INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl will not seek re-election once his current term expires.
The party announced that Schmuhl would not be running for re-election on Saturday afternoon. Schmuhl told the Democrats’ State Central Committee he will not be running for party chair again on Saturday morning.
“I want to thank the State Central Committee and Democrats across Indiana for entrusting me with this role almost four years ago,” Schmuhl said via release. “I know how hard it can be to be a Democrat in Indiana, and over the past four years, we have placed our party on a path to future success by protecting what we have and building new bases of support.
“It was my goal as Chair for our party to be present in every part of our state, listen, and show that Democrats can get results for Hoosiers. I also know what we are up against: some of the lowest voter turnout in the Midwest, highly gerrymandered maps, no citizen-led referendums, and superminority status. Despite the headwinds, we’ve made progress, our bench is bigger, and our party has more tools and more people involved in the political process to be successful.
In its release, the Indiana Democratic Party highlighted some of its achievements under Schmuhl’s leadership. One of the first things the party outlined in its release was the steps it took in November’s gubernatorial race.
Per the party’s release, Governor-Elect Mike Braun’s 13.3% margin of victory was the smallest any Republican has recorded in a statewide race in the last six years. The party also indicated its candidate, Jennifer McCormick, earned 200,000 more votes than the last Democrat to run for Governor of Indiana did.
Democrats also made the 2023 Carmel Mayoral race a point of emphasis in their release. The party indicated the race was the closest in the city’s history, as the Democratic candidate, Miles Nelson, claimed 42% of the vote.
Schmuhl also helped the party retain 30 of its seats in the Indiana State House of Representatives through the 2024 election cycle. Frank Mrvan and Andre Carson, who were running for the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, also won their races in 2024.
“We nominated great candidates for public office every year, and I was privileged to work with a fantastic and dedicated team,” Schmuhl said via release. “We also tripled our overall number of donors from four years ago to boost our overall organizational strength and competitiveness. I want to thank Hoosier Democrats for allowing me to do this work, and I look forward to the day when Indiana has a more balanced government to serve the people of our great state.”
Democrats’ release also indicated that Schmuhl’s achievements stretched beyond strides made in electoral races. During his term, Schmuhl helped negotiate two union contracts with party staffers. The approval of the contracts led to pay increases and improved health benefits for party staffers.
With Schmuhl at the helm, the Indiana Democratic Party also held more than 150 events across Indiana over a four-year span.
Before he was the Indiana Democratic Party Chair, Schmuhl was the manager of Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 Presidential Campaign. Schmuhl first joined the Democrats’ State Central Committee when he was 28. He rejoined the committee 10 years later when was elected chairman.
Schmuhl’s current term as Indiana Democratic Party Chair will end on March 15.
