President Trump has a big night in Indiana. Live results, updates

Hamilton County trends toward higher voter turnout

Katie Wiseman

According to preliminary election data from Hamilton County sent at 8:30 p.m., the county saw a higher voter turnout than the last midterm primary election with 18.2%.

During the 2024 presidential primary election, the county saw 19.1% voter turnout, while the last midterm primary election in 2022 saw 11.7% voter turnout.

'It has never been about me,' Impink says

Alexandria Burris

Allissa Impink declared victory in the state Senate District 46 primary race Tuesday night, telling family, supporters and friends "today we choose a better path."  

Besting two other Democrats, Impink, an Indianapolis Public Schools board member and nonprofit leader, said the campaign was never about her.  

She spoke of a future rooted in community and the voices that deserved to be championed and heard at the Statehouse. 

“It has never been about me," Impink said. "It has always been about the individuals I’ve met, who are working hard, every day to make ends meet. The parents who are juggling their jobs, childcare ... the communities that deserve to be seen and heard and cared for and invested in.” 

Impink took an early lead in the race and held onto it for the night. As of 8:28 p.m., she had 5,023 votes while Clif Marsiglio had 1,458 and Sam Glynn received 934 votes. They vied for a state Senate seat current held by Aundrea Hunley, who is now pursuing the Indianapolis mayor seat. No Republicans ran in the primary.

Impink’s Fletcher Place neighbor, Katara McCarty, 53, said she believes Impink will bring community and collaboration to the Statehouse.  

“I love her background as a teacher and really caring about families, just the time I’ve spent with her, watching how she interacts with community and pulls people together,” said McCarty, who also spent time knocking on doors and working the polls. “I believe in Allissa.”  

'Stay engaged,' Sen. Jim Buck tells supporters after loss

Kristine Phillips

After his race was called in favor of Trump-backed primary challenger Tracey Powell on Tuesday evening, Indiana state Sen. Jim Buck struck a positive tone in speaking to a roomful of supporters and county officials.

“They always say no matter what office you take, you want to make sure when you leave, it's better off than you found it,” said Buck, who has been in the state Senate for 18 years.

When he first got into state politics, Indiana was “losing population by the thousands,” Buck said. That’s no longer the case. “We’re in our fifth year of population growth.”

He also acknowledged the “unprecedented” primary season and urged his supporters to stay involved.

“I hope you'll all stay engaged,” he said, as he stood at the podium next to his wife, Judy, who was visibly emotional. “I hope you will study the issues.”

“We wish you all the best because you’ve given us the best,” Buck said, his brief speech met with a standing ovation that lasted several seconds.

What do primary results mean for Indy Mayor Joe Hogsett?

Joe Mutascio

The IndyStar politics team explains why tonight's results may be a referendum on Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. Watch below.

Fiechter: 'This was a tough, gut-punching race'

Hayleigh Colombo

BLUFFTON — Incumbent Sen. Travis Holdman sat with a stoic expression at the back of the packed Wells County GOP headquarters as officials read out the final vote totals showing him behind the Trump-backed candidate Blake Fiechter.

NBC News officially called the race for Fiechter before 7:30 p.m.  He walked in the room a few minutes later.

The result means a Trump-endorsed candidate has ousted one of the most powerful members of the state legislature.

Fiechter thanked the voters and said he knew many people in the room, which appeared to be heavily pro-Holdman, didn't support him.

"This was a tough, gut-punching race," Fiechter said. 

Holdman told IndyStar earlier he felt "numb" after $1 million was spent against him by MAGA-aligned groups.

However, he said he knew there was "life after" the Indiana state Senate.

The county had 28.2% turnout, which a county official said was a record.

'It's not looking promising' for a second Trump target

Kristine Phillips

KOKOMO — Tracey Powell, the Trump-endorsed candidate in one of the contentious state Senate races, pulled ahead of incumbent state Sen. Jim Buck early Tuesday evening. With more 9,000 votes counted in Howard County — the final count in the county — Buck trails Powell at 1,592-2,969.

Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore said the contentiousness of the race and the involvement of Donald President Trump and his Indiana allies to challenge the incumbents is “disheartening to see.”

The watch party here at The Elite in Kokomo is still bustling, with several supporters, volunteers and local officials, standing anxiously in the back of the room as Howard County GOP chair gives periodic voter count updates.“It’s not looking promising,” Moore said.

Impink party awaits Senate primary results

Alexandria Burris

Applause and cheers consumed the air as Allissa Impink entered the room, hugging children and cheerily greeting supporters shortly after 7 p.m. 

A couple of dozen people crowded into the Garage Food Hall’s Bottling Room, where they ate, drank and played board games as they awaited the results of the state Senate District 46 race.

Impink, an Indianapolis Public Schools board member, is running for the open seat vacated by Andrea Hunley, who's running for mayor next year. Local activist Clif Marsiglio and first-time candidate Sam Glynn are also running in the Democratic primary.

Imprint’s brother, Kevin Moore, 45, gathered with other family in the center of the room and expressed excitement at the thought of his younger sister possibly occupying a state Senate seat.  

“She’s been working so hard during the whole campaign and really never took her foot off the gas,” Moore said, adding that his sister can be stubborn.  

“She’ll keep fighting for everyone,” he said.  

Campaign manager Meg Biallas said the campaign worked late on Monday night, knocking on doors and talking to constituents. She said a pool of about 40 volunteers were dispersed across 15 to 20 polling locations today. 

“We wanted to make sure we reached as many people as we can,” Biallas said. “I feel like we have done just about everything we can.”

Jim Buck: Senate race should have been about issues, not money

Kristine Phillips

KOKOMO — Indiana state Sen. Jim Buck, who’s facing a tough primary from a Trump-endorsed candidate, said that regardless of how the election turns out, he hopes that what happened — the intervention of national political figures in a local primary election — won’t set a precedent.

“Anything a president does, whether it's Trump or Obama or any of them, it has significance to it,” Buck said as he sat at a table eating dinner with his family.

“Now, whether or not they should stick their nose in state affairs, that's another story. I'm very strong on federalism, which is states' rights.”

Buck said the president and his allies’ actions and the funneling of significant dollars in the primary election is concerning.

“Money's the mother's milk of campaigns, and so, when you're up against, like in my race right now, $1.3 million, issues weren't the topic, and that's what it should been about. Instead, it's retribution for December 11,” Buck said, referring to the date last year when the state Senate rejected the president’s push to redistrict Indiana. “And, 21 of us said, ‘This isn't what our constituents wanted.’”

As of 7 p.m. only 445 votes have been counted in Howard County. Buck is trailing Powell, the Trump-endorsed primary challenger, at 55-171.

Travis Holdman: 'I can't believe they spent $1 million'

Hayleigh Colombo

BLUFFTON — Here at Wells County Republican headquarters, the room is filling up with dozens of loyal party supporters, local officials and volunteers to watch election returns come in.

With fewer than 1,700 votes counted here — early votes from Wells County — Indiana state Sen. Travis Holdman, with 741 votes, is slightly trailing President Donald Trump-backed candidate Blake Fiechter, with 918 votes.

Holdman, of Markle, said he was “numb.” He said he wasn’t confident in a win and thought the race would be close.

“I can’t believe they spent $1 million to try to take me out," Holdman said.

There’s a lot of interest in the Senate race here.

Jarrod Hahn, Wells County surveyor, said he was most interested in this state Senate race and the rest around the state where there Trump got involved. He said if a lot of those Trump-endorsed candidates win, it will send a message.

“I think the federal government should’ve stayed out of Indiana politics,” Hahn said, even though he said “I’m a Trump fan.”

Republicans await results of heated Buck-Powell primary

Kristine Phillips

KOKOMO — Dozens are present at The Elite venue here, where Howard County GOP leaders and supporters are gathering to watch the primary results. There’s a taco bar and fast-dwindling tables of assorted desserts.

One of the closely watched races is between Indiana state Sen. Jim Buck, an 18-year incumbent who’s facing a tough challenge from Tracey Powell, a Tipton County commissioner who’s endorsed by President Donald Trump. Buck is one of seven Indiana Senate Republicans whom Trump and his allies are trying to unseat after they didn’t support his push for registration in Indiana.

Howard County Commissioner Jack Dodd said he doesn’t agree with the president’s decision to get involved in such a local primary.

“My personal belief is that elected officials should not get involved in the primary. It goes back to Ronald Reagan, you know, ‘Thou shalt not speak bad of other Republicans,’” Dodd said. “So me personally, I don't like getting involved in the primary. Let the voters decide. So in this case, the president decided to get involved. That's his choice, I guess. Will it help or hurt? I don't know. That's up to the voters to decide.”

Marion County's voter turnout tops recent primaries

Katie Wiseman

Even though a few Marion County residents may still be waiting in line to cast their votes, voter turnout is trending toward 15%, Dan Goldblatt, communications director for the Marion County Clerk’s Office, said shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday.

While that number might seem low, generally Indianapolis' primary elections only see 7-8% voter turnout, Goldblatt said.

2026 has already seen a higher voter turnout than the presidential primary election in 2024, which was 13.55% and the last primary midterm election in 2022 which saw only 10.78% voter turnout according to Marion County voter data.

'If young people voted like they partied, we'd have change'

Bradley Hohulin

There was no line at the IPS Administrative Building around 5:15 p.m., even as the evening rush hour brought a steady stream of cars up Delaware Street. One of the handful of drivers that pulled over to vote was Michael Jones, a 58-year-old Indy native who now lives on the Near Eastside.

Jones, a Democrat, expressed dissatisfaction with his representatives at both the local and state level, particularly with regards to law enforcement. He referenced shootings involving teenagers within the last year as a source of his anger and said he wants to see increased police presence in certain neighborhoods, including his own.

Citing her background in law enforcement, Jones voted for Denise Paul Hatch in the 7th Congressional District race despite her recent felony conviction. Jones also appreciated Hatch’s stance on homelessness. He decried Indiana’s recent ban on homeless camping, claiming it tends to single out Black people like him.

“It’s insane,” Jones said. “How can I get an apartment if I can’t get a (well-paying) job?”

Jones said he essentially sees voting in primaries as an obligation, a sentiment he fears younger Americans don’t share with him.

“If all the young people came out and voted like they partied, we’d have change,” he said.

Join IndyStar's politics team live for election analysis at 6 p.m.

Kayla Dwyer

Once most of Indiana's polls close at 6 p.m., IndyStar's in-house experts and some outside guests will go live and pontificate on the 2026 Indiana primary's most interesting races.

Join us at 6 p.m. for our show, airing on our website, Facebook and our YouTube page. Host Kaitlin Lange, the politics editor, will start with Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer, breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador and city hall reporter Jordan Smith, who will discuss the most intriguing questions being answered tonight about the state of both parties and their leaders.

After that, Lange will talk with Whitley Yates, a political commentator and former director of diversity and engagement for the Indiana Republican Party, Brandon Sakbun, Democratic mayor of Terre Haute, and IndyStar's opinion team, James Briggs and Jacob Stewart, about what they are watching.

Who knows, we may even get to talk about some early returns.

Trump challenger Tracey Powell wins over Westfield couple

Alysa Guffey

WESTFIELD — At first, Gary and Gayle Usinger, 69 and 67, didn’t know their Republican state senator, Jim Buck, had a primary challenger.

But a young man canvassing for Buck knocked on their door in a new Westfield subdivision, striking up a conversation and leaving a mailer behind. After that, the Usingers, who care about property taxes and illegal immigration, did more research.

That research ended with a conclusion to vote for Tracey Powell, the Tipton challenger with the endorsement of President Donald Trump. The couple said they thought they liked Buck but noticed some questionable voting decisions.

The money poured into attack ads didn’t sway either of them, with Gayle Usinger saying she gets turned off and suspicious when campaign messages turn “nasty.”

Neither cared much for Mike Pence’s endorsement of Buck, either.

“I used to like Mike Pence. I wanted him to be president,” Gary Usinger said. “But he disappointed me.”

Trump draws both supporters, opponents to Westfield polls

Alysa Guffey

WESTFIELD — President Donald Trump’s presidency is looming in more ways than one this Tuesday at a busy polling location in Grand Park.

For Jay Clark, a Westfield conservative who says support for gun rights guides much of his voting, a contest in the state Senate between incumbent Jim Buck and challenger Tracey Powell is the most concerning one on the ballot.

With Trump’s endorsement, Powell is looking to pull off a primary upset.

“His words have a lot of sway,” Clark, 64, said of the president. “Sometimes too much.”

Still, Clark cast a vote to give Powell a chance. Clark  said he wants someone who will vote for “the majority of people,” instead of “representing themselves,” hinting at Buck’s decision to not support redistricting.

Rich Hardcastle, a precinct committeeman and a volunteer at the polls for Buck, said it’s been a “fun race to watch” play out.

Elsewhere on the ballot, Clark also supported Scott King, the challenger to U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, saying he feels the congresswoman has waffled on the Second Amendment.

“It pisses me off,” he said.

Meanwhile, some voters are pulling Democrat ballots, hoping to fuel a blue wave against Trump. Fifty-three-year-old William Jackson said he regrets voting for Trump in 2024. Upset with high gas and grocery prices and a war with Iran, Jackson voted in the Democrat primary, though he did not specify the candidates he supported.

“They just need a fighting chance," Jackson said.

Trump gives final shout-out to Indiana Senate challengers

Cindi Andrews

President Donald Trump offered a few words of encouragement to his endorsed Indiana Senate candidates on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon.

"Good luck to those Great Indiana Senate Candidates who are running against people who couldn’t care less about our Country, or about keeping the Majority in Congress," the post said. "There are eight Great Patriots running against long seated RINOS — Let’s see how those RINOS do tonight! President DONALD J. TRUMP"

He has endorsed seven Republicans who are challenging incumbents who voted against mid-decade redistricting in December, as well as a candidate running in a district with no incumbent and a number of sitting state senators who voted for redistricting.

Ad spending skyrockets in Indiana Senate races amid Trump's retribution efforts

Tony Cook

Advertising spending on Indiana Senate primary races surged dramatically this year compared to previous cycles, thanks largely to an effort by President Donald Trump and his allies to unseat several GOP incumbents who opposed the president's push to redistrict Indiana's congressional boundaries in favor of Republicans.

Ad spending on this year's state Senate races has reached $13.5 million, according to data from AdImpact, an analytics firm. That represents an increase of more than 4,700% from last cycle, the firm said in a post on X.

AdImpact said top advertisers were:

• Hoosier Leadership for America Inc., an organization affiliated with U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, which spent $5.2 million
• American Leadership PAC, a conservative political action committee that is supporting pro-redistricting candidates, which spent $3.8 million

Voters contend with afternoon downpour

Heather Bushman

As the rain picked up round 2 p.m., voters scampered inside to escape the downpour at Crossroads AME Church at 46th Street and College Avenue.

Emma Dawkins, a 74-year-old northside resident, spared a moment to talk to IndyStar in the midst of the weather. She declined to share which party’s primary she participated in but said she was interested in the race for Marion County sheriff. As for why she voted in the primary:

"It’s my right," Dawkins said.

How many voters are turning out on Primary Election day in Indiana?

Domenica Bongiovanni

In Marion County, 40,115 voters had cast their ballots by 1:15 p.m. on May 5, according to Dan Goldblatt, communications director for the Marion County Clerk’s Office. That's in addition to the 19,857 in-person early voters the office previously reported.

In Hamilton County, about 20,299 voters have turned out so far May 5, said Beth Sheller, the county's election administrator. Early voting, not counting absentee ballots, came out to 14,477, she said.

Voters cite D.C. decisions as reason to make their voices heard locally

Alysa Guffey

CARMEL — Many people who spoke to IndyStar at the village meeting house in the Village of West Clay said they want change in Washington, D.C., whether they are Republicans voting to oust U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz or Democrats wanting to put up the best challenger in the crowded 5^th Congressional District race.

To some, Spartz has struck a nerve with her mixed messaging on how long she will continue to run for office.

“I didn’t like how Spartz said she wouldn’t run and then did. She was all for term limits until she was on the ballot,” said Carmel resident Dave Folger, 72. “She should have followed through with what she said.”

Folger didn't like that he had to declare a party. He would prefer an open primary. But his opposition to Spartz brought him out to pull a Republican ticket nonetheless. Elsewhere on his ballot, he said, he didn’t feel all that informed on the sheriff’s race, where two like-minded conservative candidates are vying for a shot at the top law enforcement job in Hamilton County.

Lavonda Ezell, 55, sat down on a gray chair inside the West Clay Meeting House around 12:30 p.m., wanting to take a few extra moments to review the choices in the Democratic state Senate primary, where she was between two candidates but "not 100% certain" whom to choose, noting that post is where she wants to see change. Ezell and her 25-year-old daughter, Alex, had discussed and decided on some of their votes together before heading out to the polls. They decided to pull Democratic ballots because of what Ezell described as an attack on civil rights.

'Every booth is full, but no one is waiting'

Alysa Guffey

CARMEL — Voters were out and about in the Village of West Clay on the west side of Hamilton County. A steady stream of citizens flowed into the village meeting house, an imposing white brick building, with many stating they were mainly there to exercise their civic duty. The top of Carmel ballots included a conservative race for county sheriff and a referendum on U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz.

Just before noon, more than 250 ballots had been cast out of 6,500 eligible voters, said Guy Judson, a polling inspector since 2008. Even though that's just a 3.8% turnout in the first six hours of voting, Judson said it felt like a higher turnout so far than other primary elections he's overseen. (Though, he noted, the general election is “20 times busier.”)  Still, no line awaited any of the voters so far — except for the early crowd: two people in line before 6 a.m. waiting for the doors to open.

"There’s been no long line, but it’s a very consistent line … we don’t usually see this in a primary," Judson said. "Every booth is full, but no one is waiting."

Who is Trump backing in Indiana?

Tony Cook

If you’ve heard anything about Indiana’s primary, it’s probably that it’s a test of Trump’s influence over the Republican Party.

That’s because the president and his allies have spent significant resources on a retribution campaign to oust Hoosier lawmakers who opposed the White House’s push to redraw Indiana’s congressional map in favor of Republicans.

So who is Trump backing?

Here’s a complete list of Indiana House and Senate candidates Trump has endorsed.

Some Indy voters want fresh Democratic voices

Bradley Hohulin

There was little to no wait at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site around 11:30 a.m. as voters trickled in during their lunch breaks. Charles Hyde, president and CEO of the site, said the turnout over the morning at the small vote center was about what he’d expected despite on-and-off rainfall.

Skyler Fulkerson, a 36-year-old health care worker who lives in Bates-Hendricks, said he votes virtually every Election Day, including in primaries. The longtime Democrat said he isn’t happy with leadership in Indiana and wants to do what he can to change it.

That includes officeholders in his own party, as Fulkerson voted for George Hornedo to replace incumbent André Carson in the 7th Congressional District.

"I’m a fan of getting new blood into Congress," Fulkerson said.

Fulkerson said he appreciated Hornedo's overall message, particularly as it related to lowering health care costs. Elsewhere on the ballot, Fulkerson said he was motivated to vote for Allissa Impink to occupy Andrea Hunley’s vacated seat in Senate District 46 after meeting some of her campaign staff at a charity event.

Christine Farber, a 47-year-old who lives downtown in the same Old Northside Historic District that the former presidential home occupies, echoed Fulkerson's sentiment that it's time for a new Democrat in the 7th Congressional District.

A regular voter in primaries, Farber stressed her desire to appoint officials who "aren't going to support large corporate conglomerates." She voted for Destiny Wells in the 7th Congressional District, feeling the former statewide candidate's proposed policies most align with her beliefs and that Wells would be the most effective of Carson’s challengers in pushing for those policies.

Lunchtime voting picks up, but few lines

Domenica Bongiovanni, Cate Charron, Heather Bushman and Kayla Dwyer

The Warren Township Government Center had about a two-minute wait with a line of six people. Just west of there, Irvington Presbyterian Church had an active stream of voters but not quite enough to create a line.

And at the Grand Park voting site in Westfield, voters braved the rain, and the short line moved fast.

Common Cause sets up voter hotline

Domenica Bongiovanni

Common Cause Indiana, an organization that sends volunteers to monitor polls, is helping to run a hotline where voters can report any issues they encounter and receive help from experts as they plan to cast their ballots.

Voters can connect to the hotline through the following numbers and languages. People can report issues like long lines, voting machine breakdowns, and incidents in which campaign volunteers and candidates block entry points and employ aggressive tactics in approaching voters, Executive Director Julia Vaughn told IndyStar.

• 866-OUR-VOTE (English)
• 888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish)
• 888-API-VOTE (Asian languages)
• 888-YALLA-US (Arabic languages)

Volunteers are also stationed throughout polls in Marion and Hamilton counties to listen to concerns and help voters, Vaughn said.

Warren Township sees more voters than ballots

Heather Bushman

Warren Township Government Center on Post Road saw ample voter turnout in the late morning. Voting center officials confirmed they’ve had to call for extra ballots, though they declined to disclose an exact number of voters. Canvassers and voters said attendance has been steady since polls opened this morning.

Want to brush up on the issues? Read our voter guide

Domenica Bongiovanni

Hoosiers are deciding a midterm primary election that's anything but ordinary. On the Republican side, President Donald Trump and members of Indiana's congressional delegation are making their opinions well-known in low-level Statehouse primaries. And Indianapolis' veteran Democratic congressman is up against larger hurdles than usual to win this year.

Our politics team has broken down everything you need to know — where to vote, who's on your ballot and the hottest races — in this in-depth guide.

Voters sound off in race with dueling Donald Trump and Mike Pence endorsements

Cate Charron

TIPTON COUNTY — This community more than an hour north of Indianapolis is a place where the polling center parking lots are mostly pickup trucks and where opposing lawn signs sit in farms across from each other. It’s not a place one would expect is pivotal in deciding whether Trump can still bend the Republican Party to his will.

Trump weighed into multiple Indiana Statehouse primary races after the state Senate rejected his attempt to redraw the state’s congressional districts for political gain last December.

Longtime Republican incumbent Jim Buck, who voted against redistricting, is running to retain his seat in Senate District 21. Buck has the support of former Vice President Mike Pence. He faces a challenger in Tracey Powell, a well-known local official who gained Trump’s endorsement.

Many voters lit up as they walked up to the county’s 4-H office to vote. There, smiling back at them was Brody Dell, a 29-year-old from Tipton who started working for Powell’s campaign because of a family connection.

He seemed to know nearly every voter who walked up. Within an hour, he chatted with his mom, youth pastor, a couple folks who work at the high school and a guy he chatted with at the grocery store yesterday.

He believes the reception to Powell has been positive, though he admits the Trump endorsement has its pros and cons. He said that connection may throw some people off, but for others, it’s green light from a national politician they support.

Delayed start at Lawrence polling location

Tony Cook

A polling location at Craig Middle School in Lawrence failed to open on time because a poll inspector was involved in a car crash, said Dan Goldblatt, a spokesman for the Marion County Clerk's Office.

Goldblatt said the location was up and running by 7 a.m., an hour after polls were scheduled to open at 6 a.m.

The battle for the 7th Congressional District plays out

Heather Bushman

The Martin Luther King Community Center on 40th Street in Indianapolis saw a steady flow of voters around 8 a.m. — plus a batch of canvassers to the side supporting their respective candidates in the Democratic primary.

Julie Crow, a 73-year-old Meridian Kessler resident, pulled up with her custom shirt and button campaigning for Destiny Wells, who’s challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. André Carson in the race for Indiana’s 7th Congressional District. Crow said she’s hopeful Wells will unite what she sees as a splintered Democratic Party in Indiana and help increase voter turnout.

“She’s running to try and shake up the Democratic Party,” Crow said. “I want to make the party more open, more accessible.”  

Feet away from Crow, Stefan Smith, 39, brandished a navy blue sign campaigning for George Hornedo, another challenger in Indiana’s 7th. Smith, who lives in South Carolina, is a close friend of Hornedo, and he came to town last week to help with the campaign in its home stretch.

“George is a fighter in every way you can imagine,” Smith said. “He’s such a future-oriented candidate in a moment where the future has never felt more unstable.”

'Looking for a change'

Heather Bushman

Around 7 a.m., a few voters trickled into the Jewish Community Center in Indianapolis off Hoover Road. Some of them, like James Merriweather, saw the primary election as an opportunity for change.The 72-year-old northside resident said he wasn’t specifically interested in one race, but he would like to see some new faces in office.“So much is happening now. Everything is all chaos,” Merriweather said. “I’m looking for a change.”

Virtually no wait in Tipton, where an Indiana Senate race features a Trump-backed challenger

Heather Bushman and Cate Charron

Voters were somewhat sparse over the course of the first few hours, trickling into polls. Several northside locations in Indianapolis had virtually no lines. Neither did Tipton polls, where voters are choosing between Republican incumbent Jim Buck and Tracey Powell, endorsed by President Donald Trump, in the state Senate race.

Early in-person voting numbers jump

Domenica Bongiovanni

Marion County's early in-person voting closed at noon May 4, and workers reported that 19,857 voters participated at one of the county's nine locations, according to a news release from the Marion County Election Board.

In the 2024 primary election, 11,934 early voters came out, according to data sent by the election board. In the 2022 primary, the board reported that 11,176 voted early.

There are a number of contested races on the ballot this year, including in the 7th Congressional District, where incumbent Congressman André Carson is facing Democratic primary challenges from Destiny Wells, George Hornedo, and Denise Paul Hatch.

Early birds move through line quickly in Broad Ripple

Heather Bushman

A handful of voters gathered outside Northminster Presbyterian Church near Broad Ripple just before doors opened at 6 a.m. The first batch in and out totaled around 10.Scott Webber, who lives in Meridian Kessler and is in his mid-50s, pulled a Republican ballot. He’s particularly interested in the state delegate race, he said, in which 19 candidates are running.Webber is a regular voter, he said, and habitually turns out to the polls.“I tend to vote in all elections,” Webber said.

At the Jewish Community Center on Indianapolis’ north side, Kim Solano, 44, turned pulled a Democrat ballot and is keeping a close eye on the race for Marion County clerk.

"Everything that's happening in our world is pretty terrifying to me and so everything that I can do to change that and make our world a little more positive" is why she's voting, she told IndyStar.

Keep an eye out for rain

Domenica Bongiovanni

Don't leave the umbrellas at home today.

Late-morning waterworks could threaten those standing in outdoor lines, and a thunderstorm is forecast for arrival after 11 a.m. A windbreaker might be in order, too: Morning temperatures are in the high 50s with a wind blowing about 7 to 10 mph.

All eyes on Indiana

Tony Cook

Normally, a primary election like the one today in Indiana would be a fairly sleepy affair. Not this time.

President Donald Trump's effort to unseat state senators who opposed his effort to redistrict Indiana's congressional boundaries in favor of Republicans is bringing national attention to the race.

The popular New York Times podcast, "The Daily," devoted a significant portion of today's episode to Indiana's Republican primary battles. Republican Senate leader Rodric Bray, whose position as president pro tempore could be in jeopardy if Trump's chosen candidates win, was interviewed yesterday on CNN. And an NPR story this morning features Indiana as the "latest temperature check on Trump's popularity."

If you want to follow the results of Indiana's Trump test, follow IndyStar after the polls close at 6 p.m. for live election results.

Senate leaders give last-minute boost to incumbents battling Trump

Kayla Dwyer

Indiana Statehouse leaders kept the cash infusions coming during the last week before the primary, in which a number of their incumbents are facing challengers who are endorsed by President Donald Trump.

All told, Senate Republican leaders have spent an unprecedented more than $3 million supporting incumbents in 2026 alone ― a direct response to the mega spending from Trump-allied groups who are trying to oust Senate Republicans who voted against mid-cycle redistricting last year.

Just in the last week, the Senate Majority Campaign Committee has spent nearly $170,000 on incumbents, and Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray has given more than $50,000 from his own campaign coffers.

Bray even made a rare appearance on CNN the afternoon of May 4 on the subject of his incumbents' challenging primaries.

Asked whether he would "do over" Indiana's redistricting vote, Bray said he has "no regrets."