A majority of Republican candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump won key state Senate primaries in Indiana on Tuesday, underscoring Trump’s continuing influence over the party’s base amid a broader effort to reshape the state’s political landscape.
The closely watched primaries followed Trump’s push to unseat seven incumbent GOP state senators who opposed a Trump-backed, mid-decade redistricting proposal introduced last year. The redistricting effort aimed to redraw Indiana’s congressional maps in a way that could flip two Democratic-held seats to Republicans. Trump also endorsed a candidate for an open state Senate seat created by the retirement of a lawmaker who rejected the plan.
Election results showed at least five Trump-backed challengers—Blake Fiechter, Tracey Powell, Michelle Davis, Brian Schmutzler and Trevor De Vries—secured victories in their respective primaries. Additionally, Jeff Ellington, endorsed by Trump for the open seat, won the GOP nomination. One incumbent, Greg Goode, defied Trump-backed opposition and survived his primary, while the race involving Trump-supported challenger Paula Copenhaver and incumbent Spencer Deery remained too close to call.
The outcome reflects the endurance of Trump’s "Make America Great Again" movement within the Republican Party weeks before the 2026 midterm elections, when congressional Republicans will seek to maintain control of the House. The former president has increasingly used his endorsements and influence to shape legislative bodies, particularly targeting GOP officeholders who have publicly opposed elements of his agenda.
Trump’s efforts in Indiana highlighted divisions within the state GOP, as some lawmakers expressed reservations about the unusual timing of the redistricting plan. Critics argued that overriding the decennial census-based process risked normalizing partisan gerrymandering. Trump’s campaign to reshape the party extended beyond Indiana, with endorsements in other states targeting Republicans who have resisted his platform, including Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
Supporters of the redistricting initiative said the plan was crucial to strengthening Republican representation. Marty Obst, an Indiana Republican strategist who spearheaded the redistricting push, emphasized expectations that GOP officials follow through on the president’s agenda. Trump publicly criticized dissenting Indiana senators last December, calling them “ashamed” and urging that they be challenged in primaries.
In addition to the Indiana primaries, in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, Trump-backed candidate Vivek Ramaswamy advanced to the general election, where he will face Democrat Amy Acton, a former state health director who worked closely with Republican Governor Mike DeWine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ohio contest signals the ongoing nationwide impact of Trump’s endorsements on GOP primaries this election cycle.