A handful of Indiana Republican state senators saw this abuse of power unfolding and said, ‘Not on our watch.’ And now they’ve been voted out by those who placed loyalty to Trump ahead of democracy.

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Donald Trump, even more so than other presidents, needs guardrails to keep his worst impulses in check. 

But on May 5, Republican primary voters in Indiana further weakened the political and legislative guardrails around the president when they threw out of office at least five GOP state senators because they put the Constitution ahead of Trump’s partisan demands.

It wasn’t just those relatively obscure legislators in Indiana who lost. We all did.

That’s because the message delivered to GOP members of Congress, as well as to Republican lawmakers in other states, is that defying even Trump’s most outrageous demands is still the path to defeat within their own party.

The vote also helps accelerate both political parties’ obscene rush to gerrymander congressional maps beyond any reasonable facsimile of fairness.

Indiana primary sent message to Republicans who stood up to Trump

In 2025, the Indiana Senate, thoroughly dominated by conservative Republicans, said no to Trump’s partisan order to redraw the state’s congressional maps to favor GOP candidates even more heavily than the current districts already do. The senators’ thoughtful independence not only drew Trump’s wrath but also triggered his vow to punish the legislators in the next election cycle. 

Now, five senators whom Trump targeted have lost their reelection bids, and one other race is too close to call. Only one Republican incumbent targeted by Trump managed to withstand the president’s onslaught.

Message sent and received.

Our constitutional system is, of course, designed to provide checks and balances, but the system works only if we follow it. 

Trump helped kickstart the rush to prematurely redraw congressional boundaries ahead of November’s midterms elections in a desperate bid to salvage Republicans’ tenuous control of the U.S. House.

Congressional redistricting normally takes place every 10 years, following the national census, as prescribed in the Constitution. Trump, as is his wont, ignored historical standards to advance his own interests. 

Another view: Republicans’ redistricting push is partisan, not race-based | Opinion

Redistricting push in Tennessee, South Carolina and others won’t help voters

So far, GOP lawmakers in Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas have redrawn districts in ways that could enable Republican candidates to flip 13 Democratic-held seats in November.

Other Republican-dominated states, such as South Carolina and Tennessee, may push forward their own reconfigured maps. 

In response, Democrats in California and Virginia adopted heavily gerrymandered maps that favor their party. Democrats could pick up nine seats in those two states, as well as one in Utah, from court-ordered redistricting.

Another view: Democrat, GOP redistricting wars heat up. Voters will lose. | Opinion

None of this partisan manipulation helps ordinary Americans, and it certainly doesn’t strengthen the public’s trust in our democracy.

A handful of Republican state senators in Indiana saw this abuse of power unfolding and said, “Not on our watch.” They should have been rewarded for their political courage. Instead, they were bullied for months by our nation’s commander in chief and the mercurial leader of their own political party.

And now they’ve been turned out of office by voters who placed loyalty to Trump over allegiance to democratic values.

I scoffed at liberals who claimed before and after the 2024 election that Trump’s win would destroy our democracy. Their self-serving hysteria was over the top then and remains so now, even in light of the president’s heavy-handed redistricting push.

ROCHESTER, Ind. (WISH) — An Indiana Silver Alert was issued Wednesday afternoon for a 16-year-old boy who has been missing for hours.

Kipton Harris was last seen about 1 p.m. Wednesday in Rochester, the alert said. The Fulton County city of 6,100 residents located about a 110-minute drive north of downtown Indianapolis.

Authorities believe Kipton may be in or traveling to the downtown Indianapolis area.

Kipton was believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance. He was described as 5 feet 5 inches tall and 145 pounds, with red hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt, camouflage pants, and black and white shoes.

The public was urged to contact the Rochester Police Department at 574-223-2819 or call 911 with any information regarding his whereabouts.

These employers were recognized by the annual Top Workplaces employee survey conducted by Energage, working in partnership with IndyStar. 

Top large companies

1. Progressive Insurance
2. Eight Eleven Family of Companies
3. Shepherd Insurance
4. LEL Home Services
5. Merchants Bank / Merchants Capital
6. Tendercare Home Health Services
7. Rohrman Automotive Group
8. Team Rehabilitation
9. Wabash Center, Inc.
10. Brighton Hospice
11. Mainscape
12. The Indianapolis Public Library
13. Greenix
14. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
15. Indiana Members Credit Union
16. Celigo
17. Round Room LLC
18. Freedom Mortgage
19. Thompson Thrift
20. Kirby Risk
21. Ren
22. Morgan Properties
23. American Specialty Health, Incorporated
24. Towne Properties
25. New Palestine Community Schools
26. Planes Companies
27. Panda Restaurant Group
28. Fifth Third Bank
29. Flaherty & Collins Properties
30. Indiana Department of Revenue
31. Republic Airways
32. RCI
33. Cox Enterprises
34. PERFICIENT
35. Grand Appliance
36. PT Solutions
37. Centerstone
38. Peterman Brothers
39. Groundworks
40. Damar Services
41. Kloeckner Metals
42. CBIZ
43. Graybar
44. Resultant

Top midsize companies

1. Paradigm Health
2. SEP
3. New Hope of Indiana
4. Scopelitis Law Firm (Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary)
5. Bath Experts, LLC
6. Opportunities for Positive Growth
7. Hensley Legal Group, PC
8. TBC Hotels
9. The BAM Companies
10. BSA
11. Northview Church
12. Northwestern Mutual
13. Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine
14. Dauby O’Connor & Zaleski, LLC
15. Quality Plumbing & Heating
16. Meyer Najem
17. The Garrett Companies
18. Commonwealth Engineers, Inc.
19. Family Express
20. GVC Mortgage
21. Hays + Sons
22. InPwr Inc.
23. Kinetic Advantage
24. Schahet Hotels, Inc.
25. LER TechForce
26. Envelop Group
27. Unified Group Services, Inc.
28. Knowledge Services
29. Key Benefit Administrators
30. Reynolds Farm Equipment, LLC
31. ARBOR HOMES
32. Total Quality Logistics – TQL
33. North Mechanical Contracting & Service
34. Indiana Donor Network
35. Royal United Mortgage
36. Perfection Group
37. Eye Surgeons of Indiana
38. ALOM