Trump Gets Revenge Over Failed Indiana Redistricting During Tuesday’s Elections
Apparently, President Donald Trump’s endorsement carries more weight than state legislators doing what their constituents want in Indiana.
Black News 
Heading into Tuesday, Indiana’s state-level elections were seen as a test for how much sway President Donald Trump still has over Republican voters. Last Fall, Trump swore to retaliate against the Indiana state Senators who voted against redistricting by supporting primary challengers in their reelection bids. Well, Trump mostly got what he wanted as five of the seven candidates he endorsed won on Tuesday night.
According to AP, Trump-endorsed candidates won their races by 17 to 51 percentage points. Trump won many of the districts the candidates ran in by as much as 20 percentage points. While Trump is historically unpopular on the national level, the results of the Indiana primaries show that he still holds sway in deep Red states.
“Historic night for Indiana as Republicans stood with me and President Trump to nominate some great America First conservatives,” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a social media post. “I look forward to winning big in November and serving Hoosiers with this team in the statehouse!”
Indiana State Sen. Linda Rogers, who voted against redistricting and lost her seat Tuesday, told AP that the outcome “will probably discourage others in other states” from doing the same. “If someone is going to ask you to take a tough vote, you may think twice about your conscience and what’s best for your community and instead what’s best for you and your career,” Rogers added.
What’s crazy is that the majority of Indiana voters weren’t in favor of redistricting. While some objectors thought redistricting was just bad politics, a good portion of those who were voted out opposed redistricting because it was what their constituents wanted. “I think it’s Hoosiers don’t like gerrymandering,” Ball State University professor Chad Kinsella told CBS News ahead of Tuesday’s elections.
“Ultimately, I think that gerrymandering just doesn’t play well in Indiana,” Kinsella added. “I think those people were also concerned that they couldn’t go back home and that their constituents would be OK with that.”
The outcome of Indiana’s elections only makes the modern Republican voter that much more of a mystery to me. You vote out state Senators who did exactly what you wanted them to do because an elderly dude that’s still rocking a spray tan told you to?
Couldn’t be me.
The overperformance by Trump-endorsed candidates in Indiana now makes Trump’s threats against other Republicans who have gained his ire more credible. Trump’s command of the Republican Party will be tested again this month in Kentucky. NBC News reports that Trump has endorsed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in Massie’s reelection race. Massie has been a thorn in Trump’s side, as he led the charge to release the Epstein files and has consistently opposed Trump on several key issues.
Elsewhere on Tuesday night, Democrats continued to show strength in special elections. CNN reports that Democratic nominee Chedrick Greene beat Republican Jason Tunney in a crucial race for control of Michigan’s state Senate.
Greene’s win is notable due to the wide margin of victory. Former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won Greene’s district by less than a percentage point. Conversely, Greene beat Tunney by nearly 20 percentage points. Greene’s victory ensures that Democrats will control the state legislature for the remainder of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s term.
SEE ALSO:
Indiana Redistricting Effort Faces State Senate Resistance
Indiana Republicans Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Redistricting Effort
