Indiana primary will test Trump’s control over Republican Party after redistricting defiance

Julie Wise, 48, speaks with Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, who represents District 23, as he canvasses a neighborhood, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler) 2026-04-18T11:37:47Z West Lafayette, Ind. (AP) — The only thing standing between President Donald Trump and his revenge on Indiana state senators are people like Julie Wise. She’s 48 years old, works at a hospital, describes herself as a conservative and voted for Trump in the last election. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to vote out her Republican state senator just because he defied the president’s demand to redraw Indiana’s congressional map. “I’m not going to say that ‘because this is what the president wants, this is how I’m going to vote,’” Wise said from her front step on a sunny, springtime afternoon. Indiana’s primary on May 5 has become an unlikely test of Trump’s grip on the Republican Party. After state senators defied White House pressure by opposing redistricting , Trump has endorsed seven primary challengers in races that rarely attract any attention from Washington. The campaign, backed by national organizations such as Turning Point Action and pro-Trump groups that have spent more than $4.2 million on advertising, has no precedent in recent memory. Gov. Mike Braun and U.S. Sen Jim Banks, both Republicans, are also working against incumbent state senators in a display of deference to Trump. One of their targets is Spencer Deery, a first-term state senator who knocked on Wise’s door while canvassing her West Lafayette neighborhood via electric scooter. “This is about one thing only,” he told The Associated Press. “And that’s control.” (