Overview
- Indiana and Ohio held primaries Tuesday, with Indiana’s state senate contests cast as a referendum on Trump’s influence inside the Republican Party.
- In Indiana, seven Republican senators who voted against a 2025 redistricting push faced Trump- and Gov. Mike Braun-backed challengers, with millions from allied groups and record spending by the Senate GOP caucus flooding low-profile races.
- Results will signal whether GOP incumbents can defy Trump without losing their seats, and a strong night for his picks could even jeopardize Senate leader Rodric Bray’s position.
- In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown was favored to win his primary to face appointed Sen. Jon Husted in a November special election, as Vice President JD Vance returned to vote and publicly backed Husted.
- On-the-ground reporting in Ohio found some past Trump voters citing high prices and the war with Iran as reasons to reconsider, which Democrats argue could improve their odds of flipping the Senate.