Vivek Ramaswamy, Sherrod Brown win big in Ohio primary as Trump-backed challengers do well in Indiana

A former Democratic senator from Ohio cleared his first hurdle Tuesday in a bid to unseat the Republican incumbent in what could be one of the most expensive races in the country this fall. 

Meanwhile, across the state line, President Donald Trump’s sway with Republican voters was being tested as the president looked to oust lawmakers from within his own party who foiled a redistricting push in Indiana.

Big names win in Ohio

Sherrod Brown easily dispatched opponent Ron Kincaid in the Democratic primary for the seat left empty when JD Vance was elected vice president. Brown, who served in the Senate for nearly 20 years before losing in 2024 by more than 200,000 votes, will go up against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, the man who was appointed to fill Vance’s role until the special election.

Former Republican presidential candidate and biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy now has his sights set on Ohio’s executive mansion after finishing first in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Ramaswamy will face off against Democratic nominee and Ohio’s COVID-era health director Amy Acton as the two battle to succeed Gov. Mike DeWine.

Trump looms large in Indiana

A majority of the challengers to the Republican state senators who helped kill a recent redistricting plan in Indiana managed to knock out the incumbents on Tuesday night. Election watchers were looking at those races as bellwethers of Trump’s clout within the GOP. 

What we know:

Of the seven contested races involving incumbents opposed by the president, the Associated Press has already called four of the races in favor of the Trump-endorsed challenger.

Twenty-one Republicans had voted against the redistricting plan in December, eight of whom were up for reelection this fall.