Back in April 2026, President Donald Trump put out a list of endorsements for Republican lawmakers in Indiana, backing a number of primary challengers just ahead of the GOP primary. Supporting challengers was designed to be a statement, making good on threats against any Republican in the state that didn’t get on board with the plan to redraw the Hoosier State’s congressional maps.
Ultimately, a large number of Indiana Republican lawmakers opted to go against the plan causing the effort to fail and thus put the GOP majority in the House and Senate at risk. President Trump promptly demonstrated that his threats were no bluff. He has repeatedly utilized Truth Social posts to endorse primary challengers and slam any in the party who he believes has betrayed him and his agenda.
“We’re coming for you, Bray,” Trump said in a post aimed at Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) in January of this year. Bray, who isn’t up for reelection until 2028, is the head honcho in the state Senate and cast his vote against redistricting. Out of the eight GOP senators who voted against the effort and are up for reelection, Trump backed all but one of their primary challengers.
According to a report from WFYI, Sen. Rick Niemeyer (R-Lowell) is the only one from the group who didn’t receive an endorsement from the president at the time. Trump did throw his support behind Sen. Dan Dernulc’s (R-Highland) challenger, Trevor De Vries, and Linda Rogers’ (R-Granger) opponent, Brian Schmutzler.
President Trump pulled no punches in his posts, referring to each of the Republican lawmakers he campaigned against as a “RINO loser,” opting to endorse candidates he said “WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.” The results of the primary which came in May 2026 revealed that Trump still has tremendous influence within the Republican Party voter base, as most of his endorsed candidates successfully defeated the incumbents.
A report from the Indiana Capital Chronicle stated that six Republican challengers backed by Trump won their primary races, which is an impressive number showcasing that voters are on board with redistricting in order to keep control of Congress for the rest of the president’s term. The incumbents defeated include Travis Holdman of Markle, Jim Buck of Kokomo, Linda Rogers of Granger, Dan Dernulc of Highland, Rick Niemeyer of Lowell and Greg Walker of Columbus.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, who also backed the same challengers as Trump, was very happy about the results of the primary. “Historic night for Indiana as Republicans stood with me and President Trump to nominate some great America First conservatives,” Braun wrote in a social media post. “I look forward to winning big in November and serving Hoosiers with this team in the statehouse!”
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The results no doubt have Bray sweating bullets as it could potentially put his hold on the position of Senate Pro Tem at risk when the 2028 election cycle rolls around. When Trump was reaching out to those that he wanted to endorse, he sought pledges from them to oust Bray from his current position. Bray, however, said that he would still seek to stay on as the leader of the Senate.
Watch Trump call out McConnell and Murkowski here: