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Key takeaways from Tuesday’s primary elections in Indiana, Ohio

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by Julia Mueller and Sarah Fortinsky - 05/05/26 10:59 PM ET

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by Julia Mueller and Sarah Fortinsky - 05/05/26 10:59 PM ET

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Indiana voters cast their ballots in a slate of state Senate primaries that surged into the national spotlight amid President Trump’s push for red states to redistrict ahead of the midterms.

Five of seven Trump-backed challengers ousted incumbents in their primaries on Tuesday, marking a major win for the president who threatened to oust the state lawmakers who bucked his wish for GOP-friendly changes to Indiana’s congressional map last year. One incumbent prevailed, and another race was too close to call as of 11 p.m. EDT.

In neighboring Ohio, voters set November matchups in high-stakes races for the House, Senate and governor’s mansion as the fight for control of Congress intensifies across the country.

Here are the key takeaways from the night’s races:

Trump’s grip on GOP holds strong in Indiana

A majority of Indiana Republicans who were up for reelection after defying Trump on redistricting last year were unseated in their Hoosier State primaries, a near wipeout in what was seen as a key test of the president’s influence.

Trump had endorsed primary challengers against seven Republicans who last year opposed a GOP-friendly redistricting plan, despite pressure from the president and national Republicans to wade into the national redistricting arms race.

The president’s redistricting revenge effort put a national spotlight on races that typically fly under the radar. Only one anti-redistricting state senator, Greg Goode, running for renomination avoided a Trump-backed challenger.

Republican state Sens. Travis Holdman, James Buck, Greg Walker, Dan Dernulc and Linda Rogers were ousted in their primaries, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ). State Sen. Spencer Deery’s contest has not been called.

“Big night for MAGA in Indiana,” Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said in a post on the social platform X, as results were still coming in Tuesday. “Proud to have helped elect more conservative Republicans to the Indiana State Senate.”

The senator took a significant interest in helping to oust the state senators, and two groups affiliated with Banks reportedly spent several million in the races.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith (R) told CNN that even three wins made a statement for Trump.

“It was really that battle between the old-school Republicans of the Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence, George Bush era, versus Donald Trump and the ‘America First’ era,” Beckwith told the network, nodding to two former Indiana governors and the former president. “And Indiana — at least the Republicans — are saying, we want to be the ‘America First’ party.”

Indiana races could reignite redistricting conversation

The Indiana races are the latest example of how redistricting has dominated the 2026 election cycle.

Trump and his alllies successfully encouraged several red states, including Texas and Florida, to redraw their House maps last year to help the party minimize its losses in a tough election cycle. Democrats responded with blue-friendly redraws of their own in California and Virginia, hoping to offset the would-be GOP gains.

The now-defeated map proposed in Indiana was expected to boost Republicans to a 9-0 advantage over Democrats in the state’s House delegation.

But while Trump-won states jumped at the chance to get in on the redistricting tit-for-tat, the Hoosier State marked a rare instance of Republicans bucking the president’s wishes.

Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R), who is not up for reelection but has been hit with Trump’s ire, told CNN on Monday that he has “no regrets” about his opposition, saying that Indianans are “not going to base that decision on other states.”

The Indiana primaries come just days after a Supreme Court ruling shook up the redistricting landscape, weakening a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and opening the door for more states to redistrict — potentially ahead of the midterms.

With primaries now passed, it’s unlikely that Indiana could reconsider redistricting before the midterms. But some political observers say the state could weigh taking up the issue again, with Trump’s picks on track to win their general elections in the red state Senate districts this fall.

U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) told Newsmax on Monday that he thinks state lawmakers will “definitely reconsider” redistricting in the future, noting the “very tough races” the targeted incumbents faced.

Ohioans pick opponents for vulnerable House Democrats

Though Indiana’s races drew much of the attention on Tuesday,