There are primary elections Tuesday in Ohio and Indiana as well as a key state Senate race in Michigan that will decide control of the chamber.
In Ohio, Democratic former Sen. is running to reclaim his old job. , a tech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, faces auto-racing engineer and internet personality Casey Putsch for the Republican nomination for governor.
In Indiana, President Donald Trump鈥檚 push to gerrymander districts across the country hit a snag last year when half of the state鈥檚 Republican senators sided with Democrats to . Now the president has against .
Here is the latest:
Challengers in Indiana who haven鈥檛 kept up fundraising pace are getting help
Outside groups have spent more than $8 million targeting incumbents in Indiana, in some cases outspending the money those candidates raised on their own.
In state Senate District 23, Trump endorsed Paula Copenhaver against state Sen. Spencer Deery. Deery raised $500,000, according to the latest state filings, while Copenhaver raised about $15,000. However, outside groups spent more than $2 million in ad reservations boosting Copenhaver, according to AdImpact.
In state Senate District 1, Trevor de Vries — a challenger endorsed by Trump — raised just over $30,000 as of latest filings, while incumbent Dan Dernulc has raised over $200,000. But AdImpact shows outside groups spending more than $200,000 to help defeat Dernulc.
Polls are now closed in most of Indiana
Polls remain open in 12 counties in northwestern and southwestern Indiana that are in the central time zone.
Trump is watching outcome of state Senate race, Michigan voter says
鈥淚 think it might have some bearing on the country, because I know Trump is obviously looking to hold onto the House and Senate and maintain his advantage there, which is pretty razor-thin I think at this point,鈥� said John Hall, a 69-year-old self-described independent who voted for Democrat Chedrick Greene. 鈥淪o, I鈥檓 sure he鈥檚 going to be paying close attention to this particular race.鈥�
Hall, a retiree who worked for years at an area radio station, said the economy is a key issue for him. He spent $58 at the gas station before driving to the public library in Bay City to vote.
鈥淚t鈥檚 taking a bite out of a lot of people鈥檚 budgets right now,鈥� Hall said, adding it would have cost between $35 and $40 to fill up his car鈥檚 tank two months ago.
Trump goes after Indiana Republicans who voted against redistricting
In a social media post while voters were headed to the polls, Trump said Republican state senators who voted against redistricting 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 care less about our Country, or about keeping the Majority in Congress.鈥�
Trump described the senators who crossed him as RINOs, which means 鈥淩epublican in name only.鈥� And he hailed 鈥淕reat Patriots鈥� that he鈥檚 endorsed to oust them.
Big spending in Indiana state Senate primary
Groups allied to defeat Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery will have spent $2 million in ads attacking him by the time polls close. That鈥檚 more than any other district where incumbents are trying to fend off Trump-backed challengers.
Deery is completing his first term and was the first Republican senator to publicly oppose redistricting.
Paula Copenhaver is challenging him. She鈥檚 a close ally of Republican Lieutenant Gov. Micah Beckwith and is Fountain County GOP chair in rural, western Indiana. Deery beat Copenhaver in a four-way Republican primary for the seat four years ago.
The super PAC run by Indiana U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, Hoosier Leadership PAC, will have spent more than $1.1 million on ads attacking Deery through Election Day, according to the ad-tracking service AdImpact. Gov. Mike Braun鈥檚 American Leadership PAC will have spent more than $900,000 doing the same, according to the group.
Deery is on track to have spent more than $745,000 on this year鈥檚 primary, far more than last time.
YouTube provocateur Casey Putsch hopes he鈥檚 a spoiler in Ohio governor contest
An engineer and vehicle designer who calls himself 鈥淭he Car Guy,鈥� Putsch is making a long-shot bid for Ohio governor against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
After the last-minute disqualification of another candidate鈥檚 ticket, the 44-year-old from northwest Ohio ended up as Ramaswamy鈥檚 only primary opponent.
Putsch has attracted fans and critics with his provocative YouTube videos, which often 鈥� subtly or overtly 鈥� take aim at Ramaswamy鈥檚 Indian heritage or Hindu faith.
On the campaign trail, he鈥檚 also been critical of President Donald Trump, energy guzzling and national Republicans鈥� support for Israel and .
How Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is helping Trump go after Republicans
Trump is throwing his name behind Republican challengers to GOP senators who opposed redistricting. But Braun is carrying out much of the work.
After Trump鈥檚 pledge last year to rally against GOP senators who blocked the effort and are seeking reelection, Braun picked the candidates.
Frustrated by Rodrick Bray, the Senate GOP leader who opposed redistricting, Braun recruited the seven Republicans challengers on the pledge that they oppose Bray for leader.
In his break with party orthodoxy, Braun has also committed $3 million to advertising from his American Leadership PAC attacking those incumbents on the wishes of the president, according statistics collected by the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
That includes almost $900,000 alone in ads attacking Republican state Sen. Spencer Deery of West Lafayette, the first Republican senator to oppose redistricting and a protege of former GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels, who is an opponent of the redistricting measure.
What happened after Indiana said no to redistricting
The Republican-controlled Indiana Senate in December rejected the measure that would have shaded all nine of the states congressional districts as favorable to the party, and halted progress on the party鈥檚 effort nationally.
The move defied months of urging by the White House led by Vice President JD Vance, who traveled twice to Indianapolis and hosted many in the caucus in Washington, where Trump phoned in to address the group.
While Indiana was considering the measure, voters in Democratic-leaning California approved Proposition 50, which allowed the state Legislature to bypass the independent commission to redraw districts for the next three biennial elections.
Republicans think they could win up to nine more seats under revised districts in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. But Democrats think they could win as many as 10 additional seats under new districts in California, Utah and Virginia, though legal challenges remain in both Missouri and Virginia.
Trump鈥檚 involvement turned off some voters in Indiana
Emily Bohall Board, 37, an occupational therapist in Columbus, Indiana, said she had never voted in a Republican primary before Tuesday. But the issue of redistricting compelled her to cast a ballot for Sen. Greg Walker.
鈥淕reg Walker is the only option not supported by Donald Trump, and I have been very upset about everything Trump has done,鈥� Board said.
Madison Long, 28, an attorney, who also voted for Walker, criticized Michelle Davis, Walker鈥檚 opponent, for her ties to Trump.
鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 have any promises of her own or any agenda of her own. Her goal is to just follow Trump,鈥� Long said. 鈥淚 find that extremely concerning given the nature of the nationwide politics.鈥�
What’s at stake in the Michigan special election
The race will determine whether Democrats maintain a majority in the state Senate for the final months of the year.
Democrats currently control the state Senate 19-18. If Democrat Chedrick Greene wins, Democrats keep their majority.
If Republican Jason Tunney wins, the Senate would be tied, making it tougher for Democrats to advance Gov. Gretchen Whitmer鈥檚 agenda. While Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II would serve as the tie-breaking vote, Republicans could effectively block any measure from passing by not having all members vote.
There鈥檚 another reason people are watching the race: The swing district in a battleground state could give clues to what will happen in November鈥檚 midterms..
Vice President JD Vance casts ballot
Vance backed Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and Jon Husted for Senate. Husted was appointed to fill Vance鈥檚 seat after he became vice president.
鈥淲ell, I think Jon鈥檚 going to do a great job. He鈥檚 a good guy, and he鈥檚 been good for Ohio,鈥� Vance said.
Vance was with his son Vivek, who filled out a paper ballot for children.
鈥淗e voted for the Easter bunny over the tooth fairy,鈥� the vice president said.
Sherrod Brown attempts a comeback
The Democrat is fighting to get back to the U.S. Senate.
The former three-term U.S. senator, long one of Ohio鈥檚 most electable Democrats, briefly left politics after losing a reelection bid to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024.
Brown, 73, faces first-time Democratic candidate Ron Kincaid in his quest to unseat Husted this fall. Husted was appointed to the chamber in January 2025 to fill a seat formerly held by Vice President JD Vance.
Before entering the Senate in 2007 after a surprise victory over now Gov. Mike DeWine, then the incumbent, Brown was a seven-term U.S. representative and a two-term secretary of state. Prior to that, he was the youngest person elected to the Ohio House, where he served eight years.
Brown is married to Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz and has two grown children. The couple lives in suburban Columbus.
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