Tuesday night, the political balance of Hamilton County shifted entirely, with Democrats taking control of 22 seats in the historically red county. 

Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Josh Lowry said the night was full of shock, and that their goal was initially to only win 10 seats. 

“For a lot of people in Hamilton County, this is the first time they’ve been represented by a Democrat. And we need to make sure we prove to them we’re up to the job, and the job will get done when you have a Democrat in charge,” Lowry said.

Wins for Democrats on the night ranged from high-profile races like J.D. Ford’s push for Congressional 5th District to county council and the sheriff’s race. 

Dakota Crawford, vice president of the Carmel Democratic Club, spoke with WISH-TV Tuesday night about the stunning turnaround. 

“We’ve seen an appetite for change in Hamilton county. A lot of these races’ folks said could not be won by Democrats. A lot of folks won tonight who they did not expect to,” Crawford said.

Lowry says the first change that voters will notice is the faces that they’ve put into office. 

“We have a very diverse population in Hamilton county. And yet, until now, most of the leadership looked like me. All white. We elected a lot of great candidates last night that look more like some of our voters and I think some of that representation matters a lot,” Lowry said.

With the shift, Democrats believe that their next steps need to be intentional. 

“The most important thing is that once they’re elected, they’re providing services to the voters that the voters elected them to do. Then it’s our job as a party to make sure we’re highlighting that and giving elected officials all the support they need to focus on helping others,” Lowry said.

News 8 reached out to state and Hamilton County GOP leaders to request an interview, but received no response.