The Latest: Voters head to the polls for primaries in Ohio and Indiana
May 5, 2026, 9:42 AM | Updated: 5:40 pm
A voting sign is seen outside the Bartholomew County Governmental Office Building in Columbus, Ind., on Thursday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
There are primary elections Tuesday in Ohio and Indiana as well as a key state Senate race in Michigan that will decide control of the chamber.
In Ohio Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown is running to reclaim his old job. Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, faces auto-racing engineer and internet personality Casey Putsch for the Republican nomination for governor.
In Indiana President Donald Trump’s push to gerrymander districts across the country hit a snag last year in Indiana when half of the state’s Republican senators sided with Democrats to defeat the plan. Now the president has endorsed primary challengers against seven of those state senators,
Here is the latest:
The Republican-controlled Indiana Senate in December rejected the measure that would have shaded all nine of the states congressional districts as favorable to the party, and halted progress on the party’s effort nationally.
The move defied months of urging by the White House led by Vice President JD Vance, who traveled twice to Indianapolis and hosted many in the caucus in Washington, where Trump phoned in to address the group.
While Indiana was considering the measure, voters in Democratic-leaning California approved Proposition 50, which allowed the state Legislature to bypass the independent commission to redraw districts for the next three biennial elections.
Republicans think they could win up to nine more seats under revised districts in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. But Democrats think they could win as many as 10 additional seats under new districts in California, Utah and Virginia, though legal challenges remain in both Missouri and Virginia.
Emily Bohall Board, 37, an occupational therapist in Columbus, Indiana, said she had never voted in a Republican primary before Tuesday. But the issue of redistricting compelled her to cast a ballot for Sen. Greg Walker.
“Greg Walker is the only option not supported by Donald Trump, and I have been very upset about everything Trump has done,” Board said.
Madison Long, 28, an attorney, who also voted for Walker, criticized Michelle Davis, Walker’s opponent, for her ties to Trump.
“She doesn’t have any promises of her own or any agenda of her own. Her goal is to just follow Trump,” Long said. “I find that extremely concerning given the nature of the nationwide politics.”
The race will determine whether Democrats maintain a majority in the state Senate for the final months of the year.
Democrats currently control the state Senate 19-18. If Democrat Chedrick Greene wins, Democrats keep their majority.
If Republican Jason Tunney wins, the Senate would be tied, making it tougher for Democrats to advance Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s agenda. While Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II would serve as the tie-breaking vote, Republicans could effectively block any measure from passing by not having all members vote.
There’s another reason people are watching the race: The swing district in a battleground state could give clues to what will happen in November’s midterms..
Vance backed Vivek Ramaswamy for governor and Jon Husted for Senate. Husted was appointed to fill Vance’s seat after he became vice president.
“Well, I think Jon’s going to do a great job. He’s a good guy, and he’s been good for Ohio,” Vance said.
Vance was with his son Vivek, who filled out a paper ballot for children.
“He voted for the Easter bunny over the tooth fairy,” the vice president said.
The Democrat is fighting to get back to the U.S. Senate.
The former three-term U.S. senator, long one of Ohio’s most electable Democrats, briefly left politics after losing a reelection bid to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024.
Brown, 73, faces first-time Democratic candidate Ron Kincaid in his quest to unseat Husted this fall. Husted was appointed to the chamber in January 2025 to fill a seat formerly held by Vice President JD Vance.
Before entering the Senate in 2007 after a surprise victory over now Gov. Mike DeWine, then the incumbent, Brown was a seven-term U.S. representative and a two-term secretary of state. Prior to that, he was the youngest person elected to the Ohio House, where he served eight years.
Brown is married to Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz and has two grown children. The couple lives in suburban Columbus.
