INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Aug. 18, 2023) – Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer today informed the members of the Indiana Republican State Committee of his intention to step down from his position effective upon the election of his successor.
Serving six and a half years and through four election cycles, he has led the party to an unprecedented level of success across the state.
“Serving as the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party for the past six and a half years has been a great honor and a privilege,” stated Chairman Kyle Hupfer.
“The Indiana Republican Party is strong. And I believe that if we continue to deliver results that matter, Hoosiers will continue to place their trust in us and elect and reelect Republicans long into the future,” he added.
From the onset of his tenure, Chairman Hupfer focused extensively on strategic planning and initiatives that would provide enhanced value to the party’s candidates, elected officials, supporters, and constituents. That included increased intra-party coordination and the development of a robust data operation, both of which would prove to be invaluable in the first election cycle of his chairmanship and the defeat of an incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator.
That unprecedented coordination would lead to the defeat of Democrat Joe Donnelly, making Indiana one of only five states to unseat an incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator over the past three election cycles.
In 2019, the party would utilize the same strategy at the local level with an increased focus on providing additional resources directly to candidates. That included providing access to the best data, door and phone applications, hosting trainings, and sending over half a million pieces of mail to help them reach more mailboxes than ever before.
The $250,000 investment would lead to a record 19 mayoral offices flipping to Republicans, including in many Democrat strongholds such as Kokomo and Muncie, increasing the party’s total offices held to 70, another record in itself.
That same year, the party would hire Whitley Yates as its first director of diversity and engagement, further building upon the commitment Chairman Hupfer made in remarks at the 2018 state convention to continuously look for ways to grow the party.
In 2020, the party would take its next steps in those efforts, launching the Indiana Republican Diversity Leadership Series, a seminar and leadership training program with the goal of providing the preparation and resources needed to increase the engagement of minority Republican leaders across the state. The program continues to be a first of its kind among state parties and has been recognized by the Republican National Committee as a model example of efforts to grow the party, connect with voters, and elevate leaders.
That year, Chairman Hupfer would serve as the campaign manager to reelect Governor Eric Holcomb, helping him to secure the most votes ever received by a gubernatorial candidate in the state’s history.
In 2022, the party would again utilize its proven strategy to effectively “seal Indiana’s status as a Republican stronghold,” making the state as “red” as it has ever been since the 1950s. That included reelecting U.S. Senator Todd Young by a 20-point margin, retaining every statewide office, securing seven of nine U.S. Congressional Districts and significantly cutting the Democrats’ margin of victory in another, retaining our supermajorities in both chambers of the statehouse while adding a seat in the upper chamber, and securing more than 90 percent of all county-elected offices across the state, a new record.