Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett won a fourth term in office Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Karum Nasser and narrowly edging out Independent candidate Pat Goodwin.
Bennett celebrated his win Tuesday night before the final count, ahead of Goodwin by only 216 votes and with 98 percent of precincts reporting.
Bennett, who was endorsed by Gov. Eric Holcomb, has been criticized for the city’s financial troubles. State officials questioned whether Terre Haute could continue operating as a municipality after a multimillion dollar budget deficit.
Bennett also supported a referendum on Tuesday’s ballot that would bring a casino to Terre Haute. Bennett says that casino would spur economic development in the region.
Nasser was in favor of both referenda initiatives that were on the ballot, for the casino, and the school funding initiative.
This story will be updated.
