Lucas.
Updated at 10:30 a.m., 5/9 to reflect vote totals for District 69.
Incumbent District 69 Rep. Jim Lucas of Seymour has advanced to the Nov. 5 general election by fending off a challenge from Brian Savilla in Tuesday’s primary.
“It was a good win and it was good to see so many people stick with the message that we have been carrying throughout the years,” Lucas said.
According to indianavoters.in.gov, Lucas had secured 4,584 or 57.5% of the votes as of 5 a.m. Wednesday in the district that spans four counties to Savilla’s 3,390 votes or 42.5%. Vote totals for the district, however, are not final.
Savilla said that he was pleased with his campaign process and was thankful for the amount of support he received.
“What stood out to me was the amount of prayers and love I received from people in the community,” he said. “That alone is made me want to keep doing what I am doing.”
Lucas’s victory sets up a race with Seymour Democrat Trish Whitcomb in the general election.
Lucas, first elected to the House in 2012, did lose Jackson County to Savilla, a Brownstown teacher, by 2,559 or 48.6% to 2,705 votes (51.4%). Lucas said at first he was surprised by the loss to his home county.
“However, after digging into it I think there were a lot of crossover Democrat votes because the numbers show 89% voted Republican,” he said.
Savilla said he wasn’t surprised by securing the votes in Jackson County.
“I think I did a good job meeting a talking with the people of Jackson County,” he said. “I don’t have that strong name persona which is something I will work on in the next couple of years.”
Lucas did, however, win Bartholomew County by 72 (57.6%) votes to 53 (42.4%) votes and secured the win over Savilla by picking up 665 or 76.7% of the votes to Savilla’s 202 or 23.3% in Scott County and 1,288 votes (75%) to 430 (25%) votes in Washington County.
Lucas said with a new Governor coming in he hopes to make government more efficient.
“I would like to reign in some of the agencies that were allowed to get out of hand under the Holcomb administration,” he said. “Immigration is obviously an issue and nothing is being done at the federal level and we are seeing the effects its having on communities across our state. That is going to be an issue that requires looking at.”
Lucas added that education is always going to be an ongoing issue that he will continue to look at.
“How can we pre-up our teachers and parents and get them out from under the bureaucracy that seems to be strangling them,” he said.
Lucas said he looks forward to continuing to serve the people.
Savilla said he was thankful for the people who supported him through this race.
“I will never forget this experience and I am forever grateful for the people who voted,” he said. “I will be back in two years to run again if it’s against him because I feel I can better serve the people.”
In Jackson County, Whitcomb received 602 votes and she received 1,280 votes across the district.
Other statehouse results involving Jackson County show District 62 Rep. Dave Hall, R-Norman, receiving 5,511 votes including 440 in Jackson County; District 65 Rep. Chris May, R-Bedford, receiving 6,869 votes including 108 in Jackson County; and District 44 Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, garnering 14,610 votes including 4,929 in Jackson County. All three were running unopposed.