The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 13

A14 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 9, 1994 I The Lugar Team leads GOP in takeover df state offices ft kri m. Phillips on bubble, loses position as House speaker ByKyteWederpruem STAR STAFF WRITER Boonvllle. Ind. Indiana House Speaker Michael K.

Phillips appeared In danger late Tuesday of losing the House scat he if MARVIN -V 1 ft Democratic candidate Elmo Gonzalez, second-term mayor of LaPorte. had 175.230 votes, or 33 percent. Also in the race were Libertarian candidate Julie Hauptmann. a Hamilton County schoolteacher, and New Alliance candidate Raymond Tirado. Vote totals for both were unavailable.

Gonzalez, too. blamed his finish on his party's current misfortunes. "It seems that the tide right now is going toward the Republicans," he said. Incumbent Auditor Ann De-Vore. a Republican.

Is leaving after two terms. Fort Wayne attorney John Okeson was elected clerk of the Indiana Supreme Court, an office known most these days for the notoriety of incumbent Dwayne Brown, a Democrat. Brown is under Indictment for ghost employment. Unofficial returns had Okeson with 309,155 votes, or 60 percent, and Democratic candidate Allison D. Wharry, an Indianapolis attorney, with 187.666 votes, or 36 percent.

Vote totals for Libertarian Party candidate J. Nadine Culver Dillon and New Alliance Party candidate Richard Propes were unavailable. Staff Writers R. Joseph Gelarden and David J. Remondini and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Chairwoman Ann DeLaney blamed a "Republican tidal wave" that cost her party control of two of the statewide offices. Statewide candidates, she said, were "unfortunate victims of factors completely beyond their control. Their loss Is not a comment on their candidacies or their future candidacies." Incumbent Secretary of State Joseph Hogsett, a Democrat, didn't seek re-election, opting to run for Congress In the 2nd District. He lost that race Tuesday. Libertarian candidate Steve Dillon and New Alliance Party candidate Charles Tony Knight also ran for secretary of state, but vote totals for them weren't available.

Republicans beat back their strongest challenge in the run for treasurer. Unofficial returns had Joyce Brinkman, a veteran state legislator, winning with 320.306 votes, or 59 percent. Democratic candidate Katherine "Katie" Humphreys, backed by Gov. Evan Bayh. had 206,980 votes, or 38 percent.

Vote totals for Libertarian Party candidate Steve Dasbach and New Alliance Party candidate Valecia Ann Wadsworth-Carr were unavailable. In the other statewide races: Morris Wooden kept the state auditor's office under Republican control. Unofficial returns had Wooden, mayor of Madison since 1988. with 336,385 votes, or 63 percent. Star Staff Photo Jeff Atteberry LOVING MOTHER: Marilyn Jeffers hugged her son Tim Jeffers, the Democrats' losing candidate for secretary of state, outside Little Flower Catholic Church, where he voted.

Briefly By Kevin Morgan STAR STAFF WRITER Democrats couldn't take refuge Tuesday, even in the far reaches of the Statehouse. Nowhere did the Republican broom sweep cleaner than in the peripheral offices of auditor, trea-' surer, clerk of courts and secretary of state. Secretary of State-elect Sue Anne Gilroy led the four-for-four takeover in her first bid for elected office. With about 40 percent of pre-' cincts reporting, unofficial returns her with 342.001 votes, or 62 percent, and Democratic chal-j lenger Timothy Jeffers with 188.346. or 34 percent.

The Republican statewide can- didates ran as The Lugar Team and campaigned with the U.S. senator, who himself won an precedented fourth term Tuesday. "It had all the impact in the world," Gilroy, a former Lugar aide, said of his Involvement. "At a time when he was making history, he gave us his name and his reputation." Best of all, Gilroy said, was nlng without resorting to a nega-" tive campaign. State Republican Chairman Al Hubbard praised his statewide candidates, saying his only regret was that the strength of the ticket didn't provide more pull for 10th District congressional candidate Marvin Scott.

Indiana Democratic Party HOOSfER AGENDA fc VSj.i Soldiers vote at crash site with fax help About 40 Indiana National Guard soldiers assigned to the crash site of American Eagle Flight 4184 were remembered for the election. Under the Federal Voting Assistance Act, implemented during the Persian Gulf military buildup in 1990, and an Indiana law that was passed afterward, Guard personnel on duty in Newton County on Tuesday got the chance to vote by fax. "We got a call about them from the site Monday and called the Pentagon," said David Malden-berg, executive director of the State Election Board. Applying the law required a declaration of an emergency by the president, Congress or a designee of the president. In this case, the director of the voting program in the Pentagon made the declaration.

Maiden-berg said. Lugar, Gilroy winners with Hoosier students Republicans Richard G. Lugar On The Campaign Trail i i U- a i i i I i i In produced by the House Republican Campaign Committee, which were mailed to voters In several House districts across the state. One of the fliers accused Democratic Incumbents of voting against a measure that would have barred Medicaid, the state's health plan for the poor, from paying for non-emergency trips to the doctor or hospital In a taxi or limousine. Although the flier said many such trips occurred, Republican leaders were unable to provide specific examples.

In Senate races. President Pro Tempore, Robert D. Garton, R-Columbus, the leader since 1980, beat his Democrat opponent, Jessica W. Webb, a 28-year-old freelance writer from Franklin, by 60 percent to 40 percent. The first-time candidate said Garton's large margin of victory in Bartholomew County was too much for her to overcome.

"Obviously, I wanted to win. I really don't have any regrets. We ran a positive campaign," said Webb, who Is considering running for other offices in the future. Power in the Senate will remain where it has been for 16 years squarely with the Republicans. Of the 25 seats up for election this year, 13 are held by Democrats, although two senators ran unopposed.

Republicans were trying to hold onto 11 seats, and they accomplished that. A Republican In has held for 20 years. Phillips, a Democrat, spent most of Election Day urging people to vote. But by late Tuesday, he was wishing he hadn't. "It a Re-publican sweeD.

I'm los Michael Phillips ing right now." Phillips said. As midnight approached. Phillips said his tallies had him trailing Republican challenger Sally Rideout Lambert by 420 votes. But even If he survived Lambert's challenge, he would still lose his post as speaker. Republicans took control of the Indiana House and will elect their own speaker.

Lambert was unwilling to declare victory late Tuesday. "It's too close to call," she said. "I won't take congratulations from anybody. It's a bigger backlash than anyone expected." Late Tuesday. Phillips said he had vote totals from all but about 10 precincts in District 74.

The only uncounted precincts, he said, were in Perry and Spencer counties. "I'm winning in Perry County, but it's against me in Spencer." he said. Complicating the count is the fact that Perry County is one of only three counties In the state where voting is still on paper ballot, which are counted by hand. Also on the ballot are Perry County referendums on riverboat gambling and an appointed vs. elected school board.

In Phillips' law office, the mood was somber Tuesday night as Republican sweeps were being reported everywhere from local to state and national races. Lambert. 25-year-old office manager for the Vanderburgh County Republican Party, had only recently received the benefit of state party money used in a final week advertising assault of radio, TV and direct mailings against Phillips. Lambert and her husband hit the polling places before dawn Tuesday, erecting signs. By 5 a.m..

they were both in Perry County working critical territory. Statehouse insiders have predicted Phillips would not lose his influence or political reach if he loses this election. "If he loses, it doesn't mean no one will ever call him. He has connections all over the state," said an Indianapolis political wag. The race turned nasty in the final days, with Phillips finally expressing his frustration in a TV ad calling Lambert a liar.

Lambert maintained the only truly negative piece focused on the speaker's summer trip to a taxpayer-funded conference in New Orleans, which was the subject of a TV expose In Indianapolis. cumbent didn't run In one Marion County seat. Several longtime incumbents, including some leaders from both parties, faced stiffer challenges than they have In the past. Garton said late Tuesday of the likely 31 -seat majority. "We feel pretty good about this.

Working with the Republican House will change things significantly." Democrat Maurice E. Doll, an attorney from Vincennes, was In a very close race to retain his Senate seat with two-term Sullivan County Sheriff John M. Waterman of Shelburn. Another Incumbent Democrat, Larry Macklin of Decatur, was down about 2,000 votes with nearly all precincts reporting in District 19. His challenger is David C.

Ford of Hartford City. Two 16-year Democrat Incumbents, Allie V. Craycraft Jr. of Selma and Frank Mrvan Jr.of Hammond, were expected by some to have a difficult time keeping their seats, although Craycraft was making a late surge. Late Tuesday afternoon.

Mrvan's challenger, Sandy Demp-sey, was optimistic about her chances of winning District 1 In Lake County. "This was a picture-book campaign," said Dempsey, saying she's been going door-to-door seven days a week since last summer, 'f FUTURE VOTERS: Sue Anne student Christopher Peters as Star Staff Photo D. Todd Moore Gilroy, secretary of state-elect, shakes hands with School 84 classmates Andrew Mackey (left) and Gregory Woolen look on. GOP tidal wave washes Demos from Indiana House control and Sue Anne Gilroy were landslide winners with voters-to-be Tuesday in the first mock election for students in kindergarten through high school in 52 of Indiana's 92 counties. Lugar took 68.9 percent of the vote, with 18,514 ballots, to challenger Jim Jontz's 28.3 percent, or 7,594.

Write-ins in the U.S. Senate mock race garnered 744 votes. In the secretary of state race, the other office included in the mock election, Gilroy was the choice of 60.1 percent of the students, or 15,752 votes, compared with 36.9 percent, or 9,670 votes, for Tim Jeffers. Students chose write-ins for this office 767 times. Voter turnout among students was somewhat better than among their adult counterparts, but not dramatically so.

Of 60,000 students registered. 26,852 or 44.8 percent of them voted in the Lugar-Jontz race, and even fewer in the Gilroy-Jeffers race. The Indiana Kids' Election was sponsored by Ameritech, the Indiana State Bar Association and Indianapolis Newspapers with the Indiana Department of Education. By the Star staff, compiled by John R. O'Neill to a loss was none other than Phillips himself.

In the Senate, where Republicans now have a 28-22 majority, the GOP may have won at least one and possibly three more seats. House Democrats ousted by Republican challengers Included Earle Howard of Kokomo, Jerome Kearns of Terre Haute, Vern Tincher of Riley, Linda K. Henderson of Bedford, and Paul Cantwell and John J. Day, both of Indlan-anpolis. GOP takeover of the House would give Republicans control of both chambers.

Gov. Evan Bayh, a Democrat with two years left in his final term, said he expected he would be able to work just as well with a Republican controlled House in the upcoming legislative session. Next year lawmakers write a new two-year budget, a contentious undertaking even under the best political conditions. "It won't really change the way I was intending to proceed at all," Bayh said. "All of the things I intend to pursue aren't partisan balancing the state budget, avoiding a tax increase, doing what we can to improve education." Rep.

R. Michael Young of Indianapolis, the Republican strategist who advised many of the winning candidates, had a simple explanation for the big victory. "We were right on the Issues welfare, taxes crime. That's Marion County Statehouse results Democratic incumbents relinquish control of 11 at least 7 seats to GOP anti-Clinton climate. By Larry Maclntyre and Barb Albert STAR STAFF WRITERS i Tuesday's Republican tidal 1 wave extended into the Indiana legislature, sweeping away at least 11 "seven Democratic incumbents and turning over control of the House the GOP.

Minority leader Paul S. Mann- at 9 p.m. declared the Re- -publicans had won a majority, and A I I iwu i lours laier "'House Speaker Michael K. ceded Mann- weiler was cor-'rect. At midnight.

it appeared Re-" publican had ousted six ln- cumbent Dem- ocrats and won Mannweiler 1,1 an open seat In the House, giving them at least 52 seats In the 100-member chamber. No Republicans lost in either state House or Sen- ate races. Races in seven other House districts all now held by Demo- crats remained too close to call. Ampng Democrat teetering close Republicans picked up two Indiana House seats in Marion County legislative races, knocking off one freshman and one longtime Democrat. In District 100, 20-year House veteran John J.

Day was narrowly defeated by Martha A. Womacks. a former Porter County assessor. Womacks had 512 percent of the vote. In District 97, GOP challenger Irene M.

Heffley. with 54.9 percent of the vote, defeated incumbent Paul F. Cantwell. The two state Senate seats up in the county were retained by Republicans. J.

Murray Clark defeated Gale P. Jontz for the open District 29 seat. Sen. James W. what won it for us," said Young, who is a full-time paid consultant to the Republican caucus campaign committee.

But one Democrat who survived the GOP onslaught Rep. Markt Lytle of Madison said he won because voters rejected the negative tone of the campaign waged against him. "It went below the line of acceptance of the people," he said. In the Logansport area. Republican Richard W.

McClain defeated Democrat Stan Franta for an the seat, which had been held by a Democrat who retired. Merritt Jr. won a second four-year term by defeating challenger Thomas G. Bums in District 31. Here are the apparent winners of the other House races in Marion County: Republicans Dist 86: John S.

Keeler Dist 87: Paul S. Mannweiler Dist. 88: Brian C. Bosma Dist 89: Lawrence Buell Dist 90: Michael B. Murphy; Dist.

91: Robert W. Behning Dist. 92: R. Michael Young Dist. 93: David N.

Frizzell Dist 94: Candy Morris. Democrats Dist 95: Mae Dickinson Dist 96: Gregory W. Porter Dist. 98: William A. Crawford Dist.

99: Vanessa Summers Barnes In Marion County. Cantwell, a former city-county councilman, was seeking a second term in District 97. and Day, a 20-year House veteran, was favored to win In the traditionally Democratic District 100. Cantwell attributed his loss to the general anti-incumbent mood as well as negative ads mailed out by his opponent. 'They hit me with the diapers, turning criminals loose, all that stuff.

You don't have to prove it you say It often enough and It sticks." Cantwell was referryjg to fliers.