Trump gets revenge in Indiana as most incumbents fall to president’s picks
five incumbent Indiana Republican state senators were defeated in Tuesday’s primaries by candidates backed by President Donald Trump, as part of a broader push against lawmakers Trump criticized as “RINOs” after the Indiana legislature blocked a Trump-aligned redistricting plan in December. Only one incumbent, Sen. Greg Goode,survived,beating Trump-backed challenger Brenda Wilson in a race still uncalled in another contest between Trump-backed Paula Copenhaver and Sen. Spencer Deery.
Trump’s allies also included Trevor De Vries, Brian Schmutzler, Blake Fiechter, Tracey Powell, and Michelle Davis, who each won against their incumbent opponents. The results were celebrated by Gov. Mike Braun, while Trump and other conservative figures framed the outcomes as political payback and a warning to Indiana GOP leaders. The article also situates the Indiana fights within escalating nationwide redistricting battles leading toward the 2026 midterms, noting that recent Supreme Court action in Louisiana is expected to intensify similar disputes in other southern states.
Five incumbent Indiana Republican state senators lost their primaries to candidates backed by President Donald Trump and only one survived with one race yet to be called, capping the president’s retribution campaign in the state.
Trump-backed candidates Trevor De Vries, Brian Schmutzler, Blake Fiechter, Tracey Powell, and Michelle Davis defeated state Sens. Dan Dernulc, Linda Rogers, Travis Holdman, Jim Buck, and Greg Walker, respectively, with the race between Trump-backed Paula Copenhaver and state Sen. Spencer Deery still uncalled Tuesday night.
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State Sen. Greg Goode was the lone survivor Tuesday night, fending off a challenge from Trump-backed Brenda Wilson.
Ahead of Tuesday’s contests, Trump had vowed political payback against what he labeled “RINOs,” or Republicans in name only, after the Indiana legislature rejected a Trump-backed redistricting plan. Twenty-one Senate Republicans joined Democrats to block the effort in December.
“Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring,” Trump wrote on social media afterward.
Among those defeated Tuesday were several longtime lawmakers. Holdman has been a member of GOP leadership since 2008, and Buck, 80, has held office since 1994.
Walker, who had planned to retire after two decades in office, reversed course amid the redistricting fight. During the debate, he delivered an emotional speech warning about the party’s future if lawmakers yielded to Trump’s demands.
The lone incumbent to survive, Goode, fended off a crowded primary shaped by Trump’s involvement. Goode defeated Vigo County Councilwoman Brenda Wilson and Alexandra Wilson. While Goode’s challengers share a surname, they are not related.
Gov. Mike Braun (R-IN), who joined the president in endorsing the incumbent challengers, celebrated the election results.
“Historic night for Indiana as Republicans stood with me and President Trump to nominate some great America First conservatives,” Braun wrote on X. “I look forward to winning big in November and serving Hoosiers with this team in the statehouse!”
Right-wing podcaster Benny Joshson described the election as a “bloodbath in Indiana.”
“Weak Republican Indiana State Senators who refused to redistrict are dropping like flies. Trump-endorsed candidates winning in LANDSLIDES,” he wrote.
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) also weighed in, saying the elections should serve as an “important lesson” to those in Indiana politics.
“Everyone in Indiana politics should have learned an important lesson today: President Trump is the single most popular Republican among Hoosier voters,” he said. “Indiana is a conservative state, and we deserve conservatives in our State Senate who have a pulse on Republican voters.”
Hours before polls closed, Trump mocked the targeted incumbents.
“Good luck to those Great Indiana Senate Candidates who are running against people who couldn’t care less about our Country, or about keeping the Majority in Congress,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Let’s see how those RINOS do tonight!”
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The clashes come as redistricting battles intensify nationwide ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with both parties pushing to redraw maps in key states including California, Virginia, and Florida.
A recent Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which struck down race-based redistricting in that state, is expected to accelerate similar legal and political fights in southern states such as Tennessee and Alabama.
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