Blue Wave Hits Goshen

Election Day is over, the votes have been counted, and Goshen Democrats have plenty of reasons to celebrate. Of the ten local candidates featured by the Goshen City Democratic Party this year, eight won their races. But the story of this election is bigger than the victories. It’s a story of neighbors stepping forward, volunteers putting in the work, and a community making progress together.

The candidates were Michelle Milne (Indiana State House District 49), Kevin Peters (Elkhart County Council, District 3), Loanne Harms (School Board, At-Large), Sandra Rodriguez-McMasters (School Board, At-Large), Sallie Landis Davis (School Board, District 1), Cynthia Murphy (School Board, District 3), Nora Chavez-Morales (Elkhart Township Trustee), Rose Goyette (Elkhart Township Advisory Board), Tara “Bee” Melinoe (Elkhart Township Advisory Board), and Jacob Putnam (Elkhart Township Advisory Board). It takes courage to put your name on the ballot, put yourself before the public, and ask your neighbors for their trust. Each candidate stepped forward because they believed they could make a difference, and that is worth recognizing. And in several races, that willingness to step forward translated into results that would have been difficult to imagine just a few years ago. 

The 2025-2026 Goshen Community School Board was entirely male. This year, four women won their contested seats: Sallie Landis Davis flipped District 1 by 6 percentage points, Cynthia Murphy won District 3 by 25 points, and Loanne Harms and Sandra Rodriguez-McMasters won both of the At Large seats with 36.3% and 34.8% of the votes, respectively. In 2022, Democrats lost Indiana House District 49 by 34 points. This year, Michelle Milne closed that gap dramatically, finishing just 6.8 points behind with 46.6% of the vote. Meanwhile, Kevin Peters made it a remarkably close race, falling short by less than 2 points with 49.1% of the vote. Milne and Peters didn’t win their seats, but their campaigns helped raise the tide, building the momentum that carried victories across our community. From helping register voters at First Fridays to organizing door-knocking efforts, they demonstrated that the gap can be closed, that voters can be reached, and that organizing makes a difference.

Behind these candidates was a community that showed up in a big way:

• Over 6,000 doors knocked
• 10,000 campaign mailers
• 900 phone calls
• 5,500 Get-out-the-vote text messages

Those numbers represent countless hours of work, generosity, and commitment. To the candidates who stepped forward, the voters who put their trust in them, the volunteers who knocked doors and made calls, the donors who made these campaigns possible, and the organizers who kept everything moving: thank you. Your time, energy, and belief in this community made this effort possible. Take pride in what you accomplished. Celebrate the victories. Recognize the progress. And appreciate what we made possible together.

This election marks the end of the beginning. The results are worth celebrating, but they’re also worth building on. What began with neighbors stepping forward has grown into something bigger: a community willing to organize, work together, and imagine what might be possible.