Tuesday's Races May Provide a Sense of Trump's Clout

Primary voters on Tuesday—and throughout the month—may provide a sense of how well President Trump's political clout is enduring. The AP has details about Tuesday:

• Indiana: Trump's campaign to politically punish Republicans who stand in his way gets a big test here. Trump is taking aim at seven Republican state senators who opposed his plan to redraw congressional district boundaries to help the party gain seats in the US House. Groups allied with the president have spent millions on advertising, an extraordinary flood of cash and attention into races that are typically low profile.

• Ohio: A closely watched special election will fill the last two years of Vice President JD Vance's Senate term. Democrats who believe their path back to a Senate majority runs through the state are putting their hopes behind former Sen. Sherrod Brown. He's expected to face off with Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed last year to fill the vacancy created when Vance became vice president. In the campaign for governor, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has parlayed his national name recognition, tech industry connections, and alliance with Trump into a record fundraising haul. He's largely ignoring Republican rival Casey Putsch, focusing his rallies and television ads on the general election.
• Michigan: The special election for a state Senate seat in central Michigan carries outsized importance. It's another test of enthusiasm in a series of special elections that have swung almost universally toward Democrats since Trump returned to the White House. It also could affect the balance of power in the Michigan State Capitol. A Democratic victory would give the party a firm majority in the state Senate, while a Republican win would deadlock the chamber in a 19-19 tie.
• Beyond Tuesday: Politico has a look at elections elsewhere through the month, seen as a test of what it calls Trump's "revenge tour." In Louisiana, his chosen challenger to Sen. Bill Cassidy is stalled in a three-way deadlock, while in Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia, Trump-endorsed hopefuls are meeting stiff resistance from incumbents and well-known rivals. Texas may offer the clearest sign that MAGA is looking to a post-Trump world: Republicans have largely lined up behind Attorney General Ken Paxton without waiting for, or needing, Trump's nod.