Ousted Indiana State Senators Are Playing the Crying Game

AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File

As RedState reported Wednesday morning, six Indiana state senators had a terrible night on Tuesday. One survived and maintained their seat; one is still too close to call, but the other six were dismissed quickly.

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More of the post-mortem.

State District 23 challenger Paula Copenhaver is in that tight race against incumbent Spencer Deery. However, Copenhaver is confident that once all the ballots are counted, she will give Trump another victory.

President Donald Trump backed five of those challengers, and the voters spoke. That should be the story. Instead, the too-late and too-wrong pundits are painting it as petulance, revenge, and retribution.

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They can cry harder. 


Dive Deeper: The Trump Effect: Many of the IN State Senators Who Refused to Redistrict Met the Electoral Axe

Breaking: Indiana Republicans Betray Trump on Redistricting, Reject Map Favorable to GOP


District 19 Senate incumbent Travis Holdman lost to Trump-backed candidate Blake Fiechter and decided to serve some whine on his way out the door.

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Holdman clearly learned nothing from this. He said:

Well, I have one lesson for people: revenge and retribution is not a Christian value. And that's what this is all about. And I'm not bitter about it, it's just a fact. And there's life after serving in the Indiana Senate, and I'm going to find out what that's like. 

Just amazing. Holdman held the District 19 seat for 18 years. That's a long time to do a lot of good. If this race was any indication, he may not have been doing that; so, his constituents had good reason to give him his walking papers. Not only had Holdman apparently stayed too long at the fair, but when his people wanted him to deliver on redistricting, he failed.

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But instead of acknowledging this failure, he decided to lecture. "Revenge and retribution" had nothing to do with him losing the District 19 seat. Holdman failed to recognize that being elected as a state lawmaker means that you work for the people, not for your political power. 

The architect of this failure, State Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, has more than egg on his face: Governor of Indiana Mike Braun is calling for him to step down.  

Elections have consequences. Let's hope other Republicans who have thus far failed to get with the program are taking notes.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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