INDIANAPOLIS — President Donald Trump flexed his grip on the GOP base in Indiana on Tuesday, vanquishing a majority of the Republican state senators who had dared cross him on redistricting.
It was a show of force in the year’s first major test of Trump’s power over the GOP. Trump-aligned groups dumped millions against the eight GOP lawmakers who blocked his effort to gerrymander the state. And on Tuesday night, at least five lost reelection.
Trump’s loyal and energized supporters turned out to punish the incumbents, showing that his endorsement remains the gold-standard of GOP politics. That’s a bright flashing red warning to any Republicans who might be eyeing a break from Trump as he approaches the back half of his second term in office.
The victories came after a combined $13.5 million in spending poured into typically low-profile state Senate races, most of it for Trump’s candidates.
“It’s a sign that the party’s ready to follow the president on this and also turn over a new leaf, and get younger, newer leaders in the state Senate,” said David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, which put more than $2 million in the race.
He described the retribution effort in a safe-red state as important for the future of the party, both because it allows for gerrymandering the congressional map ahead of 2028 and for the message its ends to the rest of the country: “It’s a signal to Republicans everywhere: we want you to think of yourself as a team, help each other win, and don’t just be lone actors out there beating your chest or proving your ground, and I think that’s an important signal as the party gets ready for the midterms.”
That’s not likely to stem criticism in some corners of the party that GOP resources would be better spent helping defeat Democrats, including in Virginia, where Republicans narrowly lost a redistricting battle to state Democrats and Gov. Abigail Spanberger last month.
“That’s $13.5 million we didn’t have [available] to spend on Virginia,” said Steve Bannon, the War Room host who broadcasted his show into an Indiana hotel ballroom last September to whip support for a redraw. “That same cash backing the MAGA grassroots in voter engagement and canvassing saves four seats — stopping Spanberger cold in her tracks.”
MAGA allies argue that the money was specifically raised for this project and didn’t take away from other efforts across the map.
Trump’s big night kicks off a crucial month of primaries that will test the strength of his influence. He’s backing challengers to two longtime nemeses, Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, and has picked favorites in the crowded GOP primaries for Alabama Senate, Kentucky Senate and Georgia governor.
The Indiana campaign against the eight lawmakers focused less on their redistricting votes and more on a broader set of conservative priorities, including opposition to gas tax increases and transgender participation in women’s sports.
Among MAGA’s most significant victories was taking out state Sen. Travis Holdman, the No. 3 leader in the body and a top aide to MAGA’s Hoosier Public Enemy No. 1, Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray. Blake Fiechter, a Bluffton city councilman, defeated Holdman after exiting the race in February and then getting coaxed back in by White House officials.
The result bodes well for team Trump’s ultimate goal: A leadership challenge to Bray, who is not up for reelection until 2028.
One Indiana-based MAGA ally estimated a shift of nine net votes away from Bray Tuesday night alone, from the combination of incumbents being ousted and others feeling threatened by it.
More broadly across the map, Republicans in states where redistricting is now on the table may be likely to think twice about dragging their feet.
“Republicans all over the country are looking at Indiana,” said Sen. Jim Banks, whose Hoosier Leadership for America, along with another group American Leadership PAC, both run by team Trump adviser Andrew Surabian, combined to spend about $8 million on television and digital ads. He added: “There’s a big message here, but the message isn’t a new message. The message we’ve learned over the last 10 years is: It’s Donald Trump’s Republican Party.”