Mike Wolanin | The Republic State Rep. Ryan Lauer, left, talks with Bartholomew County GOP Chair Luanne Welmer during the Bartholomew County GOP election results watch party at Factory 12 Event Loft in Columbus on Tuesday.
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, won re-election Tuesday night and will serve a third term representing Indiana State House District 59.
Lauer, 44, a technical specialist at Cummins, received 61.32% of the vote, compared to Thomas, 53, an attorney who received 38.68%.
Lauer thanked voters for turning out and said he is looking forward to his third term representing the district.
“It’s just the highest honor I’ve had to serve the people of Columbus and Bartholomew County, and it’s so humbling to have the support of our community, and I want to thank all the people that voted — whoever they voted for — for coming out today,” Lauer said. “There were so many people that took the time out to vote, and that’s so important, and I appreciate that I have so much gratitude for everybody that took the time to vote. … I’m looking forward to going back up to the Stateouse and working hard for every single person here in the district.”
Thomas, for this part, said he knew he had an “uphill battle” going into the race but said his campaign had “tremendous support” and urged his supporters to not get discouraged.
“We were pretty realistic coming into the race that we had an uphill battle against an incumbent in a Republican county,” Thomas said. “…We had tremendous support, we had fundraising support, we had volunteer support. Absolutely, I would tell folks who supported our ticket not to be discouraged, but to be dedicated, to continue to fight because, in the long run, at least I would like to think that Columbus, Indiana, is not as extreme as the vote today indicates.”
During the primary, Lauer’s campaign ran Facebook ads expressing his opposition to critical race theory and his support for “the rights of the unborn” and a controversial bill banning transgender athletes from competing in girls school sports teams.
Thomas ran a campaign that included, among other things, supporting public education, legalization of marijuana and abortion rights after the Indiana General Assembly — including Lauer — voted this year to pass a near-total abortion ban in the state.
Lauer voted in favor of an amendment that would have removed rape and incest as exceptions to the abortion ban. The amendment ultimately failed and was not included in the bill that passed the House.
