7 Midterm Elections on Tuesday Will Test Trump’s Power in Indiana

State legislative primaries are often sleepy affairs. But not Indiana’s. Not this year.

President Donald Trump has endorsed seven challengers to sitting Republican state senators, placing a national spotlight on down-ballot races that may get fewer than 10,000 voters.

Trump lost faith in those incumbents last year when they refused his request to redraw Indiana’s congressional map, a rare instance of elected Republicans publicly defying him.

In the months that followed, Trump invited several primary challengers to the White House and issued social media endorsements, teeing up primaries that will test Trump’s sway over the Republican rank-and-file and his ability to get political revenge.

As voters head to the polls Tuesday, here is what to watch for:

Indiana Was an Outlier

Several Republican-led states quickly fell in line last year when Trump demanded redrawn maps to boost Republicans’ chances in Congress in the midterms. But Indiana was different.

Republicans hold large legislative majorities in the state, but a critical mass of Indiana lawmakers opposed the idea. They stuck to their stance even when the president threatened political retribution, and even as some Democratic-led states moved to redraw their own maps to the Democrats’ benefit.

When lawmakers returned to Indianapolis in December, the House approved a new map, which would have positioned Republicans to flip the state’s two Democratic-held congressional seats. But the Senate said no, and a slim majority of Republicans joined all Democratic senators to vote the bill down.

State Sen. Spencer Deery, a Republican running for reelection against a Trump-backed challenger, made the case to voters that redistricting outside the usual once-a-decade schedule went against the intentions of the country’s founders and was risky for his party.

“Not only was this clearly wrong from a constitutional and moral and ethical standpoint,” he said in a recent interview, “but it also was really bad politics.”

Trump Tried Carrots, Then Sticks

At the first signs of resistance, Trump and his allies tried to win over skeptical lawmakers. Vice President JD Vance flew to Indianapolis. White House staffers reached out individually. Trump spoke on a group call.

Those efforts won some converts, but not enough. Before long, the tone shifted, with the president calling out senators by name and promising to back challengers to those who bucked him.

“Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED,” Trump wrote in a November social media post that referred to two senators as Republicans in name only.

Incumbency vs. Endorsement

Many of the Republicans who went against Trump’s wishes are staunch conservatives with long track records. Many are running for reelection with coveted endorsements from gun rights, law enforcement and agricultural groups.

But their divergence from Trump spoke to a larger, long-festering divide in the Indiana Republican Party between more establishment-oriented politicians and those who have embraced Trump’s political style.

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, a Republican redistricting supporter, said the incumbents who defied the president were misunderstanding the political stakes of this era.

“I don’t want just conservatives,” Beckwith said. “I want conservatives who are willing to fight for conservative values. And I think that’s what President Trump is saying, too.”

Local Races With National Intrigue

The decision of whether to fire the incumbents will come down to several thousand Republican voters in each of those districts, who will decide how much importance to place on the president’s endorsement.

Johnny Smith, a Trump supporter and a Republican member of the Attica City Council, donated to Deery’s Trump-backed challenger, Paula Copenhaver, who chairs the Republican Party in his home county.

But Smith also described Deery as “a good dude” who works hard as senator. As of late last month, Smith was not sure how he would vote.

“Maybe if somebody didn’t know them as well, that Trump endorsement could carry more weight,” Smith said, adding that “there’s a lot of people that are just on the fence.”

The Districts That Will Decide It

Polls close in Indiana, which is divided between Eastern and Central time zones, at 6 p.m. local time. These races — all involving Republican incumbents who voted against redistricting — are the ones to watch:

— District 1: Sen. Dan Dernulc is challenged by Trevor De Vries, whom Trump endorsed, as well as Nader Liddawi.

— District 11: Sen. Linda Rogers faces Brian Schmutzler, also endorsed by Trump.

— District 19: Sen. Travis Holdman is running against Blake Fiechter, backed by Trump.

— District 21: Sen. Jim Buck faces Tracey Powell, who is endorsed by Trump.

— District 23: Deery faces Copenhaver.

— District 38: Sen. Greg Goode is running against Brenda Wilson, who is supported by Trump, as well as Alexandra Wilson.

— District 41: Sen. Greg Walker faces state Rep. Michelle Davis, who has Trump’s support.

—

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Mitch Smith/Jon Cherry
c. 2026 The New York Times Company

The post 7 Midterm Elections on Tuesday Will Test Trump’s Power in Indiana appeared first on GV Wire.