Trump-backed candidates sweep Indiana GOP primary, unseat veteran lawmakers in major MAGA victory

US President Donald Trump won the first major electoral victory with his endorsed candidates in the May 5, 2026, Indiana Republican primary. Trump used his financial muscle to successfully punish five GOP lawmakers who were opposing his effort to gerrymander. Some of the defeated candidates were veterans, like Travis Holdman, James Jim Buck, and Greg Walker. Trump-linked billionaire and allies like Senator Jim Banks and Governor Mike Braun poured in $13.5 million in these low-stakes State Senate races to secure the win.

“It’s a signal to Republicans everywhere: we want you to think of yourself as a team, help each other win, and don’t just be lone actors out there beating your chest or proving your ground, and I think that’s an important signal as the party gets ready for the midterms,” said David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, which put more than $2 million in the race. He said that this helps the party consolidate itself behind Trump's influence over the Republican Party, which goes for a crucial midterm later in the year. This also pushes Trump's effort of redistricting in the massively red heartland of the US Midwest.

“Big night for MAGA in Indiana. Proud to have helped elect more conservative Republicans to the Indiana State Senate,” said US Senator Jim Banks, who spent heavily in the local primary.

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What was the result of the election?

The election was a massive shift from the old guard to Trump's America First camp. 80-year-old state Senator Jim Buck, who had been in the Indiana State Senate since 2008 and in the House since 1996, was unseated by Trump-endorsed Tipton County Commission member Tracey Powell. Travis Holdman, with 16 years in the State Senate, and is the third-most powerful Republican in the chamber, was defeated by a real estate agent, Blake Fiechter. State Sen. Greg Walker, who had been in the Senate for more than 20 years, lost to state Representative Michelle Davis. Elsewhere, state Senator Linda Rogers, a member of the Senate since 2018 and who manages a golf course and a home building company, lost her primary to Dr Brian Schmutzler, an anesthesiologist. State Senator Dan Dernulc lost to Trevor De Vries, an insurance broker. However, one Trump-endorsed candidate, Vigo County Council member Brenda Wilson, lost to Greg Goode, who previously agitated against Trump, opposing his proposed redistricting. One competition remained too close to be called. State senator Spencer Deery led Paula Copenhaver, by 3 votes as of Tuesday night in local time.