One of CHQ Chairman Richard A Viguerie’s favorite aphorisms is “It’s the Primaries, stupid,” and yesterday, eight incumbent Republican state Senators faced primary races in Indiana after voting against President Donald Trump's redistricting push, with seven facing Trump-backed challengers.
"Every one of these people should be primaried," President Trump posted on Truth Social, calling the senators "SUCKERS" for the Democrats. He specifically targeted Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, writing that "Rod Bray and his friends won't be in Politics for long."
Vice President JD Vance accused Bray of deception, posting on X the Senate leader had told the White House he would not fight redistricting while secretly working to kill it. Bray, whose father was a state legislator, is a classic example of the arrogant “rule by divine right” attitude of many in the Republican establishment.
"That level of dishonesty cannot be rewarded," Vance wrote, and Newsweek reported an estimated $9 million in advertising from national groups was spent attacking the incumbents, dwarfing typical spending in state legislative races.
A Trump-aligned dark money group funneled $1.5 million to attack ads. Club for Growth Action committed roughly $2 million in mailers. Hoosier Leadership for America, aligned with Senator Republican Jim Banks, spent $4 million on television. Six competitive races exceeded $1 million in TV spending, amounts previously unheard of in Indiana state Senate contests, Newsweek further reported.
Vance visited the state twice to pressure lawmakers while House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, made personal calls to state legislators. White House officials contacted a third-party candidate in one race, offering job opportunities if she would withdraw.
While the Hoosier state’s GOP establishment tried to frame the primary contests as a personal vendetta, Marty Obst, the Republican consultant who led the redistricting push, framed the effort as accountability. "This was a top political priority of President Trump's and he was very clear about that," he told NPR. "The bottom line is there's consequences and accountability to those actions."
Club for Growth President David McIntosh, a Hoosier native who once represented Indiana’s 2nd congressional district in Congress, told reporters his organization was "proud to stand with Indiana voters who are demanding more from their elected officials."
In the final days before Indiana’s contentious primary vote, President Trump issued a call to his Truth Social followers, and instructed them to vote for a “true Maga Warrior.” If they needed help finding the polls, he included a link to voting locations on the GOP’s campaign engine, “Swamp the Vote.”
The Indiana Republican primary was seen as a key test of the President's political machine, and whether MAGA can punish GOP lawmakers who defied him on a key legislative priority.
While the results remain unofficial, as of CHQ post time, at least five of the Trump-backed challengers won.
“Big night for MAGA in Indiana. Proud to have helped elect more conservative Republicans to the Indiana State Senate,” U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., whose aligned groups spent heavily ahead of Tuesday's primaries, wrote in a post on X.
State Sen. Travis Holdman, who has served in the Senate since 2008 and is the third-most powerful Republican in the chamber, was defeated by real estate agent Blake Fiechter.
80-year-old state Sen. Jim Buck was unseated by Tipton County Commission member Tracey Powell after serving in the Legislature since 1994. Buck, who was facing his first primary since joining the state Senate in 2008, had the support of Mike Pence, the former vice president and Indiana governor.
State Sen. Greg Walker was set to retire last year after 20 years in the legislature, but reversed course amid the redistricting fight, where he notably broke down in tears speaking about his fear for the future of the party if the Legislature caved to Trump’s demands.
He lost Tuesday to state Rep. Michelle Davis, who launched her campaign before Walker decided to run again, but ended up staying in the primary race and won Trump's endorsement.
NBC News reported state Sen. Linda Rogers, who owns and manages a golf course and a home building company, lost her primary to Trump-aligned Dr. Brian Schmutzler, an anesthesiologist.
And state Sen. Dan Dernulc, who represents a district in the northern part of the state near Chicago, was defeated by Trevor De Vries, an insurance broker.
A three-way race allowed one state Senator who squished out on redistricting, Greg Goode, to win his primary Tuesday. Goode bested Vigo County Council member Brenda Wilson, who was backed by Trump, and Alexandra Wilson, a network engineer.
One of the primaries remained too close to call Tuesday night. With nearly all of the expected vote in, incumbent state Sen. Spencer Deery led Paula Copenhaver, an aide to Trump-aligned Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, by 3 votes. Deery served as an aide to anti-Trump establishment Republican leader, and former Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniels when he was the president of Purdue University and had his endorsement.
To further cement his influence on the Indiana GOP, President Trump also waded into one of the open primaries for the seat currently held by retiring state Sen. Eric Bassler, who voted against the re-drawn congressional map. The president backed former state Rep. Jeff Ellington, who yesterday won the Republican primary over two opponents.
Yesterday’s Indiana Republican primary election battle goes way beyond the interests of former President Trump and whether you like or dislike his style – it’s about the most fundamental policies that hold the Republican electoral coalition together and how Republicans treat each other to build and keep a winning coalition.
As Indiana’s grassroots Republican voters made clear with their votes yesterday, there’s no point in keeping in office “Republicans,” like Indiana state Senators Travis Holdman, Spencer Deery, Dan Dernulc, Linda Rogers, Greg Walker, and Jim Buck, who despise the Party’s grassroots supporters, and won’t fight to get and keep the political power necessary to implement the MAGA agenda.
CHQ Editor George Rasley’s family were Goshen and Elkhart County, Indiana pioneers and among the founders of the Republican Party. He served as Councilman at Large on the Goshen City Council, in the Indiana State House on the staff of the Indiana General Assembly and Lt. Governor’s office, and as a Republican precinct committeeman, GOP City Chairman and Executive Director of the Indiana Young Republicans.
"Every one of these people should be primaried," President Trump posted on Truth Social, calling the senators "SUCKERS" for the Democrats. He specifically targeted Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, writing that "Rod Bray and his friends won't be in Politics for long."
Vice President JD Vance accused Bray of deception, posting on X the Senate leader had told the White House he would not fight redistricting while secretly working to kill it. Bray, whose father was a state legislator, is a classic example of the arrogant “rule by divine right” attitude of many in the Republican establishment.
"That level of dishonesty cannot be rewarded," Vance wrote, and Newsweek reported an estimated $9 million in advertising from national groups was spent attacking the incumbents, dwarfing typical spending in state legislative races.
A Trump-aligned dark money group funneled $1.5 million to attack ads. Club for Growth Action committed roughly $2 million in mailers. Hoosier Leadership for America, aligned with Senator Republican Jim Banks, spent $4 million on television. Six competitive races exceeded $1 million in TV spending, amounts previously unheard of in Indiana state Senate contests, Newsweek further reported.
Vance visited the state twice to pressure lawmakers while House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, made personal calls to state legislators. White House officials contacted a third-party candidate in one race, offering job opportunities if she would withdraw.
While the Hoosier state’s GOP establishment tried to frame the primary contests as a personal vendetta, Marty Obst, the Republican consultant who led the redistricting push, framed the effort as accountability. "This was a top political priority of President Trump's and he was very clear about that," he told NPR. "The bottom line is there's consequences and accountability to those actions."
Club for Growth President David McIntosh, a Hoosier native who once represented Indiana’s 2nd congressional district in Congress, told reporters his organization was "proud to stand with Indiana voters who are demanding more from their elected officials."
In the final days before Indiana’s contentious primary vote, President Trump issued a call to his Truth Social followers, and instructed them to vote for a “true Maga Warrior.” If they needed help finding the polls, he included a link to voting locations on the GOP’s campaign engine, “Swamp the Vote.”
The Indiana Republican primary was seen as a key test of the President's political machine, and whether MAGA can punish GOP lawmakers who defied him on a key legislative priority.
While the results remain unofficial, as of CHQ post time, at least five of the Trump-backed challengers won.
“Big night for MAGA in Indiana. Proud to have helped elect more conservative Republicans to the Indiana State Senate,” U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., whose aligned groups spent heavily ahead of Tuesday's primaries, wrote in a post on X.
State Sen. Travis Holdman, who has served in the Senate since 2008 and is the third-most powerful Republican in the chamber, was defeated by real estate agent Blake Fiechter.
80-year-old state Sen. Jim Buck was unseated by Tipton County Commission member Tracey Powell after serving in the Legislature since 1994. Buck, who was facing his first primary since joining the state Senate in 2008, had the support of Mike Pence, the former vice president and Indiana governor.
State Sen. Greg Walker was set to retire last year after 20 years in the legislature, but reversed course amid the redistricting fight, where he notably broke down in tears speaking about his fear for the future of the party if the Legislature caved to Trump’s demands.
He lost Tuesday to state Rep. Michelle Davis, who launched her campaign before Walker decided to run again, but ended up staying in the primary race and won Trump's endorsement.
NBC News reported state Sen. Linda Rogers, who owns and manages a golf course and a home building company, lost her primary to Trump-aligned Dr. Brian Schmutzler, an anesthesiologist.
And state Sen. Dan Dernulc, who represents a district in the northern part of the state near Chicago, was defeated by Trevor De Vries, an insurance broker.
A three-way race allowed one state Senator who squished out on redistricting, Greg Goode, to win his primary Tuesday. Goode bested Vigo County Council member Brenda Wilson, who was backed by Trump, and Alexandra Wilson, a network engineer.
One of the primaries remained too close to call Tuesday night. With nearly all of the expected vote in, incumbent state Sen. Spencer Deery led Paula Copenhaver, an aide to Trump-aligned Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, by 3 votes. Deery served as an aide to anti-Trump establishment Republican leader, and former Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniels when he was the president of Purdue University and had his endorsement.
To further cement his influence on the Indiana GOP, President Trump also waded into one of the open primaries for the seat currently held by retiring state Sen. Eric Bassler, who voted against the re-drawn congressional map. The president backed former state Rep. Jeff Ellington, who yesterday won the Republican primary over two opponents.
Yesterday’s Indiana Republican primary election battle goes way beyond the interests of former President Trump and whether you like or dislike his style – it’s about the most fundamental policies that hold the Republican electoral coalition together and how Republicans treat each other to build and keep a winning coalition.
As Indiana’s grassroots Republican voters made clear with their votes yesterday, there’s no point in keeping in office “Republicans,” like Indiana state Senators Travis Holdman, Spencer Deery, Dan Dernulc, Linda Rogers, Greg Walker, and Jim Buck, who despise the Party’s grassroots supporters, and won’t fight to get and keep the political power necessary to implement the MAGA agenda.
CHQ Editor George Rasley’s family were Goshen and Elkhart County, Indiana pioneers and among the founders of the Republican Party. He served as Councilman at Large on the Goshen City Council, in the Indiana State House on the staff of the Indiana General Assembly and Lt. Governor’s office, and as a Republican precinct committeeman, GOP City Chairman and Executive Director of the Indiana Young Republicans.
