President Trump demonstrated his continued dominance within Republican politics Tuesday night, as candidates he endorsed scored major victories in key primary races across Indiana and Ohio. The results reinforced Trump’s role as the GOP’s most influential political figure heading into the 2026 midterm elections, particularly among conservative voters in deeply Republican states.
In Indiana, Trump’s political operation focused heavily on reshaping the Republican-controlled state Senate after several incumbent lawmakers opposed a controversial congressional redistricting effort last year. Trump and his allies viewed those legislators as obstacles to advancing a more aggressively conservative agenda and moved to replace them with candidates aligned more closely with his “America First” movement.
The strategy largely worked.
Trump-backed challengers defeated five incumbent Republican state senators who had resisted the redistricting push. Most of the victories were not even close, signaling both Trump’s popularity among Indiana Republicans and the growing risks for GOP officeholders who oppose him publicly.
One of the most notable defeats came in the race involving longtime state Sen. Travis Holdman, a member of Senate leadership who had served since 2008. Holdman lost decisively to Blake Fiechter, giving Trump supporters one of their biggest symbolic wins of the night.
Other incumbents also suffered lopsided defeats. Trevor De Vries crushed state Sen. Dan Dernulc by more than 50 points, while Tracey Powell defeated state Sen. Jim Buck comfortably. Brian Schmutzler and Michelle Davis also knocked off sitting senators backed by the traditional Republican establishment.
Only one targeted incumbent, state Sen. Greg Goode, managed to survive a Trump-backed challenge. Even that race remained competitive late into the evening, highlighting how much pressure Trump’s endorsements placed on Republican lawmakers throughout the state.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun celebrated the results as a major victory for the conservative movement in the state. Braun, who had strongly supported the failed redistricting proposal, argued that Republican voters had sent a message about the direction they want the party to take moving forward.
Sen. Jim Banks echoed that argument, saying the results proved Trump remains the most influential Republican figure among Indiana voters. Banks suggested the primary outcomes reflected frustration among grassroots conservatives with establishment Republicans viewed as insufficiently aligned with Trump’s agenda.
Trump himself weighed in before polls closed, attacking the incumbents who opposed redistricting as “RINOs,” or Republicans in name only. His political team and aligned outside groups reportedly spent more than $10 million backing challengers in the effort to reshape Indiana’s legislature.
Meanwhile in Ohio, another Trump-endorsed candidate cruised to victory.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy easily won the Republican gubernatorial primary, defeating businessman Casey Putsch and cementing his status as one of the GOP’s rising national figures. Ramaswamy entered the race with strong advantages, including endorsements from both Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who remains highly influential in Ohio Republican politics.
Vance even returned to Ohio on Election Day to publicly support Ramaswamy and cast his ballot alongside him.
During his victory speech, Ramaswamy focused on economic issues, promising lower costs, better schools, and stronger paychecks for Ohio families. He will now face Democrat Amy Acton in what is expected to become one of the most closely watched governor’s races of the year.
Elsewhere in Ohio politics, Republicans also secured another important development when Democrat Elliot Forhan lost his primary bid for attorney general. Forhan had drawn widespread criticism earlier in the campaign after making inflammatory comments about Trump that many Democrats and Republicans condemned.
Columbus attorney John Kulewicz defeated Forhan decisively and will now face Republican Keith Faber in the general election.
The night also brought important news out of neighboring Michigan, where Democrat Chedrick Green won a special election that preserved Democrats’ narrow majority in the Michigan Senate.
