\n<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump’s campaign to politically punish<\/a> Republicans who stand in his way moves through Indiana on Tuesday, when seven state senators face Trump-backed primary challengers. <\/p>\n In neighboring Ohio, primaries for U.S. Senate and governor will lock in the candidates for two major races with national implications. <\/p>\n And in Michigan, voters in a bellwether district will fill a vacancy in the state Senate, a race with implications for the balance of power in a battleground state.<\/p>\n Here’s what to watch for. <\/p>\n Trump is taking aim<\/a> at seven Republican state senators in Indiana who opposed his plan to redraw congressional district boundaries<\/a> to help the party gain seats in the U.S. House. <\/p>\n Groups allied with the president have spent millions on advertising, an extraordinary flood of cash and attention into races that are typically low profile.<\/p>\n The races are a test of Trump’s enduring grip over his party as Republicans grow increasingly anxious<\/a> about the midterm elections<\/a> in November. <\/p>\n The results will signal to Republicans everywhere about how big a price they’ll pay with their voters if they distance themselves from Trump even as his popularity fades<\/a>. And it will show the president whether he can still credibly threaten consequences for Republicans who cross him. <\/p>\n The Trump-targeted state senators all represent districts he carried in 2024, mostly by 20 percentage points or more. <\/p>\n The key races to watch are districts 1, 11, 19, 21, 23, 38 and 41. <\/p>\n The state’s primary is the wind up to the big show. Although Ohio has become increasingly conservative, Democrats believe their path back to a U.S. Senate majority runs through the state. <\/p>\n They’re putting their hopes behind former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost Ohio’s other Senate seat to Bernie Moreno in 2024. <\/p>\n He’s expected to face off with Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed last year to fill the vacancy created when JD Vance became vice president.<\/p>\n The race is a special election to fill the last two years of Vance’s term. <\/p>\n In the campaign for governor, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy<\/a> has parlayed his national name recognition, tech industry connections and alliance with Trump<\/a> into a record fundraising haul. He’s largely ignoring<\/a> Republican rival Casey Putsch, focusing his rallies and television ads on the general election. <\/p>\n An engineer and vehicle designer who calls himself \u201cThe Car Guy,\u201d Putsch has attracted fans with provocative YouTube videos that troll Ramaswamy and criticize national Republicans over their handling of the Epstein files<\/a>, positions on energy-guzzling data centers<\/a> and support for Israel.<\/p>\n