Long Thompson’s loss expected by some

INDIANAPOLIS – As the announcement came over the big screen at 7:15 p.m. on election night, not many people noticed inside the Marriott hotel downtown. They were too busy mulling over the 7:01 p.m. announcement that Indiana was “too close to call” in the presidential election.

But it was there. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson was losing. And it would stay that way until she took the podium at 9 p.m. to concede the race to Mitch Daniels, the incumbent Republican governor of Indiana.

“I just called Governor Daniels to congratulate him and wish him well over the next four years,” Long Thompson said to her constituents shortly after 9 p.m. “This was a very hard fought battle. It was a battle against odds. I want us to think about what we’ve accomplished.

“It’s better to get in the fight than to not fight at all.”

Long Thompson had come into the race down in the polls, and some expected her to lose. Supporters said she did not have the funding or the backing of major figures in Indiana that Daniels had.

“I am not surprised, necessarily,” said 57-year-old Terry Black, a lifelong Democrat. “I’m really not.”

But supporters said they were proud of the fight Long Thompson put on for her party, exemplified by the cheers of “Jill!” that echoed across the room as she spoke.

“I think with the resources that we had and what we were up against, there were no delusions on Jill’s behalf that it was going to be easy,” said Jason Tomcsi, a press secretary for Long Thompson. “I think with the resources that we had, she did a very good job with this campaign.”

Long Thompson supporters said they believed Daniels could handle the job of holding the reigns of Indiana governance, despite their obvious preference of Thompson. They also said that, in the future, others across Indiana would recognize the need for change.

“I think he’ll maintain a strong presence for the first couple years, at least,” said Woodrow Myers, a 54-year-old Democratic supporter. “But it’s really time for a change. We’ll get it the next time around.”

Long Thompson echoed the words of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, saying the party had “put a big crack in that glass ceiling.”

“It’s only a matter of time before that thing shatters in Indiana,” Long Thompson said.