Indiana Senate Candidates Meet with Trump

Several Indiana state Senate candidates recently visited the White House and met with President Donald Trump. This relates to an ongoing primary battle in Indiana. Trump, along with groups like Turning Point USA and conservative activist Scott Pressler, has targeted several Republican state senators who voted against redistricting last December. Many Republican senators opposed the redistricting effort, but only certain ones are up for election this year because Senate terms are staggered. The challengers who are running against those incumbents recently visited the White House and took photos with Trump. According to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, those candidates included Michelle Davis, Jeff Ellington, Brenda Wilson, Paula Copenhaver, Blake Fiechter and Tracy Powell. These candidates are running against sitting senators such as Greg Walker, Greg Goode, Spencer Deery, Travis Holdman and Jim Buck. I want to be clear about something. This is not a defense of those incumbents. Some of them, including Travis Holdman and Jim Buck, have done significant damage in the legislature. But it raises an important question. Is it the best use of the president’s time to meet with candidates running against Indiana state senators? The country is dealing with serious issues, including conflict with Iran and major economic challenges. At the same time, the president was spending time meeting with candidates involved in a state legislative primary. There is no major Indiana issue currently before the federal government that would require such a meeting. These candidates are not federal lawmakers. They are challengers to state senators. It raises the question of what Trump hopes to accomplish. Even if every one of these challengers won, the redistricting map would not change this year. The districts would remain the same, and Trump will be term-limited as president. So what is the goal? If the goal is simply to send a message that crossing Trump carries political consequences, that may be the strategy. But Trump endorsements in local races do not always work. Last year, Trump endorsed Julie McGuire for lieutenant governor in Indiana. She lost. When the president of the United States becomes involved in local races and his candidates lose, it can look embarrassing. Another issue is what these challengers actually stand for. Most of their campaigns focus almost entirely on supporting Trump and opposing the senators who voted against redistricting. But voters deserve to know more than that. What are these candidates proposing to do about property taxes, utility costs, corruption in state government or problems with Medicaid funding? Those issues are not being discussed. Instead, the message seems to be simply loyalty to Trump. Voters should want independent thinkers representing them in the legislature, not politicians whose only platform is loyalty to a national political figure. Another interesting detail came from Jeff Ellington, one of the challengers. He told the Indiana Capital Chronicle that he left the White House believing Trump’s political team was fully behind the group of candidates. But he also said they left the meeting without knowing who would actually fund their campaigns. That is a serious concern. The primary election is only two months away. If these campaigns do not know where their funding will come from, it suggests the effort may not be very organized. Incumbent senators typically have strong fundraising networks and significant financial advantages. If these challengers are relying on outside support that has not yet materialized, it will be very difficult for them to compete. And if they do eventually receive large donations, those donors will expect influence in return. That is how political funding works. It raises the question of whether these challengers would truly be independent once in office.