Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana directed $3 million from his 501(c)(4) organization, Hoosier Leadership for America, to primary challengers of GOP state senators who opposed a redistricting plan supported by President Donald Trump that could have netted the GOP two additional House seats.
On Tuesday night, at least five of those seven senators were defeated.
“Everyone in Indiana politics should have learned an important lesson today: President Trump is the single most popular Republican among Hoosier voters,” Banks told The Daily Signal. “Indiana is a conservative state, and we deserve conservatives in our State Senate who deserve a pulse on our Republican voters.”
Among those targeted were state Sens. Travis Holdman, James Buck, Greg Goode, Greg Walker, and Spencer Deery, whose opposition helped derail a Trump‑backed push to redraw congressional district lines, exposing sharp divisions within the party.
While Deery kept his seat, Holdman, Buck, Walker, and state Sens. Linda Rogers, Dan Dernulc, and Rick Niemeyer were successfully defeated by Trump and Banks’ opposition.
The redistricting effort, which gained traction in late 2025, was strongly backed by Trump and national conservatives but ultimately failed in the Indiana Senate. Twenty-one Republican lawmakers resisted reopening district boundaries, and reports indicated party leaders abandoned the effort after internal disagreements stalled momentum.
TRENDING ARTICLES
Banks’ intervention reflects growing frustration among conservatives who view the vote as a missed opportunity to solidify Republican power in Congress.
“It was an honor to be trusted by President Trump with the important political work of electing conservative Republicans who support his agenda, and I’m proud to say that we delivered,” Banks added. “I look forward to fighting for an America First agenda in Indiana alongside many newly elected conservative state senators,” Banks continued.
“Now, we can turn our attention to the hard work of the general election, and putting as many Republicans in office across the state as possible,” Banks added.
The dispute has also placed pressure on Indiana’s top GOP leadership. Sen. Todd Young, Gov. Mike Braun, and former Gov. Mitch Daniels have drawn criticism from conservatives over the failed redistricting push.
Trump publicly criticized Young’s political circle, including consultant Cam Savage, for opposing the plan. He also expressed disappointment in Braun, saying, “I got that guy elected, and he couldn’t deliver redistricting.”
While redistricting efforts in Indiana stalled, the Democrats successfully redistricted in California solely on the basis of race and potentially added an extra five House seats for the Democratic Party.
House Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is now calling on the New York State Assembly to do the same.
A Democrat-sponsored redistricting referendum in Virginia that aims to turn four of the five GOP seats in the Commonwealth blue passed in April but faces an uphill battle in state court.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a new redistricting map for the Sunshine State that could potentially flip four congressional seats red.
Read the first chapter of The Woketopus right now for FREE
Today, even with President Trump’s victory, leftist elites have their tentacles in every aspect of our government.
The Daily Signal’s own Tyler O’Neil exposes this leftist cabal in his new book, The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.
In this book, O’Neil reveals how the Left’s NGO apparatus pursues its woke agenda, maneuvering like an octopus by circumventing Congress and entrenching its interests in the federal government.
You can read the first chapter of this new book for FREE in this eBook, The Woketopus: Chapter One using the secure link below.
TRENDING ARTICLES
The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you.
RELATED ARTICLES
Don’t miss the
Don’t miss the signal
