--- title: Trump-Backed Candidates Dominate Indiana Elections After Incumbents Opposed Redistricting description: A slate of candidates backed by Trump won several state Senate races in Indiana after GOP incumbents opposed the President’s push to redraw the state’s maps. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/indiana-elections-redistricting-trump/ author: Tiago Ventura article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-06T13:24:32.924Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-06T13:24:34.606Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump-Backed Candidates Dominate Indiana Elections After Incumbents Opposed Redistricting og:description: A slate of candidates backed by Trump won several state Senate races in Indiana after GOP incumbents opposed the President’s push to redraw the state’s maps. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/indiana-elections-redistricting-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f1259762c95b0eb/69fb2caf270a8356824a8586/Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Trump.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump-Backed Candidates Dominate Indiana Elections After Incumbents Opposed Redistricting twitter:description: A slate of candidates backed by Trump won several state Senate races in Indiana after GOP incumbents opposed the President’s push to redraw the state’s maps. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f1259762c95b0eb/69fb2caf270a8356824a8586/Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Makes Indiana Republicans Pay for Opposing Redistricting > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura May 6, 2026 1:24 PM UTC  President Trump raises a fist as he departs Doral, Florida en route to his Palm Beach mansion on May 02, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. President Trump raises a fist as he departs Doral, Florida en route to his Palm Beach mansion on May 02, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Roberto Schmidt––Getty Images  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura May 6, 2026 1:24 PM UTC A slate of candidates backed by President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/7382697/trump-iran-war/) won several state Senate races in Indiana on Tuesday after incumbent Republicans opposed the President’s [push to redraw](https://time.com/7340193/indiana-redistricting-trump-rodric-bray-senate-republican-vote-primaries-explainer/) the state’s political maps. Trump [endorsed](https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/trump-s-grip-on-gop-faces-3-big-tests-in-may/) a series of primary challengers against GOP lawmakers who resisted his efforts to [redistrict](https://time.com/7304038/gerrymandering-partisan-racial-redistricting-trump-texas-republicans/) Indiana ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Of the seven Trump-backed challengers, five [defeated](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/indiana-state-senate-results) Republicans who had voted against redrawing the state’s congressional maps last year. One incumbent held on, while a seventh race remained too close to call. **Read more:** [_What to Know About Deep-Red Indiana’s Resistance to Trump’s Redistricting Desires_](https://time.com/7340193/indiana-redistricting-trump-rodric-bray-senate-republican-vote-primaries-explainer/) Indiana Republican Sen. Jim Banks, an ally of Trump, described the results as “a big night for MAGA in Indiana.” “Proud to have helped elect more conservative Republicans to the Indiana state Senate,” he [said](https://x.com/Jim%5FBanks/status/2051818458417905955). The races became a major focus for Trump, who viewed them as a [test of his influence](https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/trump-s-grip-on-gop-faces-3-big-tests-in-may/) over the Republican Party after the GOP-controlled Indiana state Senate rejected his push for redistricting. Indiana Republican Governor Mike Braun, another Trump ally in the state, framed the results as a victory for the President and those who backed him. “Historic night for Indiana as Republicans stood with me and President Trump to nominate some great America First conservatives,” he [said](https://x.com/braun4indiana/status/2051835771238203645). ## Democrats and Republicans opposed redistricting in Indiana Last December, 21 Republican Indiana state senators [joined](https://apnews.com/article/indiana-lawmakers-redistricting-final-vote-80e3e546fc7acec4a7bd7cd110787375) all 10 Democrats in opposing a measure that would have redrawn maps ahead of the [2026 U.S. midterms](https://time.com/article/2026/05/05/2026-blue-wave-as-big-as-the-one-in-2006-no-longer-seems-far-fetched/). The White House had strongly encouraged Indiana Republicans to support the proposal, which would have given the GOP an advantage across all nine of the state’s congressional districts, eliminating the only two Democratic seats. While the measure passed the state House of Representatives, it ultimately failed in the state Senate despite Republicans holding a 40–10 supermajority. Twenty-one Republicans voted against it. The defeat drew Trump’s anger. He said in December that Republicans in the Indiana state Senate who had voted against the measure should be “ashamed” and [warned](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115560208774541030) that those who opposed the redistricting would be subject to a primary challenge, singling out Indiana state Sen. Rod Bray. “Headed by a total loser named Rod Bray, every one of these people should be 'primaried,' and I will be there to help!” he [said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115710698623079249), though Bray will not be on the ballot until 2028. Trump followed through by backing primary challengers, a move that resulted in multiple incumbents losing their seats on Tuesday night and underscored the President’s continued influence with Republican voters. On the eve of the election, the President again drew focus to the contest as a showcase of his influence. “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 [said](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116523502202612088). “There are eight great patriots running against long seated RINOS — Let’s see how those RINOS do tonight!” RINO stands for ‘Republican in Name Only’ and is a term used by some to describe Republicans who are viewed as disloyal to the party. The victory of the Trump-backed candidates drew cheers from his supporters, who claimed this solidified the President’s influence in the state. “Everyone in Indiana politics should have learned an important lesson today: President Trump is the single most popular Republican among Hoosier voters,” Banks [said](https://x.com/indystar/status/2051844212816031825). “Indiana is a conservative state, and we deserve conservatives in our state Senate who have a pulse on Republican voters.” The effort came with a financial cost. AdImpact, a tracking firm, [estimated](https://x.com/AdImpact%5FPol/status/2051733435274694964) that spending in Indiana’s state Senate primaries reached roughly $13.5 million this cycle, compared with less than $300,000 two years ago. “Welcome to D.C. politics in Indiana because this means that’s what’s coming,” state Sen. Travis Holdman, one of the incumbents to lose his primary, [said](https://apnews.com/article/indiana-trump-redistricting-primary-senate-9bf5b270d77714e1149ab6a6567071a0). ## More redistricting fights may lie ahead The heightened focus on the races highlights how central [redistricting and gerrymandering](https://time.com/7304038/gerrymandering-partisan-racial-redistricting-trump-texas-republicans/) have become to Trump’s political strategy ahead of the midterms. The President has pushed Republican-led states, including [Texas](https://time.com/7311974/redistricting-states-illinois-maryland-newyork-florida-indiana-missouri-ohio/), Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, to redraw their maps in ways that could strengthen the party’s position in the 2026 elections. This has led to a broader national fight over congressional maps, with Democratic-led states pushing back against Republican gains, after voters in both [California](https://time.com/7331172/california-redistricting-proposition-50-result-newsom/) and [Virginia](https://time.com/article/2026/04/21/virginia-redistricting-referendum-amendment-vote/) approved redistricting maps that would solidify Democratic gains. As a result, the latest push for gerrymandering includes [efforts](https://time.com/article/2026/04/27/redistricting-florida-desantis-midterms/) by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to redraw districts mid-decade to bolster Republican advantage over the Democrats. The results in Indiana also mark the beginning of a key stretch of [primary contests](https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/trump-s-grip-on-gop-faces-3-big-tests-in-may/) for Trump, as he looks to [test his political influence](https://time.com/7358546/trump-midterms-republicans-primaries/) against long-standing Republican critics including Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy and Kentucky Rep. [Thomas Massie](https://time.com/7296692/thomas-massie-trump-mr-no-contrarian-obbb-iran-primary-campaign/), both of whom have publicly clashed with the President in recent years. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/indiana-elections-redistricting-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/indiana-elections-redistricting-trump/"},"headline":"Trump Makes Indiana Republicans Pay for Opposing Redistricting","datePublished":"2026-05-06T13:24:32.924Z","dateModified":"2026-05-06T13:24:34.606Z","description":"A slate of candidates backed by Trump won several state Senate races in Indiana after GOP incumbents opposed the President’s push to redraw the state’s maps.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/indiana-elections-redistricting-trump/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f1259762c95b0eb/69fb2caf270a8356824a8586/Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tiago Ventura","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f1259762c95b0eb/69fb2caf270a8356824a8586/Trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Trump.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Roberto Schmidt––Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/06/indiana-elections-redistricting-trump/","name":"Trump Makes Indiana Republicans Pay for Opposing Redistricting"}}]}] ```