Political analysts and scholars predicted three major upsets in Indiana that just two years ago would have felt impossible: Democratic victories in the 5th congressional district, and a statewide office, plus an end to the Republican supermajority in the statehouse.

Last night, all of those came true.

Paul Helmke, a former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne and director of the Civic Leaders Center at Indiana University, predicted a good day for Democrats. But even he was shocked by the results.

“I really felt strongly that (Beau) Bayh would win,” Helmke said, referring to the victorious Democratic candidate for Secretary of State. “I wasn't as sure about J.D. Ford in the congressional race, and I did think that they would have broken the super majority. But for J.D. Ford to beat Spartz, and for them to not just break the super majority but to pick up 14 or 15 seats, the Democrats exceeded what I thought they'd be doing.”

While Republicans handily maintained six congressional seats and most of state government, it was a sobering moment the party.

Powerful figures such as House Speaker Todd Huston lost reelection bids in what had seemed to be safe Republican districts. Many sitting legislators remember when the Indiana statehouse last went blue in 2008, and Democrats in Indianapolis boldly prognosticated that it could happen again.

Kristina Moorhead, who picked up State Senate District 29 from congressman-elect Ford, delivered a brazen acceptance speech.

“This is the starting point,” Moorhead said. “We broke the supermajority tonight, and I think we're ready to be in the majority in two years.”

“There's nothing that the Republicans can say to sugarcoat it, it was a bad loss for them,” Helmke said. “I've been following politics all my life. This may have been worse than 1974, which was a very strong year for the Dems.”

But relatively speaking, Indiana conservatives got off light. Party stronghold Texas went jet blue, and Democrats flipped senate seats in Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maine and Kansas. Mississippi and Alaska are still too close to call.

As results started to roll in from across the state and the country, former Democratic senator Joe Donnelly said he saw a response to material challenges faced by frustrated voters.

“Families just want you to do the basics,” he said. “To be able to afford putting gas in their car, to be able to afford to buy groceries, be able to get health care and not start foolish wars for no reason at all. And it's like President Trump forgot all that.”

Chastened Republicans seemed to agree, even among Trump’s strongest allies. U.S. Senator Jim Banks wrote Wednesday on social media that voters sent a clear message.

“Americans are frustrated with how much everything costs,” he said. “Gas was higher yesterday than on any Election Day in history. That’s unacceptable.”

Despite worries that President Trump might not accept unfavorable results, he told the New York Times on Tuesday night that he was “absolutely willing” and “looks forward to working” with Democrats. Many Republicans followed suit.

Secretary of State candidate Engling delivered a gracious concession to his opponent.

“The voters have made their decision and it's not what we wanted, it's not what we were pushing for, but we fully respect that decision," he said. "I will call him when I get off this stage, the new secretary of state, and wish him success for the good of all Hoosiers here in Indiana.”

Bayh described his victory less in terms of a “blue wave” and more as a bipartisan win against political corruption, extending the olive branch to the other party.

“This victory does not belong to any one man or any one political party,” he told a room full of Democrats. “It belongs to every Hoosier who is tired of being shut out: Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike.”

Indiana Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder said she saw the same bipartisan qualities in Ford.

“He never ever cared about political affiliation,” she said. “He worked so hard with his Senate district, and (the 5th Congressional District) is going to reap those benefits of having him fighting for that in the people's house.”

But others were not so reserved. Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz, who lost her seat to Ford, accused Democrats of running a dirty campaign, relying on the votes of “seniors in memory care facilities.” She did not provide evidence of that assertion and did not respond to a request for comment.

While Democratic moderates performed well in Indiana, candidates further to the left on the political spectrum, including some affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, picked up surprising wins in swing states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Midterm elections are generally seen as a referendum on the President, and Democrats and Republicans alike said there are lots of reasons for voters to be upset, including inflation, the war with Iran, and concerns about federal overreach.

“I think the Republicans got arrogant, and I think the voters felt that they weren't being listened to,” Helmke said.

But he added that just because Democrats made gains in Indiana and cleaned up across the country doesn’t mean the party is secure.

“It's very easy to squander wins,” Helmke said. “What happens more often than it should is people misread the elections. They treat a close election win as a mandate to make major changes. That's rarely the case. I think most American voters want to see the ship for the state steer pretty much in the middle.”

Helmke also noted Democrats’ success at the local level, winning some county and township seats in conservative districts.

“I think a lot of areas they just thought, hey, the Republicans always win. Why bother to run somebody? Why bother to focus on it?” he said. “Those are the Republicans that got caught, that thought they were going to win automatically. But the Democrats, if they had contested more races, might have won more things too.”