State legislative primaries are often sleepy affairs. But not Indiana’s. Not this year.
President Trump has endorsed seven challengers to sitting Republican state senators, placing a national spotlight on down-ballot races that may get fewer than 10,000 voters.
Mr. Trump lost faith in those incumbents last year when they refused his request to redraw Indiana’s congressional map, a rare instance of elected Republicans publicly defying him.
In the months that followed, Mr. Trump invited several primary challengers to the White House and issued social media endorsements, teeing up primaries that will test Mr. Trump’s sway over the Republican rank-and-file and his ability to get political revenge.
As voters head to the polls on Tuesday, here is what to watch for:
Indiana Was an Outlier
Several Republican-led states quickly fell in line last year when Mr. Trump demanded redrawn maps to boost Republicans’ chances in Congress in the midterms. But Indiana was different.
Republicans hold large legislative majorities in the state, but a critical mass of Indiana lawmakers opposed the idea. They stuck to their stance even when the president threatened political retribution, and even as some Democratic-led states moved to redraw their own maps to the Democrats’ benefit.
When lawmakers returned to Indianapolis in December, the House approved a new map, which would have positioned Republicans to flip the state’s two Democratic-held congressional seats. But the Senate said no, and a slim majority of Republicans joined all Democratic senators to vote the bill down.
State Senator Spencer Deery, a Republican running for re-election against a Trump-backed challenger, made the case to voters that redistricting outside the usual once-a-decade schedule went against the intentions of the country’s founders and was risky for his party.
“Not only was this clearly wrong from a constitutional and moral and ethical standpoint,” he said in a recent interview, “but it also was really bad politics.”
Trump Tried Carrots, Then Sticks
At the first signs of resistance, Mr. Trump and his allies tried to win over skeptical lawmakers. Vice President JD Vance flew to Indianapolis. White House staffers reached out individually. President Trump spoke on a group call.
Those efforts won some converts, but not enough. Before long, the tone shifted, with the president calling out senators by name and promising to back challengers to those who bucked him.
“Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED,” Mr. Trump wrote in a November social media post that referred to two senators as Republicans in name only.
Incumbency vs. Endorsement
Many of the Republicans who went against Mr. Trump’s wishes are staunch conservatives with long track records. Many are running for re-election with coveted endorsements from gun rights, law enforcement and agricultural groups.
But their divergence from Mr. Trump spoke to a larger, long-festering divide in the Indiana Republican Party between more establishment-oriented politicians and those who have embraced Mr. Trump’s political style.
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, a Republican redistricting supporter, said the incumbents who defied the president were misunderstanding the political stakes of this era.
“I don’t want just conservatives,” Mr. Beckwith said. “I want conservatives who are willing to fight for conservative values. And I think that’s what President Trump is saying, too.”
Local Races With National Intrigue
The decision of whether to fire the incumbents will come down to several thousand Republican voters in each of those districts, who will decide how much importance to place on the president’s endorsement.
Johnny Smith, a Trump supporter and a Republican member of the Attica City Council, donated to Mr. Deery’s Trump-backed challenger, Paula Copenhaver, who chairs the Republican Party in his home county.
But Mr. Smith also described Mr. Deery as “a good dude” who works hard as senator. As of late last month, Mr. Smith was not sure how he would vote.
“Maybe if somebody didn’t know them as well, that Trump endorsement could carry more weight,” Mr. Smith said, adding that “there’s a lot of people that are just on the fence.”
The Districts That Will Decide It
Polls close in Indiana, which is divided between Eastern and Central time zones, at 6 p.m. local time. These races — all involving Republican incumbents who voted against redistricting — are the ones to watch:
District 1: Senator Dan Dernulc is challenged by Trevor De Vries, who Mr. Trump endorsed, as well as Nader Liddawi.
District 11: Senator Linda Rogers faces Brian Schmutzler, also endorsed by Mr. Trump.
District 19: Senator Travis Holdman is running against Blake Fiechter, backed by Mr. Trump.
District 21: Senator Jim Buck faces Tracey Powell, who is endorsed by Mr. Trump.
District 23: Senator Deery faces Ms. Copenhaver.
District 38: Senator Greg Goode is running against Brenda Wilson, who is supported by Mr. Trump, as well as Alexandra Wilson.
District 41: Senator Greg Walker faces State Representative Michelle Davis, who has Mr. Trump’s support.