At the beginning of the evening, camera crews were set up and drinks were being served at the bar at the Indiana Republican Party ?headquarters.
Two large televisions were showing elections results in the room, one of them tuned to CNN and another, on the other side of the room, tuned to Fox News.
Joe Dutra, a veteran of the United States Navy, was in attendance at the Republican watch party.
Originally from Massachusetts, Dutra moved to Indiana less than two years ago, making this his first election in the new state.
Bearing the blue and gold Connie Lawson sticker, Dutra attended the watch party to experience his party’s presence in Indiana.
“The state government seems to run more efficient here,” Dutra said.
He claims the state and property taxes are lower than in Massachusetts and that there’s a better quality of life.
Isabella Billingsley, while sharing the same sentiment for the party, didn’t have the age and experience that ?Dutra does.
Glued to the media action unfolding before her, Isabella’s mother, Cindy, claimed the 8-year-old didn’t want to miss a thing.
She was at the party “to see who wins.”
Dorothy Kouroupis, another Lawson supporter, was at the event to “get around some good energy” and to see which conservatives, if any, would win.
She was also excited to be at the event because it was “one day closer to a new presidential election.”
Early in the evening, Governor Mike Pence said he was confident the night’s outcome would be positive.
“I think tonight’s gonna be a great night for Indiana and a good night for ?America,” Gov. Pence said.
That positive attitude carried over to the many people watching the results ?come in.
“I’m a Republican, always have been,” Lawren Mills, a lobbyist and a lawyer in Indianapolis, said.
Conservative themes such as “small government” and “fiscal responsibility” were instilled in her through the generations before her, she said.
“Those are very important values and it’s not hard to go to bed every night dreaming about that,” ?Mills said.
Later in the night, the victory speeches began.
Pence addressed the crowd, rallying them before Lawson was introduced.
Two weeks ago, Lawson called out Democratic challenger Beth White for not having financial disclosure information on her postcard-sized campaign materials.
Tuesday evening, she was standing at the podium, victorious, having won the race with 57 percent of the vote.
Lawson thanked her family and campaign team among others and, by this point, the blue, yellow and white balloons of victory had floated down from the rafters of the headquarters.
Lawson said her goals included protecting seniors, educating high school students about financial literacy and working with ?businesses.
“On day one, we know what we need to do,” Lawson said.
After the speeches, mingling took back up in the room and the politicians spoke with constituents.
The tip jar at the bar was full of cash.
