Trump Targets Indiana State Senate Primaries Over Redistricting Defiance

Voters head to the polls Tuesday in Ohio and Indiana. Ohioans will vote in Senate, House and governor's primary races. In Indiana, the contests cover House and state races. The state leans Republican, but President Trump is watching some of the state races closely.

Here are key races to watch, including the Indiana state-level races drawing the president's interest.

Indiana

State senate races rarely draw a president's attention.

"I am not aware of any point in time where a president cared at all about a state Senate race," said Ball State University professor Chad Kinsella.

The races caught Trump's notice last year. Indiana considered redrawing its congressional map to favor Republicans in all nine districts. The state now has a 7-2 split, with seven Republican-held districts and two Democratic.

The White House urged state lawmakers to support the redistricting. State senators faced doxxing and threats of violence but resisted. Twenty-one Republicans voted against the measure, defying Trump.

Indiana has a staggered election system. Twenty-five of the 50 state senators face reelection Tuesday. Seven of those who opposed redistricting are on the ballot.

Trump and Gov. Mike Braun endorsed primary challengers against those seven, plus one open seat. Allied groups gave money to the challengers. The Indiana Senate Republican Caucus responded by spending more this cycle than in all of 2022.

Indiana State University professor Matthew Bergbower said the only ads he's seen for Trump-backed challenger Brenda Wilson highlight the endorsement. State Sen. Greg Good has local group backing.

"I can't get more of a local guy, from a campaign standpoint, looking to get a local candidate poster child than Greg Good versus the one-trick pony, nationalized candidate Trump endorsed and I would have done something differently on redistricting," Bergbower said.

Trump also seeks the defeat of State Sen. President Rodric Bray, up for reelection in 2028. Wins by challengers could threaten Bray's leadership.

"It's a Republican primary, so it's an electorate that's further to the right than your average voter," Kinsella said. "But they may really want to help out President Trump as much as possible, but it's that far down the ballot and things that are as connected to national politics. They might forget or may not take the time to see who Trump endorsed in this case, which might be their saving grace."

Ohio Senate

Tuesday's primary will decide a race that could sway U.S. Senate control. Democrats aim to gain the Buckeye State seat.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown seeks a comeback after losing reelection in 2024 to GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno. Brown wants to challenge Sen. John Husted, a former Ohio lieutenant governor appointed last year to fill Vice President JD Vance's seat. Brown first faces political newcomer Ron Kincaid on Tuesday.

Brown's run counts as a recruiting win for Democrats. He fell short in his fourth-term bid by under four percentage points in a state Trump carried by more than 10. Democrats now eye a flip with a known candidate and midterm tailwinds.

Ohio 9th District

Five Republicans compete in the primary for Ohio's 9th Congressional District to face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in November. Kaptur, Congress's longest-serving woman, has held the seat since 1983.

The northwestern Ohio district was redrawn in October 2025 into a more Republican-leaning area ahead of midterms.

Kaptur barely won reelection in 2024 against Derek Merrin, a former state representative, in one of that year's tightest races. Merrin runs again. The other candidates are state Rep. Josh Williams, former Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official Madison Sheahan, health care data scientist Anthony Campbell and Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem.

Ohio governor's race

Two-term Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited. Biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2020 presidential candidate, has Trump's endorsement and Ohio GOP backing to replace him.

Ramaswamy has cleared most of the primary field. Attorney General Dave Yost dropped out in May 2025, citing a "vertical cliff" against Ramaswamy. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a former Ohio State football coach, chose not to run. Business owner Casey Putsch, who calls himself "The Car Guy," stays in.

The primary winner will face Democrat Amy Acton, the state's former public health director, in November. She has no primary opponent.