In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s redistricting failure in Indiana, he vowed political retribution against Republican state senators who refused to cave to his pressure to gerrymander maps in their state. The results of Tuesday’s primaries in Indiana show Indiana voters may still be influenced by Trump’s rhetoric and his broader campaign to gerrymander maps ahead of the midterms.
Trump endorsed primary challengers against seven different incumbent Republican candidates in Indiana’s state Senate primary races on Tuesday night. The Trump-backed challengers won in at least five of those races, as of this publishing Tuesday evening.
Following months of relentless pressure, threats and in-person visits from members of the Trump administration, the Indiana Senate in December rejected a proposal for a new gerrymandered map that would have given Republicans two additional congressional seats, and, effectively, kicked Indiana Democrats out of representation in the U.S. House. The loss was significant for Trump because, up until this point, his gerrymandering assault on red states throughout the country had experienced a series of wins in states like Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. The loss in Indiana, however, was one of the first signs that the larger campaign to bully red states with Republican-controlled legislatures into doing his bidding might not be universally successful for Trump.
Leading up to the vote in the state Senate, Trump was vocal on social media about his plans to go after Republicans who did not support his redistricting proposal, vowing to back primary challengers against those who declined to approve the new map.
“Primaries, and go on to Greatness but, if they don’t, I will partner with the incredibly powerful MAGA Grassroots Republicans to elect STRONG Republicans who are ready to do what is needed to protect our Country and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social in November.
In total, eight state Senate Republicans who opposed Trump’s redistricting efforts faced primary challenges on Tuesday, but only one of the incumbents faced a challenger who was not endorsed by Trump. Linda Rogers of District 11 lost to Brian Schmutzler, who was endorsed by Trump. Travis Holdman of District 19 lost to Trump-backed challenger Blake Fiechter. Jim Buck of District 21 lost to Trump-backed challenger Tracey Powell. Greg Walker of District 41 lost to Michelle Davis, who was endorsed by Trump. Dan Dernulc of District 1 lost to Trump-backed candidate Trevor De Vries.
Greg Goode of District 38 won his primary, fending off Trump-backed Republican Brenda Wilson, as well as first time candidate Alexandra Wilson.
As of this writing, the results for Spencer Deery of District 23 and Rick Niemeyer of District 6 had not yet been called. Niemeyer’s opponent was not backed by Trump.
Turning Point Action and other Trump-backed Super PACS have funded many of these Trump-endorsed candidates. Before he was killed last year, Turning Point USA co-founder and MAGA activist Charlie Kirk was one of the first to urge these primary challenges.
State Sen. Greg Walker, one of the incumbents who lost to his Trump-backed challenger on Tuesday evening, was particularly vocal about his opposition to the administration’s gerrymandering blitz in Indiana.
During an Indiana state Senate elections committee hearing in December, Walker said, despite threats and swatting attempts, he “refused to be intimidated” into backing Trump’s plans.
Walker previously had plans to retire from the Indiana state legislature, but following his vote against redistricting and the threats that accompanied that decision, Walker decided to pursue reelection.
“I felt like it was important for me to continue to stand for Indiana issues instead of Washington politics,” Walker said to the Indiana Capital Chronicle in January. “We’ve seen just a small taste of what federalization of Indiana elections could look like, and may eventually look more like than they do today, and I’m greatly concerned when I see Hoosier politics play a surrogate to those national battles.”
In a November Truth Social Post, Trump also called out Goode by name, who was the first to report being the victim of a swatting attempt.
“Very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats. The Democrats have done redistricting for years, often illegally, and all other appropriate Republican States have done it.”
Trump similarly described Deery in a Truth Social Post as an “incompetent and ineffective RINO incumbent.”
It sucks that Republican voters still seem to embrace Trump’s awfulness in full.
It does indeed. Note though that these are primary voters who tend to be hard-core. I’m curious to learn whether any of these seats are in competitive districts, such that the hard-core Trumpies might have worse prospects in the general.
Disgusting. I live in Indiana and this is causing hard feelings in the GOP. There are the traditional Republicans like Mitch Daniels and then there are the Trumpys. Tonight the Trumpys got their revenge. How dare those 8 people do what they thought was the right thing.
They can revel in their misery and racism.
Oh well, those guys can go masturbate in the YMCA toilet stall.