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KOKOMO, Ind.–The mayor’s seat and the entire city council of Kokomo belong to the Republican Party. Republicans picked up Kokomo, Muncie and several other cities in Tuesday’s election, despite Democrat victories in central Indiana and the Indianapolis metro.

“When you start the day seven more seats, seven more mayor’s offices held by Republicans than Democrats and we’re on a path to end up plus 23. That’s not just picking up a couple of seats, that’s showing the changing and shifting tide of Indiana,” said Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer.

He believes Indiana is becoming more Republican. One example is Kokomo, which had a Democrat mayor for 12 years, and is a manufacturing city. Hupfer said he’s proud that Republicans took the mayor’s office and the entire city council.

“To take that city and have Tyler Moore step in and have four to five hundred people at the victory celebration, unheard of in that town for a municipal race,” said Hupfer, who said Muncie’s shift to majority Republican leadership is badly needed.

“It’s a place that needs a house cleaned, had a lot of scandal and corruption, and so Dan Ridenour’s gonna do a tremendous job there,” he said.

Hupfer said the biggest asset Republicans across the state have is Gov. Holcomb, who he described as the most popular politician in the state. Holcomb campaigned for several Republican mayors this weekend in a blitz before the election.

“Gov. Holcomb is extremely strong…in urban areas, in rural areas from tip to tail of this state.”

As for the losses in places like Indy and some of its surrounding communities, “They become like your kids. You can’t really pick one you hate to lose the most. They’re all kind of equal in my mind.”

PHOTO: Chris Davis/Emmis