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Well, folks, the Marion County Democratic Party had themselves a little shindig on Saturday, and Myla Eldridge managed to hang onto her perch as party chair with about 56% of the vote. Out of some 410 precinct committee chairs and vice chairs who bothered to show up—according to party mouthpiece Jeff Harris—Eldridge fended off a couple of challengers who thought they could turn the sinking ship around. Good luck with that.
Eldridge first grabbed the reins back in 2022 after Kate Sweeney Bell bailed, riding a wave of promises about boosting voter turnout and uniting the Democrats. That landslide win sure sounded nice, didn’t it? Fast forward to 2024, and the general election painted a different picture: voter turnout in Marion County hit rock bottom, and the party’s still fractured worse than a dropped mason jar. Apparently, all that talk about unity and participation was just hot air.
Enter Dana Black, a political commentator, and Annette Johnson, a Pike Township trustee, who threw their hats in the ring to shake things up. Black pulled in 29% and Johnson nabbed 13%, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone Eldridge. Meanwhile, Wes Brown snagged vice chair, Keith Potts took secretary, and LaDonna Freeman landed treasurer. Same old song and dance, just with new backup singers.
Eldridge’s been whining about “structural challenges” since January—like the end of slating, that shady little game where the party used to hand-pick candidates before primaries and charge them a fee for the privilege. That cash used to fund get-out-the-vote efforts, but without it, the Democrats are scraping by. In 2024, they barely raised $94,000 through mid-October and didn’t even have full-time staff. Compare that to the glory days when they were raking in over a million bucks and had organizers on the ground. Sounds like someone forgot how to hustle.
Here’s the kicker: Marion County’s local leadership is a Democrat stronghold, but they can’t win a statewide race to save their lives. No Indiana Democrat has pulled that off in over a decade, and a big chunk of the blame lands on Indianapolis’ pitiful voter turnout. You’d think a blue island like Marion County could muster some enthusiasm, but apparently, apathy’s the name of the game. And folks wonder why the party’s hurting statewide? Look no further than this mess.
At the end of the day, Eldridge’s reelection smells like more of the same: big promises, no results, and a party too lazy to get its act together. Conservatives like us over here in the Republican camp can just sit back with our popcorn and watch the Democrats flail. If they can’t figure out how to fire up their own base in a place like Indianapolis, good luck taking on the rest of the Hoosier State.