Briggs: Democrats took over Indianapolis. Now, they have to lead.

James Briggs | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett speaks after winning reelection Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett won reelection on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.

The most delightful reaction to Tuesday’s Indianapolis election was short, simple and full of joy — and surprise.

“I won!” Ali Brown said in a tweet that seemed partially intended to convince herself the victory was real.

I won! — 🌟Councilor Elect Ali Brown🌟 (@aliforindy) November 6, 2019

Brown, a Democrat, had just defeated Republican Adam Cox in a race to represent the City-County Council’s most northeastern district, an area that had been regarded as safely Republican. The district leans so conservative that Cox’s campaign strategy seemed to consist of little more than pointing out that Brown happened to be a Democrat who supports liberal-sounding things.

She won.

Brown’s exuberant two-word reaction perfectly encapsulated the night for Democrats, who look to have secured at least 19 and quite possibly 20 out of 25 City-County Council seats pending final results, plus a re-election blowout for Mayor Joe Hogsett. That performance will reshape the council in January from a 14-11 Democratic majority, which has necessitated Republican support to push most proposals across the finish line, to a supermajority in which Democrats will be able to pass anything they can agree on internally.

To get a sense for just how well Democrats did, consider this: The party had identified nine difficult council races that might have been winnable in a best-case scenario. Democrats swept them all, plus picked up victories in places where they didn’t even expect to compete.

Democrats’ longshot victories included Brown in a district that includes Geist; Keith Potts in a district that includes Broad Ripple; Crista Carlino in a district that includes Eagle Creek Park; Ethan Evans in a district that, like Brown’s, borders Hamilton County; and Jared Evans, an incumbent, who nevertheless won re-election as a Democrat in a district that supported President Donald Trump in 2016.

Briggs: Indianapolis Republicans just got bludgeoned into irrelevance

Republicans have explained their 2019 thumping by offering reasons ranging from anti-Trump sentiment to Marion County ballots that made it confusing to skip past the straight-ticket voting option. Some Democrats say their success stems from a coordinated effort between a popular mayor and 25 council candidates.

As far-fetched as it seemed a few months ago for Democrats to take such a dominant majority on the council, though, that probably won't turn out to be the hard part.

Now, those Democrats have to govern.

The challenges ahead for council Democrats include overcoming factional battles that are certain to occur, reconciling their caucus' likely left-moving agenda with the heretofore cautious Hogsett administration and gearing up for what could be a contentious redistricting process after the 2020 Census is completed.

In the short term, though, the greatest challenge for new Democrats might be akin to a police officer who enters the profession to arrest bad guys and finds that most time is spent handling paperwork.

The passion that propelled the Democrats' 2019 political surge does not necessarily translate well to the day-to-day duties of sitting on the council. For starters, the new members will have to spend much of their time learning how city government works.

When the City-County Council meets next year, it will have 12 members, including nine Democrats, who did not occupy their seats a year earlier. That is a substantial influx of council members who might be unfamiliar with the nuances of city contracts, development deals, street repairs, as well as details as minor as following proper meeting etiquette.

For those councilors, it could feel like whiplash to go from the excitement of knocking on doors and, in some cases, casting a vision for social change, to hearing from constituents who are angry about illegal trash being dumped near their properties.

It is a difficult and occasionally unfulfilling transition.

Briggs: Mayor Hogsett is boring, but he won because he's doing a good job

In early 2017, I wrote about seven then-freshmen on the City-County Council who had bonded in part through their shared visions of making the council work better for the city. Of those seven, three just won re-election, one lost, one resigned about a year ago and two decided not to run again.

Many of the council members who were just elected for the first time will not make it to second terms. The most effective ones will be able to channel the energy that drove them to victory last week into doing the best work possible for the people who live in their districts.

That may or may not lead to sweeping policy changes over the next four years. It may or may not lead to a shift toward Indianapolis being perceived as a more liberal city. None of that is as important as the unsexy things elected officials can do daily to make a positive difference (a space where Hogsett has performed particularly well).

The Democrats won — bigger than they could have even hoped for.

Now, they'll be judged by how they handle a thousand small details.

Have something to say? Submit a letter to the editor.

Please support the work of IndyStar reporters and visual journalists by becoming a subscriber today. Get unlimited digital access here!

Contact IndyStar metro columnist James Briggs at james.briggs@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.