Indiana Republican Senators Who Opposed Trump-Backed Redistricting Say They Have No Regrets After Primary Defeats
Why It Matters
Five Indiana state senators lost their seats in Tuesday’s Republican primaries after refusing to support a mid-decade congressional redistricting plan championed by President Trump. Their defeats are being watched nationally as a signal of how far the White House is willing to go to reshape legislative maps ahead of the midterm elections — and what political cost awaits lawmakers who resist.
What Happened
Seven Indiana Republican state senators faced Trump-backed primary challengers after they voted against a redrawn congressional map intended to give Republicans control of all nine of the state’s congressional districts. Five of the seven lost their primaries Tuesday. A sixth, Greg Goode, advanced to the general election, while a seventh race remained unresolved.
State Sen. Greg Walker, a 20-year chamber veteran, was defeated by state Rep. Michelle Davis. State Sen. Jim Buck, who has served more than three decades in the legislature, lost to Tipton County Commission member Tracey Powell. State Sen. Linda Rogers fell to challenger Brian Schmutzler. All three said they stood by their votes against the redistricting measure.
“I have zero regrets,” Walker said following his defeat. Buck said his district had directed him to vote against the map, and he obliged. “My district told me overwhelmingly to vote no, and that’s what I did,” he said. Rogers echoed that position, saying she acted in keeping with her constituents’ wishes.
State Sen. Spencer Deery trailed his Trump-backed opponent by just three votes as of Wednesday, with the race too close to call. Deery told reporters he would never regret “listening to constituents and doing the right thing.”
By the Numbers
The seven contested primaries drew an estimated $12 million in advertising spending, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact. Buck’s race alone saw roughly $1.3 million spent on ads opposing him, while his own campaign spent less than $150,000. Rogers described seeing the same negative television ads three or four times within a single hour. Five of seven targeted incumbents lost their seats. Eight states have enacted new congressional maps over the past year as the broader redistricting effort has continued nationwide.
Zoom Out
The Indiana primaries represent one of the most visible examples of the White House using its political weight to reshape state legislatures in pursuit of favorable congressional maps. The mid-decade redistricting push has drawn legal scrutiny and political opposition in multiple states, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week was reported to potentially open the door for additional states to pursue new maps.
The scale of outside spending in Indiana’s legislative races marked a significant departure from prior election cycles. Buck, who has served in the statehouse for nearly two decades, called the influx of outside money the most significant change he had witnessed in that time. “Dark money has really become an issue,” he said, warning that well-funded outside groups were displacing ordinary constituent influence in local races.
For more on the financial campaign that targeted these lawmakers, see our earlier report on how millions poured into Indiana races after Republicans blocked redistricting.
What’s Next
The defeated senators said they hoped their stands would not discourage other state legislators nationwide from resisting federal pressure on redistricting matters. Walker argued that partisan map-drawing creates the structural conditions for political coercion, warning that the practice undermines independent legislative judgment at all levels of government.
Indiana’s new congressional map will move forward with a legislature more aligned with the White House’s position. The broader national redistricting campaign is expected to continue as the administration pursues additional favorable district lines before the 2026 midterm elections. Courts and state election bodies will likely face continued challenges as maps are redrawn — a process that has already generated disputed-candidate controversies in Indiana’s election administration.
Buck, reflecting on the trajectory of his final campaign, offered a pointed summary: “No matter how hard you try, perception becomes reality.”