2.5-year-old Jackson Windhorst ran around Party Central wearing a shirt with the U.S. flag across the front and a patriotic hat Tuesday night at the democratic watch party.

“You have to teach them while they’re young and teach them the importance of voting,” Laura Brown Windhorst said.

Windhorst, Evansville’s City Clerk, said she brings him to everything.

“We took him to the election office when it was closed and he got to vote,” his mother said. “He was excited to say he voted.”

Windhorst said she grew up around politics and believes teaching children the importance of voting should be done at a young age.

“I always understood how important it is to vote and I’m doing the same with him,” she said.

Ben Shoulders, Evansville’s new county commissioner, said he wants to focus on the young generation in order to keep them in Evansville.

“I think we really want to focus on the quality of life, green space and what Millennials really want,” Shoulders said. “We have three small kids and it’s all about young families, young college students and young people getting out of college, we want to track talent and retain talent”

He said his main goal is to engage everyone in the community, so they will stay within the community.

“That’s the first thing, and the second is quality of life,” he said. “Bike paths, green space and make things to do to make Vanderburgh County hip and edgy and a place to work, live and play.”

Tom Shoulders, a member of city council, said Ben is doing a lot of hard work by talking to people and developing good ideas.

“He’s got his heart into it,” Shoulders said. He’s not just running because it’s in the family, he’s doing it because he really wants to do it and he’s doing it for the right reasons.”

Shoulders said he has been a part of the Democratic Party for over 30 years and he appreciates the camaraderie within the party.

“We are trying to get it even closer because it becomes like a second family,” Shoulders said. “It’s fun, everybody works hard and hopefully it pays off in the end during the elections.”

Newly elected State Representative for the 77th district, Ryan Hatfield, thanked his supporters for their backing and said the campaign was always about the residents of district 77. He recognized the Democrats’ struggle in this year’s election.

“Its obvious that the Democratic Party has a ways to go, but what we did this year was show the residents of Vanderburgh county that we can put together a good slate of candidates,” he said.

Hatfield said it is just the beginning of what residents should expect from the Democrat Party.

“I’ll go to Indianapolis after this victory tonight and I’ll work with anybody, Democrat or Republican, and do my best to a level that the people of Evansville and try to provide them with the higher wages they deserve, better schools their kids need, and safer neighborhoods that we all should enjoy,” he said.