State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, was pulling ahead of Republican challenger Ben Ruiz for District 2, which covers most of East Chicago, Tuesday night.
With 293 of 348 precincts reporting, Harris led Ruiz by more than 11,000 votes — 82% to 18% — according to unofficial tallies Tuesday night.
While at Laborers’ Local 41 in Munster, where U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, held a gathering for supporters, Harris said that he was feeling confident about his re-election campaign.
“We’ll get the concrete numbers later, but I feel good. We’ve run a good race. I’m confident I’ve done a lot in terms of being in office for 8 years. I have confidence that the voters will want me to continue the work I’ve been doing,” Harris said.
Ruiz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Harris was first elected to the House in 2016, and he was named chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus on Dec. 23, 2022. Harris serves as assistant Democratic floor leader and ranking Democrat on the House Roads and Transportation Committee, among other committees.
The District 2 seat was previously held by his mother Donna from 2015 to 2016 and his father Earl Harris Sr., who held the seat from 1982 until his death in 2015.
“It’s no secret that I have a lot of history with this,” Harris previously said. “I’ve been around it for a big chunk of my life. There’s a lot of knowledge and experience that comes with that.”
Harris is most proud of House Bill 1449, or the 21st Century Scholars bill, which passed in April 2023 has been signed into law, automatically enrolls eligible students in the program and notifies their families of the academic requirements that must be fulfilled to receive the scholarship.
The Indiana House Democrats recently announced that the scholarship program has more than doubled for its 2027 and 2028 cohorts. More than 50,000 students have been enrolled in the 2028 class, and nearly 46,000 students have enrolled in the 2027 class.
Before Harris’ bill, enrollment was less than 20,000 students in a cohort. If re-elected, Harris wants to continue working to better the 21st Century Scholars program.
Harris wants to continue working towards fighting a statewide physician shortage. In 2024, he filed House Bill 1175, which would repay medical school loans up to $200,000 if physicians commit to staying in Indiana for 10 years. If re-elected, Harris plans to refile the bill in 2025.
Ruiz, a businessman, previously ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House of Representatives District 1. He lost to Randy Niemeyer, who is facing off against Mrvan, D-Highland, in the general election.
While Ruiz said he believed his experience in past races helps his campaign, he wanted voters to know he isn’t a “career politician,” and he wants to bring a new perspective to the House.
“There aren’t many people running against these incumbents that have repeatedly been part of the political scene for some time,” Ruiz previously said. “(Change) is very much needed, especially in our demographic area, where we have a lot of minorities that should be represented equally.”
Ruiz ran to focus on restructuring education boundaries and ensuring that students are prepared to either enter the workforce or higher education after high school. He also ran to focus on economic development because it’s important for communities to invest in small businesses.
An emphasis on local businesses, Ruiz said, would help Northwest Indiana thrive and boost its economic social status. Ruiz said he ran with the best interests of voters in mind, and his main goal would be to benefit his constituents and bring prosperity to the community.
“I genuinely care about the community,” Ruiz said. “I want to see our community thrive with small businesses, and I want people to grab a hold of the opportunities that we have and revitalize our economy.”
Maya Wilkins contributed.
akukulka@chicagotribune.com
