INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana House Democrats who went to sleep after Election Day thinking they may have lost control of the chamber found out Wednesday that they would keep the gavel by at least a 52-48 advantage.
Late tallies of absentee ballots in two races ensured that Democrats would retain control of the chamber. Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, each said they hoped to work together in what is expected to be a very difficult budget-writing year in 2009 given the tanking economy.
"We proved in the last two years that great things can happen in this state on a bipartisan basis," said Daniels, whose defeat of Democrat Jill Long Thompson on Tuesday won him a second term. "He (Bauer) knows how very, very careful we're going to have to be, and I also look forward to him being a partner in some of the reforms that we intend to press forward with."
Bauer said during Daniels' first two years, when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate, the governor took a "thunder-and-lightning approach pushing something through with an iron fist." But with Democrats leading the chamber 51-49 the past two years, Bauer said Daniels was more willing to compromise and he hoped that would continue.
"I think we will be working together in a positive manner," Bauer said, adding that it would take bipartisanship on everyone's part to draft a new budget that adequately funded education and health care during tough economic times.
It appeared very possible the chamber would end up in a 50-50 tie, and through a tiebreaker law, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels' re-election victory would have given Republicans control of the House.
But Democrats retained control when a late tally of absentee ballots gave Democrat Joe Pearson a District 31 victory over Republican Rep. Tim Harris of Marion.
Senate Republicans maintained their 33-17 advantage in Tuesday's election, and their caucus re-elected David Long, R-Fort Wayne, as Senate president pro tem on Wednesday.
But Senate Democrats chose a new caucus leader -- Sen. Vi Simpson of Ellettsville -- as the new Senate minority leader. Sen. Richard Young, D-Milltown, held the post for 12 years but recently announced that he would not seek it again after the election.
Simpson said voters want to see bipartisan solutions to real problems facing Hoosiers, and the General Assembly should be focused on reviving the state's economy.
They added to their advantage with a win by District 37 Rep. Scott Reske, D-Pendleton, after a count of nearly 12,000 absentee ballots in Madison County on Wednesday. He had trailed Republican Kelly Gaskill by 34 votes before the absentee count, but his ultimate win put Democrats ahead 52-48.
In an open District 26 seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Micon, D-West Lafayette, Republican Randy Truitt had about a 20-vote lead over Democrat John Polles, but more than 400 provisional ballots are to be counted after 10 days. If Polles ends up winning that, Democrats will have a 53-47 advantage.
House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, noted that Republicans defeated longtime Rep. William Cochran, D-New Albany, and picked up an open seat in District 63 being vacated by Rep. Dave Crooks, D-Washington. And as it stands now, Truitt is ahead in the open District 26 seat.
"So we were really in the hunt for this," Bosma said. "But for the Marion County Obama tidal wave, we would likely have been in the majority selecting a speaker and committee chairs today."
Democrat Barack Obama narrowly won Indiana in his election as president Tuesday. He won in Marion County by more than 100,000 votes over Republican John McCain, 64 percent to 35 percent.
In the same county, Democrat Mary Ann Sullivan defeated incumbent state Rep. Jon Elrod, R-Indianapolis, in District 97. Democrat John Barnes also won District 89 in Indianapolis for a seat being vacated by longtime Republican Rep. Larry Buell.
Bosma talked with reporters after meeting with his caucus, and said the same leadership team was chosen. He said with Democrats controlling the House, some House Republican proposals -- including a new college scholarship program and taking the next step toward amending caps on property tax bills into the state constitution -- were unlikely to pass.