Republican challenger Bill Fine conceded to incumbent state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon on Tuesday in the hotly contested race for House District 12.
"It feels great," Candelaria Reardon said. "It feels great that people did not buy into the negativity."
Candelaria Reardon, a Munster Democrat, said she knew vying for a fourth term in office would be a challenge, considering redistricting removed key Democratic areas from the district.
The district represents Munster, Highland and portions of Hammond and Griffith.
"The map changed drastically ... that's what has made it more challenging to me. I've had to reintroduce myself and things I've done that have benefited parts of the community I've never represented before," Candelaria Reardon said. "It's exactly as it was — designed to make it difficult for me."
Fine said Tuesday night he felt confident he would beat Candelaria Reardon in the candidates' shared hometown of Munster.
"I'm glad I participated in it. I think we talked about important issues that had to be talked about," Fine said. "We led the debate on what was important."
Fine said the campaign fostered cooperation among Republicans.
"It was a great exercise in getting a broad range of conservative voters interested in the political process," Fine said, "and we think there will be great fruit coming from this in the future."
Please Wait…