BREAKING UPDATE: Incumbent Democrat Mayor Joe Hogsett is projected to have won his reelection bid for Indianapolis mayor, beating out Republican challenger and multimillionaire businessman Jefferson Shreve, according to NewsNation / Decision Desk HQ.
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Original story: (NewsNation) — Voters in Indianapolis will choose Tuesday between Republican multimillionaire businessman Jefferson Shreve and Democratic incumbent Joe Hogsett to be mayor of the city, in what has become one of the most interesting races in the nation.
Shreve’s campaign took a turn over the summer when the former city-county councilor rolled out a gun control plan that closely resembled Hogsett’s plan — raising the firearm purchase age to 21, ending permitless carry and banning assault weapons across the city.
The move defied the National Rifle Association, which called his change of heart “truly pathetic,” according to Politico. Shreve earned the NRA’s backing in 2016 during an unsuccessful Senate run.
While Indianapolis traditionally votes blue, it has a history of electing pragmatic GOP mayors, including Dick Lugar, William Hudnut, Stephen Goldsmith and Greg Ballard, who opposed Mike Pence’s Religious Freedom and Restoration Act and marched in the city’s Pride parade.
If successful, Shreve’s pivot on gun legislation could set a precedent for Republican candidates in urban areas, according to Paul Helmke, the former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Polls will close at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday. The graphic below will be updated as results come in.