Rep. Baron Hill Ousted In Indiana

Deafening cheers erupted in Republican Todd Young's campaign celebration headquarters in downtown Bloomington, as he hung up the phone with incumbent Baron Hill, D-Ind., and announced, "We won."
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BLOOMINGTON, IND. -- Deafening cheers erupted in Republican Todd Young's campaign celebration headquarters in downtown Bloomington, as he hung up the phone with incumbent Baron Hill, D-Ind., and announced, "We won."

The race was called with 83 percent of the vote counted, with Young leading Hill 54 percent to 41 percent.

Young pledged to work in a bipartisan manner in Congress and to represent Republicans, Democrats and "any God-loving American" in his district.

Hill took Young's call at about 9 p.m., after Fox News and the Associated Press called the race.

"I hope we can work together in the coming months," Young told Hill. "We'll look forward to working with you actively for a smooth transition."

After the call, Young thanked "the thousands of people across the state of Indiana who gave their time, gave their encouragement and gave their material support."

"We took back Congress," he said.

Young said his race was based on the issues and on "ideas and ideals." That's the kind of Congress he wants to participate in, he said. Young thanked Hill and commended him for his service.

"Despite our differences on the campaign trail, we have things in common," he said. "We're both very competitive. We both care deeply about southern Indiana."

He acknowledged "immense challenges" ahead, both locally and nationally, and he pledged to advance the conservative beliefs espoused by his supporters.

"It's time we proved all the naysayers wrong and turned this country around," he said.
At the same time, he said he would work hard to win the support of those who did not vote for him.

"I pledge to stand up for things I believe in, but I will work for any Republican, any
Democrat, any God-loving American to put this country back on track," he said.

In an interview earlier in the evening, Young said his number one priority if he won would be to work for fiscal responsibility. He said he's thought about specific areas where spending cuts might be made, but he would prefer to wait for recommendations from the government's executive departments before deciding which budgets should be cut and which should be increased.

He said spending ranked with health care as the top concern of citizens he met on the campaign trail.

"We should pass a budget and stick to it," he said. "My hope is that in a bipartisan way, we embark on a new era of fiscal responsibility."

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