7 Indiana legislators face Trump-backed primary challengers after bucking him on redistricting

2026 Election7 Indiana legislators face Trump-backed primary challengers after bucking him on redistrictingTrump's intervention has shined a bright national spotlight on what are usually quiet Republican primaries for Indiana state Senate seats. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00 body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__container, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) .article-hero__media-holder, body:has(.jw-flag-floating) #content { z-index: auto; } Add NBC News to GoogleKornacki: How Trump’s ‘direct’ involvement in Indiana’s state Senate primary could impact turnout08:16Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 5, 2026, 5:00 PM EDTBy Jane C. TimmSeven Indiana Republican state senators are facing off Tuesday against primary challengers backed by President Donald Trump as he seeks to exact revenge over a failed redistricting plan. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Trump's intervention in the typically quiet local primary races have brought a flood of money and national attention to the state. Roughly $12 million has been spent on advertising across the seven contests, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, most of which has come from Trump-allied outside groups opposing the incumbents. The Republican-led state Senate dealt Trump a rare rebuke when it voted down a redrawn congressional map he backed that was designed to result in two additional seats for the GOP. It was part of a broader mid-decade redistricting battle playing out across the country ahead of this fall's midterm elections, when control of the narrowly divided U.S. House will be up for grabs. But ultimately, the heavy-handed pressure campaign from Trump and his allies backfired. Now, they are revisiting similar lines of attack in their bid to unseat the seven lawmakers, turning the contests into another test of Trump's grip on the Republican Party. The most expensive of the primaries is for the seat represent...