WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) 鈥� The only thing standing between and his revenge on Indiana state senators are people like Julie Wise.
She鈥檚 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.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to say that 鈥榖ecause this is what the president wants, this is how I鈥檓 going to vote,鈥�” 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 , 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.
鈥淭his is about one thing only,鈥� he told The Associated Press. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 control.鈥�
An avalanche of campaign spending
Deery represents the 23rd Senate District, a seven-county swath of farmland that borders Illinois to the west, runs north to West Lafayette and touches the outskirts of Terre Haute to the south.
Four years ago, Deery’s campaign spent $142,000 to win his seat in a race where fewer than 11,000 people voted. One of the primary candidates he defeated was Paula Copenhaver, a veteran Republican activist and local party chair.
Now Trump has endorsed Copenhaver, an aide to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, and Deery is facing a nearly $1 million avalanche of spending. One television advertisement declared that 鈥淪tate Sen. Spencer Deary voted against President Trump鈥檚 agenda.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 about sending a message that any state that does not get in line or any lawmakers that do not get in line with the political forces in D.C. should be on the lookout,鈥� Deery said. 鈥淭hat should concern you in a constitutional democracy.鈥�
Deery has spent $167,000 so far, and he hasn’t had any help from outside groups.
A Trump-backed opponent
Copenhaver declined to respond to telephone calls and text messages from The Associated Press after originally saying she was willing to discuss the campaign. Trump endorsed her in January by calling her a 鈥淢AGA Warrior鈥� 鈥� a reference to Trump’s 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement 鈥� and 鈥渁 terrific Candidate for Indiana鈥檚 23rd State Senate District.鈥�
He wrote on social media that Copenhaver was 鈥渞unning against an incompetent and ineffective RINO incumbent named Spencer Deery who, for whatever reason, betrayed his voters by voting against Redistricting in Indiana.鈥� RINO means 鈥淩epublican in name only.鈥�
The White House leaned heavily on Indiana lawmakers last year to break with precedent and adopt a new congressional map, part of an unusual nationwide cascade of redistricting that Trump hopes will help Republicans protect their thin U.S. House majority in November’s elections. Vice President JD Vance met with Indiana politicians in Washington and Indianapolis, and Trump weighed in by conference call.
Some opponents of the proposal Deery was targeted by a false police report intended to provoke a dangerous situation by sending a SWAT team racing to his home.
But the Republican-controlled state Senate voted against redistricting in December, for the president.
Trump tried to brush it off afterward, telling reporters in the Oval Office that 鈥淚 wasn’t working on it very hard.鈥�
Making the rounds on the campaign trail
As Deery moved from door to door in the neatly manicured suburb at the edge of a clover field in northwest West Lafayette, a pair of motorcyclists out on a Saturday ride stopped to encourage him.
鈥淚 wanted to thank you for having the courage to vote against the redistricting,鈥� one of them said.
Annette and Curtis Williams politely chatted with Deery at their door. Curtis said Trump鈥檚 threat to unseat Deery is 鈥渋nappropriate.鈥� Neither he nor his wife would say how they planned to vote.
Beckie Eikenberg, a quality assurance associate at an Indiana pharmaceutical company, has seen the advertisements targeting Deery, but she does not trust them. The 47-year-old who calls herself 鈥渓ibertarian on the conservative side,鈥� spoke with the state senator at the end of her cul-de-sac.
She voted for Trump but wrinkled her brow when asked if the president should have a say in Indiana鈥檚 congressional map.
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 necessarily know what鈥檚 going on within our state. He鈥檚 not here. He doesn鈥檛 see the day to day,鈥� she said.
Governor stays allied with Trump
The campaign to oust incumbents is also intended to dislodge Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodrick Bray, who helped block redistricting and has faced criticism from Trump.
Bray is not up for reelection this year, but Braun wanted primary challengers to commit to opposing him as Senate leader, according to three people familiar with the demand. The people were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump political aides said they were monitoring the campaigns. Representatives for Banks, the U.S. senator allied with the White House, did not return messages seeking comment.
Braun, the Republican governor, said he is backing the primary challengers not because of redistricting but because he needs help to advance his agenda. For example, he was at odds with Bray over property taxes earlier in his term.
Braun is putting $500,000 from his political action committee into state Senate races.
鈥淲hether you supported this or that, my goal is to get enterprising senators and representatives,鈥� Braun said Monday. 鈥淪o when it comes to what you do to either support or not support certain legislators, for me, it鈥檚 going to mostly be based on, 鈥楢re you willing to help me take Indiana into places that all states would want to be?鈥欌��
One of Braun’s predecessors is working against him in the primary. Former Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican who stepped away from politics after leaving office in 2015, has been quietly working to protect incumbents targeted by Trump.
Daniels recorded a video and helped raise money for Deery, who was chief of staff to the former governor when he became president of Purdue University.
Deery said his vote against redistricting was not about defying Trump or the president’s allies.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 work for them,鈥� Deery said. 鈥淚 work for my voters, my constituents.鈥�
_____
Associated Press videojournalist Obed Lamy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
