Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is reportedly pumping money into efforts to oust Indiana Republican state senators who went against President Trump’s desires to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 election.
Braun plans to endorse challengers to sitting state senators who opposed redistricting, and his HOPE Super PAC is expected to spend $500,000 in next month’s primaries, according to POLITICO. It’s an unusual move for a sitting governor, the de facto state party leader, who can’t pass any of his priorities into law without the legislature.
That money is on top of the millions of dollars being poured into the races from other groups.
The Indiana Senate’s decision to reject Trump’s redistricting push in December has led to serious ire from the president and his allies. Braun has previously said he would “support President Trump’s efforts to recruit, endorse, and finance primary challengers for Indiana’s senators who refuse to support fair maps.”
But it’s not clear which candidates Braun plans to endorse and how much financial support each will receive from the HOPE Super Pac. Braun’s office did not immediately respond to questions from IndyStar.
Prominent attorney and Gov. Mike Braun ally Jim Bopp, listed as the incorporator of the HOPE Super PAC, told IndyStar he wasn’t ready to talk about which candidates the governor will be endorsing and which candidates will be receiving financial support.
That info will be made public before the election on May 5, Bopp said.
Banks’ Hoosier Leadership For America organization has already spent at least tens of thousands to support conservative candidates, most of whom are challenging incumbent state senators who helped kill Trump’s redistricting plans here.
And there’s additional national money coming into the state races from Turning Point USA and Club For Growth. Those dollars are expected to boost a group of challengers, including state Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland and Paula Copenhaver, a staffer to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.
IndyStar previously reported that Turning Point Action, the political arm of the group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, planned to partner with other PACs on an “eight-figure spend” to try to oust incumbent state senators. This week Club for Growth announced it would spend $1.5 million.
Typically, these races generate orders of magnitude less when it comes to investment, and rarely do they attract the attention of national PACs. It’s also unusual for a sitting governor to get financially involved in supporting challengers to incumbent candidates of their own party.
The investment from Banks’ group came in March, shortly after the challengers, which also included Jeff Ellington, Brenda Wilson, Tracey Powell and Blake Fiechter, met with Trump and Banks at the White House.
The president and his allies have directed ire at some Republican incumbents, including state Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, and Sen. Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute.
Trump, for instance, has called the incumbents “RINOs” and has pledged to eventually help defeat Senate President Rodric Bray, who isn’t up for reelection this cycle.
“He’ll go down,” Trump said of Bray in December.
IndyStar reporters Hayleigh Colombo and Kayla Dwyer contributed to this report.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Gov. Mike Braun’s PAC will reportedly dump money into targeting redistricting opponents
Reporting by Jake Allen, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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