Indiana House Republicans Pick Ben Smaltz as New Speaker, Succeeding the Defeated Todd Huston
The Indiana House Republican caucus on November 4 elected state Rep. Ben Smaltz of Auburn as its new speaker, succeeding former Speaker Todd Huston, who lost his seat in the election. Huston was defeated on November 3 by Democrat Lauren Cole, losing both his seat and his eligibility to continue as speaker.
Other caucus leaders chosen the same day include Jake Teshka as caucus chairman and Matt Lehman as majority floor leader. House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta said Democrats had made major gains in the election and that the Republican supermajority in the House had been broken.
Indiana Democrats also won statewide offices including secretary of state in this cycle and flipped three long-Republican House districts on the south side of Indianapolis. Huston's defeat and the quick selection of a successor mean the Indiana House will reconvene in January under a new power structure, with Republicans governing without a supermajority.
(Source: The Indianapolis Star)
Source: The Indianapolis Star
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：印第安纳州议会大厦。w_lemay 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. By w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
