/20 Focus on 2020."
Mark Fraley, chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party, said the long lines at the Indiana Memorial Union were more exciting than the election results because of impressive turnout from young voters.
"Everything shows that in Monroe County, we still have a strong Democratic party," Fraley said.
Shelli Yoder, who ran against Hollingsworth in 2016, won the District 1 County Council seat.
Yoder said it was a tough night, but she encouraged people to voice their values and support candidates with those values.
"We have much more work to do," Yoder said. "But we got a little closer tonight."
Darcie Fawcett won the Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Seat 8 race. In her speech, she talked about a conversation she had with a friend after the shooting that left 11 dead at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and encouraged people to get involved.
"When you work toward a common goal, you find compromise," Fawcett said. "And when you find compromise, you get progress."
