One of the biggest surprises of the 2026 election was the defeat of Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers.
Democrat Lauren Cole unseated Huston in House District 37. Hamilton County’s final election-night report showed Cole with 13,318 votes, or 51.5%, to Huston’s 12,532, or 48.5%. That is a margin of 786 votes. The results are unofficial.
The district runs from Fishers north to Cicero and Arcadia and has long been considered Republican territory. This will be Cole’s first time holding public office.
Huston’s loss came on a night when Indiana Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the House, which had held since 2012.
Huston was first elected to the House in 2012. He became speaker in March 2020, succeeding Brian Bosma. Before going to the Statehouse, he served on the Hamilton Southeastern School Board and the Fishers Planning Commission.
Huston issued this statement Wednesday morning:
“This was an incredibly challenging midterm election and ultimately the national headwinds were too difficult to overcome in a number of our races. We’re so proud of our team and all our candidates who stepped up to serve and spent countless hours in their communities, listening to voters and talking about the issues that matter to Hoosiers.
“While I’m disappointed by the results, I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made in Indiana to grow our economy, bring good-paying jobs to our state, lower taxes and create thriving communities where people want to live, work, start a business and raise their family.
“It’s been the honor of my life serving Hoosiers in Hamilton County and across our great state. I’m grateful for the opportunity and all that we’ve accomplished together.”
In her own emailed statement, Cole said she was honored that voters chose her. She noted that Huston had represented the district for 14 years and served as speaker for six. She also thanked her campaign manager, Lexxa LaPointe, and her supporters.
What it means for Fishers
One part of this story isn’t about party politics. It’s about influence at the Statehouse.
The speaker is one of the most powerful people in Indiana government and largely decides which bills the House takes up. For six years, Fishers had a hometown representative in that chair. With Huston gone, Fishers loses a major champion in the General Assembly. The House will now have to choose a new speaker, and that person will not be from Fishers.
That doesn’t take anything away from Lauren Cole’s win. You have to run a very good campaign to unseat the Speaker of the House, and she did.
Still, this change will affect Fishers, and residents should be aware of it.