The closed-door vote came a day after Democrats flipped at least 16 House seats, including the Fishers district held by Speaker Todd Huston, according to results reported Tuesday night. Three races remained too close to call. The losses ended the Republican supermajority and left the GOP with a slim majority that will require near-unanimous agreement to pass its agenda.

Smaltz, who has served in the House since 2012 and chaired the Rules Committee, will take over from Huston. Rep. Matt Lehman (R-Berne) was chosen as majority leader and Rep. Jake Teshka (R-North Liberty) as majority caucus chair. Smaltz previously managed the House passage of Indiana's redistricting bill last year; the measure later failed in the Senate.

"We had a disappointing night last night, but Republicans maintained the majority in the House," Smaltz said in a statement, "and we will continue to champion the common-sense, fiscally responsible leadership Hoosiers expect and deserve."

Huston, who lost to political newcomer Lauren Cole, issued a statement acknowledging the difficult environment. "This was an incredibly challenging midterm election and ultimately the national headwinds were too difficult to overcome in a number of our races," he said. "While I'm disappointed by the results, I'm incredibly proud of the progress we've made in Indiana to grow our economy, bring good-paying jobs to our state, lower taxes and create thriving communities."

Cole said her campaign was always about putting people first. "That's exactly what I intend to do," she said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

Three other members of House Republican leadership were also defeated: Reps. Greg Steuerwald (R-Avon), Julie Olthoff (R-Crown Point) and Dave Hall (R-Norman). Powerful committee chairs, including Reps. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) and Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis), were among those swept out as well.

The Indiana Democratic Party fielded candidates in 97 of 100 House races, its most this century, and aimed to break the GOP supermajority by picking up four seats. Party leaders appeared surprised by the scale of their success.

"The Indiana Democratic Party didn't create this mess, but we got ourselves in a position to take advantage of the fact that people are really unhappy," former state senator Karen Tallian said Tuesday night.

House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) credited the party's focus on middle-class concerns. "We set out to break the supermajority and guess what we did?" he said. "We did it because we talked about issues that are important to people, issues that are affecting the middle class with regard to affordability."

In the Senate, Republicans retained their supermajority despite Democrats picking up at least four seats. Sen. Chris Garten (R-Charlestown) was elected Senate president pro tempore, succeeding outgoing leader Sen. Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville). Three Senate races remained too close to call.

"We will tackle hard issues head-on, working to strengthen our schools, defend our freedom, scrutinize the allocation of every tax dollar, lower health care costs and find ways to keep cutting taxes," Garten said.

The results extended beyond legislative races. Every Indiana county shifted left compared with the 2024 and 2022 elections, and Democrats won their first statewide races since 2012: Beau Bayh captured the secretary of state office and Jessica Bailey defeated incumbent Republican Elise Nieshalla for state comptroller.

Lawmakers return to the Statehouse on Nov. 17 for Organization Day, the ceremonial start of the 2027 legislative session, which begins in earnest in January. With a narrowed majority, House Republicans will need to stay unified to advance their priorities — a dynamic that has not always been necessary during the past decade of supermajority control.