SUMMARY:
Good morning and welcome to HoosLeft This Week — Scott Aaron Rogers is joined by Amy Courtney, executive director of Mad Voters, and Patrick Munsey, publisher of the independent Kokomo Lantern, for a packed two-hour edition recorded the Sunday after Indiana’s May 5th primary. The first hour covers the national and international landscape: a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, the unsealing of a purported Epstein suicide note, the Pentagon’s UFO file dump, the ongoing Iran War and the collapse and partial revival of Project Freedom, Trump’s wholesale remaking of Washington in his own image — from the East Wing ballroom to the proposed triumphal arch — alongside a sharp look at the Obama Presidential Center and the shadow corruption of presidential libraries, the White House’s new counterterrorism memo targeting transgender people and anti-fascists, Kash Patel’s bourbon stash and the FBI’s retaliatory leak probe, Trump’s pardoning of corrupt officials while gutting the Public Integrity Section, and the sweeping fallout from the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling gutting the Voting Rights Act — including redistricting chaos in Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, and Virginia, and a New York Times analysis showing Republicans could soon win the House while losing the national popular vote by four points. The second hour turns to Indiana: deep dives into Trump’s successful purge of six Indiana Republican state senators who opposed redistricting, the competitive Democratic congressional and state legislative primaries, local races including the Marion County clerk’s race and its ghost-vote controversy, and a closing look at the record number of school funding referendums expected this fall, Braun’s gas tax suspension, the data center battles in Indianapolis and Hobart, and Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith’s declaration that execution is a “blessing.”
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
00:00:34 — Intro & Welcome
00:02:41 — Guest Introductions: Amy Courtney (Mad Voters) & Patrick Munsey (Kokomo Lantern)
00:04:25 — Quick Hits: Hantavirus Outbreak / Epstein Suicide Note / UFO Files
00:09:57 — Iran War
00:23:26 — Monuments to Two Presidents
00:37:08 — Government Weaponization
00:53:11 — VRA Fallout
01:05:12 — MI/OH Elections
01:06:35 — [BREAK]
01:07:53 — Indiana Republican Primary
01:21:18 — Indiana Democratic Primary
01:35:01 — Indiana Local Races
01:45:12 — Other Indiana News: School Referendums
01:47:40 — Other Indiana News: Gas Tax Suspension
01:52:33 — Other Indiana News: Data Centers
01:58:41 — And Finally This Week: Micah Beckwith
01:59:44 — Outro & Where to Find Us
Quick Hits
What to Know About the Hantavirus Outbreak on an Atlantic Cruise Ship (NYT)
Three passengers have died; five others showed symptoms — the Andes strain of hantavirus, primarily found in South America, is confirmed.
A Dutch couple died after likely contracting the virus in Argentina before boarding; a German passenger died aboard May 2.
The Andes strain is the only hantavirus known to spread person-to-person — WHO says human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out.
The ship’s doctor is among those evacuated for treatment.
Six US states are monitoring returning American passengers; none are currently symptomatic.
The case fatality rate for hantavirus in the Americas runs as high as 50%.
The ship is anchored off the Canary Islands; passengers will be evacuated by boat with full protective protocols — no port contact with the general population.
Experts wonder ‘Where is the CDC?’ as a hantavirus outbreak unfolds on a cruise ship
Judge unseals purported Epstein suicide note as Congress grills Lutnick (NPR)
A one-page note purportedly written by Epstein before his first suspected suicide attempt was unsealed Wednesday at the New York Times’ request.
The note reads in part: “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN — NOT WORTH IT!!”
The note was found by cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione — a former cop convicted of quadruple homicide — who says he saved Epstein’s life that night by performing CPR.
Neither Tartaglione’s lawyers nor DOJ have formally authenticated the note; DOJ said it was “the first time” they were seeing it.
Three additional sealed documents related to the note are pending release after a one-week redaction review.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — Epstein’s former Manhattan neighbor — testified before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday; records show he maintained contact with Epstein long after claiming to have cut ties.
Fired AG Pam Bondi, ousted partly over her handling of the Epstein files, is scheduled to testify to the same committee later this month.
UFO files spanning decades are released by Defense Department (NPR)
The Pentagon released 160+ declassified UAP records Friday, citing Trump’s call for transparency; more files will follow on a rolling basis at war.gov/info.
Files span from a 1948 Top Secret Air Force report of unidentified objects over Europe — whose Swedish intelligence counterparts said the technology “cannot be credited to any presently known culture on earth” — to a 2023 sighting of a metallic ovaloid object that vanished after five to ten seconds.
Buzz Aldrin is cited reporting three unexplained phenomena during the Apollo 11 mission.
Trump posted on Truth Social: “the people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’ Have Fun and Enjoy!”
Iran War
Iran war live: UAE intercepts missiles, drone sparks fire at oil site (Al Jazeera)
Project Freedom launched: US Navy begins escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran warns the US to stay out; UAE and Oman intercept Iranian missiles, drones, and cruise missiles.
Iranian state media claims its navy hit a US frigate; CENTCOM denies it.
Trump dismisses a poll showing 32% public support for the war as fake.
Majority of US military sites in Middle East damaged by Iran (CNN)
At least 16 US military sites — the majority of American positions in the region — were damaged in Iranian strikes.
Several sites were rendered effectively unusable; Iran used a secretly acquired Chinese satellite for precision targeting.
The Pentagon’s stated $25B war cost excludes repair
expenses; real estimates run $40–50B.
A congressional aide called radar systems the most significant losses: “our most expensive and most limited resources in the region.”
Iran hit more US military targets than reported, satellite imagery shows (WaPo)
Satellite imagery verified by the Post shows damage to at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at US military sites.
The scope significantly exceeds CNN’s earlier count of 16 damaged installations.
Trump’s U-turn on Project Freedom came after Saudi backlash (NBC News)
Saudi Arabia barred the US from using Prince Sultan Airbase and Saudi airspace to support Project Freedom.
Trump’s call with MBS failed to resolve the standoff, forcing a pause within ~36 hours of launch.
Trump publicly framed the pause as diplomatic progress; the NYT reported there was no evidence of an emerging deal.
Kuwait also cut off airspace access, leaving the US without the defensive umbrella needed to protect ships.
Has the US accepted Iran’s demand to settle Hormuz first, nuclear later? (Al Jazeera)
Rubio declared Operation Epic Fury “concluded,” signaling the US had shifted to a defensive posture.
The US appears to have dropped its demand to resolve Iran’s nuclear program before ending the war.
Reuters and Axios reported the US and Iran were close to a one-page MOU to formally end hostilities.
Iranian FM Araghchi met Chinese FM Wang Yi in Beijing, deepening diplomatic coordination.
Israel strikes Beirut for the first time since ceasefire (CFR)
Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs on May 6 — the first strike on the city since the April 16 Lebanon ceasefire.
The IDF said it killed Ahmed Balout, a Radwan Force commander; the strike was coordinated with the US in advance.
The attack underscored how Lebanon remains a live obstacle to any broader regional peace deal.
A draft US-Iran agreement reportedly includes a Lebanon ceasefire component, per Israel’s Channel 12.
US insists ceasefire is holding despite fresh attacks (Time)
Iran attacked three US destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles, drones, and small boats.
CENTCOM retaliated with strikes on Iranian missile sites, C2 nodes, and ISR infrastructure at Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island.
Iran struck back, and the UAE reported missile and drone attacks for the second time that week.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait restored US base and airspace access, clearing a path for Project Freedom’s restart.
Israeli airstrikes kill 5 in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah rockets hit open areas (PBS)
Israel struck southern Lebanese villages after issuing evacuation warnings, killing at least five people.
Hezbollah fired rockets toward northern Israel in response; the IDF intercepted one while the rest fell in open areas.
Israel claims to have killed 85+ Hezbollah militants and struck 180 sites in the past week, without providing evidence.
Lebanese President Aoun called on visiting EU officials to pressure Israel to honor the ceasefire; the EU commissioner said both sides were taking Lebanon “hostage.”
US strikes two Iranian oil tankers trying to skirt blockade (CNBC)
CENTCOM disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers in the Gulf of Oman, firing precision munitions into their smokestacks.
The UAE reported Iranian missile and drone attacks for the third time this week.
Rubio, speaking from Rome, said he expected Iran’s formal response to the US peace proposal later Friday.
The State Department announced a second round of Israel-Lebanon peace talks for May 14–15, ahead of the ceasefire’s May 17 expiration.
Monuments to Two Presidents
$200 million? $400 million? $1 billion? Breaking down the White House ballroom project’s varying price tags. (Yahoo! News)
Trump originally promised the 90,000 sq. ft. East Wing ballroom would cost $200M and be fully privately funded.
The construction estimate has since grown to $400M; Senate Republicans quietly tucked $1B in taxpayer money for “security upgrades” into an ICE funding bill.
The bill restricts funds to security elements only, but experts say it’s nearly impossible to separate security from general construction in practice.
The underground complex beneath the ballroom — including a bunker, military installations, and medical facility — is driving much of the security cost rationale.
Some Senate Republicans privately view the $1B line item as a political liability, especially while Iran war costs are hammering household budgets.
Previously: What We Know About the ‘Massive’ Military Complex Being Built Beneath the White House (Time)
Trump admitted on Air Force One that the ballroom is essentially a roof over a new underground military complex.
It replaces the WWII-era Presidential Emergency Operations Center with something far larger and more capable.
Features include a hospital, biodefense systems, bomb shelters, drone-proofing, and secure telecommunications.
The details only surfaced because the administration’s own court filings described the project to fight a preservation lawsuit.
A judge halted aboveground construction pending Congressional approval but allowed underground work to continue.
Sacred ground, stolen views: The case against Trump’s memorial arch (The Hill)
Trump’s proposed 250-foot gold-gilded triumphal arch would be erected on the Virginia side of the Potomac, opposite the Lincoln Memorial.
When asked who it honors, Trump said “Me.”
The arch would block Arlington House’s panoramic view — the same view JFK admired months before he was buried there.
Nearly 1,000 public comments opposed it; none supported it. Americans oppose it 51%-21%.
Trump’s appointee-stacked Commission of Fine Arts approved it anyway; lawsuits are pending.
The piece grounds the stakes in history: Arlington Cemetery itself was created by a Union general as an act of revenge against Lee — its soldiers deserve solemn dignity, not a presidential vanity monument.
The many ways Trump wants to change D.C., from buildings to statues to parks (NPR)
NPR catalogues every physical change Trump is making to Washington — ballroom, triumphal arch, reflecting pool, Kennedy Center, sculpture garden, statues, golf courses, and more.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being coated “American flag blue” by Interior Department crews.
Trump killed the nonprofit managing D.C.’s three public golf courses; ballroom construction dirt is now blocking views of the Washington Monument from a century-old public course.
A sculpture garden of “historically significant Americans” — proposed at Mount Rushmore during the 2020 racial justice protests — is targeted to open July 4, 2026.
Some changes are cosmetic and reversible; others, like the arch and ballroom, could reshape the capital for generations.
Most projects face legal challenges, but Trump’s appointee-stacked commissions keep approving them anyway.
The Obama Shrine — Brought to You by Wall Street (The Lever)
The $850M Obama Presidential Center opens in June, funded by tech giants, Wall Street firms, telecom companies, and a health insurer.
‘Its sponsor list is context for a presidency that promised hope and change and then used a massive electoral mandate to deliver more of the same. Indeed, the list is a who’s who of the winners of the Obama era: tech moguls, financial giants, telecom behemoths, a health insurance giant, and other bold-faced names of the oligarchy.’
The center is built in Chicago’s South Side despite community protests that it would accelerate gentrification.
Obama used a Colbert interview inside the center to criticize Trump’s corruption — which the piece calls accurate but self-serving given his own post-presidential enrichment.
The broader argument: presidential libraries are a shadow corruption system, rewarding corporate-friendly governance with post-presidential wealth and monuments.
Punchline: Americans fleeced by Obama-era oligarchs can buy an “empathy” baseball cap at the gift shop for $35.
Government Weaponization
“Counterterrorism” Now Officially Means Targeting Trans People (Mother Jones)
The White House released a new counterterrorism strategy Wednesday, authored by Sebastian Gorka, that lists “Violent Left-Wing Extremists” as a threat equal to jihadists and narcoterrorists.
The document explicitly targets groups it describes as “anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist” for “neutralization.”
It makes no mention of far-right violence — despite decades of data showing right-wing extremism as the dominant domestic terrorism threat.
The document blames transgender people for the murder of Charlie Kirk by name.
Rep. Bennie Thompson called it “a document full of fake achievements” with “zero strategic objectives, lines of effort, or agency assignments.”
The strategy explicitly calls for mapping groups’ “ties to international organizations like Antifa” — treating a decentralized protest tendency as a foreign-linked terrorist network.
The counterterrorism framework previously used to surveil Muslim and Arab American communities post-9/11 is now being applied wholesale to trans people and left-wing protesters.
FBI Launches Probe Into Reporter Who Covered Kash Patel’s Drinking (TNR)
The FBI opened a criminal leak investigation targeting Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, who reported on Patel’s excessive drinking and unexplained absences.
Unusually, the probe does not involve classified leaks — it targets leaks to a journalist about Patel’s conduct.
The Atlantic called it “an outrageous, illegal, and dangerous attack on the free press.”
Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash (Atlantic)
Patel travels with personally engraved Woodford Reserve bottles bearing “Ka$h Patel FBI Director,” an FBI shield, and his signature — and hands them out to staff and civilians.
He used DOJ aircraft to transport cases of the bourbon, including to the Olympics in Milan.
At a Quantico training seminar, a bottle went missing and Patel threatened to polygraph and prosecute his own staff over it.
Agents told attorneys they’re afraid to refuse the bottles — one said declining enthusiastically could get you “polygraphed for loyalty.”
A former agent called the bottles “demoralizing,” noting they signal one standard for the director and another for everyone else.
In July, Patel gave 3D-printed replica revolvers to New Zealand cabinet members — which had to be destroyed because they were illegal under local law.
A former FBI supervisory analyst summed it up: “Handing out bottles of liquor at the premier law-enforcement agency — it makes me frightened for the country.”
What’s behind Trump’s pardons of people convicted of public corruption? (NPR)
Trump has pardoned at least 15 former elected officials convicted or charged with corruption since taking office.
The DOJ’s Public Integrity Section — which prosecutes public corruption and election crimes — has shrunk from 35–40 attorneys to just two.
Open cases in that unit dropped from roughly 200 to about 20.
Pardons have gone mostly to Republicans but also to Democrats Trump was courting, like Henry Cuellar, and allies like Rod Blagojevich.
One pardon went to a Las Vegas councilwoman convicted of pocketing $70K in donations meant for memorials to slain police officers — spent on cosmetic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.
Experts say rural and small-state communities get hit hardest — the Public Integrity Section handled cases local US attorneys lack resources to pursue.
Bottom line from NPR’s reporting: the administration is signaling that public corruption simply isn’t worth enforcing — and experts warn that eats away at government until officials serve themselves first.
Inside the Justice Department’s shakeup of the John Brennan investigation (CNN)
The lead prosecutor on the Brennan case told DOJ brass in Washington the evidence was too weak to charge him — and was removed from the case days later.
Acting AG Blanche replaced her with Joe diGenova, a Trump loyalist who briefly represented Trump in one of the very probes he’s now investigating.
DiGenova is basing himself in Fort Pierce, Florida — home to Judge Aileen Cannon, who killed the Mar-a-Lago documents case against Trump.
The investigation has been essentially reset, with 150+ subpoenas issued and prosecutors now targeting a sweeping conspiracy case far beyond the original Brennan lying-to-Congress charges.
The US attorney running the office, Reding Quiñones, was not a top pick for the job — former colleagues describe poor performance reviews and a work ethic that “didn’t stand out.”
More than 100 vacancies now exist in the Miami US Attorney’s Office after experienced career prosecutors fled or were purged.
The pattern is clear: prosecutors who say a case is weak get removed; prosecutors willing to build the case Trump wants get put in charge.
Judge lets DOJ keep Fulton County ballots despite ‘misleading’ FBI affidavit claims (Democracy Docket)
Judge Boulee denied Fulton County’s request to get its 600+ boxes of 2020 ballots back — but savaged the FBI’s affidavit in the process.
He found the affidavit “misleading” and “troubling,” omitting innocent explanations for the irregularities investigators cited.
One example: the FBI flagged a delayed recount report as suspicious without disclosing it was caused by a scanner programming error.
Boulee noted some alleged discrepancies “occur in virtually every election” — and that prior state investigations found no fraud.
The county still lost because the legal standard to force return of seized materials is extraordinarily high — not met even by a misleading affidavit.
DOJ keeps the ballots and the investigation continues — but now with a federal judge on record calling their underlying case into question.
Boulee closed by citing the Mar-a-Lago special master ruling: the same legal standards apply “without regard to numbers, wealth, or rank.”
DNI Gabbard spurs probe into evidence Congress, Trump were misled on election security, memos show (Just the News)
[Just the News is John Solomon’s outlet — a known MAGA propaganda operation. The story relies heavily on unclassified memos from Gabbard’s own office, whistleblower claims that haven’t been independently verified, and John Ratcliffe — who is now Trump’s CIA director and has a long history of politicizing intelligence assessments. This is essentially the intelligence community’s MAGA faction using friendly media to launder its own narrative.]
What they’re claiming:
Gabbard’s office has referred claims to the IC Inspector General alleging the CIA suppressed evidence of Chinese election interference in 2020.
A CIA officer was allegedly asked to alter evidence of China meddling to avoid helping Trump.
China may have accessed voter registration databases in 12–18 states in 2020.
Intelligence officials withheld China-related findings from Trump’s daily briefings and Congress.
A Venezuelan election infrastructure vulnerability was also allegedly suppressed.
FBI searches office of Virginia lawmaker who helped lead redistricting push (NBC)
The FBI raided the office of Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas on May 6 — weeks after she led the state’s Democratic redistricting push.
Agents also searched a cannabis dispensary she co-owns, as part of a corruption and bribery probe.
Key caveat: the investigation was opened during the Biden administration, not initiated by Patel’s FBI.
Virginia’s House Speaker publicly questioned the timing, citing Patel’s leadership and the redistricting context.
Fox News was on scene before other outlets, raising questions about whether they were tipped in advance.
VRA Fallout
Recall: Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais (SCOTUSBlog)
The 6-3 ruling along partisan lines requires proof of intentional racism to challenge a discriminatory map — making racial gerrymandering cases nearly impossible to win.
The decision effectively eliminates Section 2 of the VRA as a meaningful protection against minority vote dilution.
Critics note the timing was deliberate — issued with just enough time for Southern states to redraw maps before November.
Southern state Republicans look to capitalize on Supreme Court ruling weakening Voting Rights Act (AP)
Louisiana suspended its House primaries entirely to redraw maps — already-cast ballots thrown out.
Eric Holder’s NDRC estimates 12–19 House seats in majority-minority districts across the South are now at risk.
The ruling also applies to state legislative, county, and municipal maps — school boards, city councils, judgeships all affected downstream.
DeSantis, plaintiffs agree new map breaks FL Constitution. Does it apply anyway? (Florida Phoenix)
DeSantis is arguing that Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments — passed by 63% of voters in 2010 — are entirely invalid in light of the Supreme Court’s VRA ruling.
His legal theory: because the racial prong of Fair Districts might be voided by Callais, the whole amendment falls — including the ban on partisan gerrymandering.
Elections attorneys on both sides call that a stretch — the partisan gerrymandering ban is independent of the racial provisions and doesn’t require them to function.
Two Republican state senators — including the map’s own Senate sponsor — publicly said the map violates Fair Districts and the legal theory is unproven.
The map passed the GOP-dominated Senate on a razor-thin 21-17 vote.
Three lawsuits were filed within two days of DeSantis signing it, targeting all three Fair Districts prongs: partisan, racial, and compactness.
Bottom line: DeSantis is asking courts to throw out a citizen-passed constitutional amendment on a legal theory no court has yet endorsed — while his own party’s senators say it’s unconstitutional.
All hell breaks loose as Tennessee lawmakers bust up Memphis (Tennessee Lookout)
Tennessee’s Republican supermajority passed new congressional maps in a three-day special session, eliminating the state’s only majority-Black district in Memphis.
The White House provided guidance, boundary data, and population figures — lawmakers claimed they drew the map themselves.
Republican Sen. John Stevens claimed he didn’t know Memphis city limits or that it was a majority-minority city.
Sen. Charlane Oliver stood on her desk holding a “No Jim Crow 2.0” banner; the Senate chief clerk ripped it from her hands.
Shelby County Senator Brent Taylor, who helped draw the map, immediately announced his candidacy for the newly created 9th District seat.
The state elections coordinator warned counties would have to reprogram voting systems three months before the August 6 primary.
It’s the same map the state AG successfully defended in 2022 — he now has to argue against it.
Tennessee Passes Redistricting Map, Arrests Protesters in Final Day of Special Session Marked by Burning Flag, Walkouts (Nashville Banner)
Justin Jones handed House Majority Leader Lamberth a printed Confederate flag, called Republicans the “white sheet caucus,” then burned it in the Capitol hallway.
Jones later blew an air horn as House Democrats walked off the floor en masse.
Justin Pearson called the maps “a new three-fifths compromise” on the House floor.
Troopers arrested Pearson’s brother in the gallery; Pearson confronted them on camera.
Pearson is a candidate in the 9th District being eliminated — and is now a plaintiff in the federal lawsuit to block the maps.
One Republican rep walked in draped in a Trump flag; the sergeant-at-arms confiscated it at the door.
Alabama lawmakers pass plan for new U.S. House primary, if courts allow different districts (LA Times)
Alabama passed legislation authorizing new congressional primaries — but only if federal courts allow the state to ditch its court-ordered map.
The target is the majority-Black 2nd District, which a federal court required Alabama to create and which elected Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in 2024.
Alabama is asking federal judges to lift the court order in light of the Callais ruling; the legislation is contingent on that succeeding.
The state’s own Republican Senate majority leader pumped the brakes — warning the new map could make four districts competitive and cost the GOP seats.
Alabama’s primary is June 9 — the tightest timeline of any state attempting redistricting.
Outside the statehouse, a civil rights advocate told reporters: “I was out there in 1965 marching for the right to vote, and now we are back here in 2026 doing the same thing.”
Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter-Approved Redistricting Maps (NPR)
In a 4-3 decision today, the Virginia Supreme Court voided the results of the April 21 special election in which voters approved new congressional maps by 52-48%.
The majority found Democrats violated procedural rules by initiating the amendment process while early voting had already begun in the 2025 House of Delegates elections.
The maps would have shifted Virginia’s congressional delegation from 6-5 Democratic to 10-1 Democratic — flipping four seats.
$5.2 million in public funds spent on the special election; outside groups raised nearly $100 million to fight over it.
Virginia Democrats immediately filed an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court.
The dissent, written by Chief Justice Cleo Powell — the first Black woman to lead the Virginia Supreme Court — argued the majority’s logic creates “an infinite voting loop.”
Republicans Are Building an Advantage in Redistricting. How Much? (NYT)
Two weeks ago redistricting was a stalemate; today Republicans are on track to add 12+ Trump-voting districts, giving them a significant structural House advantage.
Under current maps, Republicans could lose the national popular vote by 2.5 points and still win the House — if Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina redistrict, that grows to 4 points.
The median congressional district would sit 5.5 points more Republican than Trump’s 2024 national margin — meaning Democrats would need to win Trump districts just to take the House.
Democrats still lead the generic congressional ballot by 6 points and remain favored — but a “wave” election is no longer guaranteed even with a strong national environment.
MI/OH Elections
Greene wins state Senate election in Mid-Michigan, Democrats keep majority (Michigan Public)
Democrat Chedrick Greene — marine veteran, retired fire captain, union member — defeated Republican Jason Tunney by roughly 20 points in the 35th Senate District special election.
The win preserves Democrats’ slim majority in the Michigan Senate; a Tunney win would have deadlocked the chamber 19-19.
The seat had been vacant since January 2025 when Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet took her congressional seat.
The district voted for Trump in 2024 and Elissa Slotkin for Senate — making the 20-point Democratic margin a notable result.
Tunney dismissed it as a low-turnout special and vowed to run again in November for the full term.
The race is considered a bellwether for Michigan’s midterm environment.
Ohio 2026 Primary Election Recap (Vorys)
Vivek Ramaswamy won the Republican gubernatorial nomination and will face Democrat Amy Acton, former Ohio Health Director, in November.
Sherrod Brown won the Democratic Senate primary and will face Republican Sen. Jon Husted in what’s expected to be one of the nation’s marquee Senate races.
Derek Merrin won a crowded GOP primary in OH-9, setting up a rematch with Rep. Marcy Kaptur, whom he narrowly lost to in 2024.
Frank LaRose is moving from Secretary of State to run for Auditor; Republican Robert Sprague and Democrat Allison Russo will compete to replace him.
The lone Democrat on the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Jennifer Brunner, faces Republican Colleen O’Donnell in November.
Most state legislative incumbents survived primary challenges, though several lawmakers attempting to switch chambers lost.
Indiana Primary Election Recap
Republicans
Trump-backed candidates romp to wins in Indiana Senate races (ICC)
‘Six Republican challengers endorsed by Trump defeated incumbents, with another Trump-backed candidate (Jeff Ellington) winning an open seat primary. Only one of the eight senators opposed by pro-redistricting groups — Greg Goode of Terre Haute — was a certain winner.’
‘Defeated were Travis Holdman of Markle (SD19), Jim Buck of Kokomo (SD21), Linda Rogers of Granger (SD11), Dan Dernulc of Highland (SD1), Rick Niemeyer of Lowell (SD6) and Greg Walker of Columbus (SD41). All those winning challengers received at least 56% of the vote, according to preliminary tallies compiled by The Associated Press.’
‘The results could jeopardize Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray’s hold on the top Senate leadership position he’s held since 2018. Trump and his pro-redistricting allies sought pledges from primary challengers that they would seek to oust Bray as Senate president pro tem.’
‘A torrent of broadcast ad spending [...] reached $13.5 million for the primary campaigns — a nearly 5,000% jump from the roughly $250,000 spent in 2024 on state Senate races, the ad-tracking service AdImpact posted Tuesday.
‘Sen. Spencer Deery of West Lafayette (SD23) was ahead of challenger Paula Copenhaver by just three votes.’
Amy comments: A very small percentage of registered voters have outsized influence because of low voter turnout. I don’t have the exact figures per district, but if you divide the total statewide registered voters by 50 senate districts, each one has roughly 94,000 registered voters. So take SD11 (Linda Rogers). She got 4,099 votes. The Trump guy got 5865. So 5865/94000 = 6.2% of total registered voters made the decision to pick a Trump-backed candidate over the incumbent. Why are we letting an extremist subset of the population drive our state even further down? The national estimate is 1 in 6 Trump voters regret their vote. These MAGA extremists can’t be what the majority of Hoosiers want... can it?
Amy comments: This primary cycle presents a critical crossroad for the fall—will Hoosiers continue to let shadow-funded special interests dictate our state’s direction, or will we finally flip the script? Our state has been under one-party rule for more than twenty years; real progress begins with breaking that grip.
Liz Brown narrowly takes the lead in unofficial results for Indiana Senate District 15 race (WPTA)
Trump-endorsed Brown leads by only 15 votes over Darren Vogt
‘Vogt, a Northwest Allen County Schools Board member and staffer for Republican U.S. Senator Jim Banks. Vogt was endorsed by both Attorney General Todd Rokita and Banks.’
At the State House level, voting against redistricting didn’t seem to matter as much
Incumbents Greg Steuerwald, Peggy Mayfield, and Jennifer Meltzer won despite defying Trump in December
Elvis has left the building: Only one House incumbent lost their primary, the Trump-endorsed Bruce Borders (WWBI)
Congress
Shreve, Spartz win remarkably close races (ICC)
80 year-old Baird beats back Haggard (TradingView)
Republicans nominate Porter County commissioner to run against Mrvan for Congress (NWI Times)
McAuley (Indianapolis Recorder) wins 7th District primary
Democrats
US House
Incumbents Mrvan, Carson (Mirror Indy) cruise in reelection bids.
Establishment favorites Decio (WNDU), Allen (Courier&Press) win handily
Wirth easily wins testy 6th District race (Columbus Republic)
State Sen. J.D. Ford wins 5th Congressional Democratic primary election (IndyStar)
State Sen. J.D. Ford — Indiana’s first openly gay lawmaker — won the IN-5 Democratic primary with 40% in a seven-candidate field.
Ford made history in 2018 by flipping conservative Sen. Mike Delph’s seat; he’ll now face incumbent Rep. Victoria Spartz in November.
Republicans hold a clear structural advantage in IN-5, but Ford has experience winning in unfavorable terrain.
Progressives Cox (Exponent), Meyer (IPM) top experienced opponents
State Senate
McGill (WFFT), Baker (Journal&Courier), Dixon-Tatum (Herald Bulletin), Root (Current) cruise in respective primaries
Indianapolis area
Allissa Impink wins Senate District 46 Democratic primary (IndyStar)
Moorhead wins in Senate District 29 Democratic primary (Mirror Indy)
Forestal, Albright to face off for Senate District 31 (Current)
State House
No major surprises in House primaries, but Cole defeats Levi (Current) in HD 37 and Wellington tops Kebe in HD29 (Current); Progressive Henry tops business Dem Cochran in HD 72 (News&Tribune)
Notable Local Races
Primary turnout is up in Marion County, but Indiana’s voting numbers remain consistently low (WFYI)
Statewide, Indiana primary turnout held flat at just under 17% — nearly identical to 2024.
Marion County bucked the trend, with nearly 100,000 voters turning out — about 15,000 more than 2024.
Hamilton County saw roughly 50,000 ballots cast at 18% turnout — down 1% from 2024.
Marion County
Sweeney Bell narrowly defeats Lopez Owens as potentially decisive number vote for deceased Kern (IndyStar)
Incumbent Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell won the Democratic primary by ~2,100 votes — while 4,500 voters chose Bobby Kern, who died of a stroke April 3.
Ballots were already printed and mailed before Kern’s death; Indiana law barred removing his name.
Kern was a frequent critic of Sweeney Bell — his ghost vote likely cost challenger Karla López-Owens the race.
Sweeney Bell faces Republican Robbin Stewart in November — an attorney whose law license was recently suspended.
Amy comments: The majority of voters voted against the incumbent, but she still won. I think the number of voters for the dead guy shows how uninformed Hoosier voters are. We have major work to do.
Kelvis Williams wins Democratic primary for Marion County sheriff (WISH)
Kelvis Williams defeated Gregory Patrick 55%-45% in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Marion County sheriff.
Williams is the current executive officer under outgoing two-term Sheriff Kerry Forestal, with four decades of law enforcement experience.
Before the primary, Williams faced criticism for a mailer headlined “Your Official Democratic Team!” that implied party endorsement — the Marion County Democratic Party stopped endorsing primary candidates in 2023 and was not consulted.
No Republican has filed to run — Williams is effectively the next sheriff of Indianapolis.
Lake County
Jerry Williams captures Democratic Lake County Sheriff nomination (Gary Crusader)
Jerry Williams, a Gary native and 33-year Indiana State Police veteran, won a six-way Democratic primary for Lake County Sheriff with 26% of the vote.
Finishing order: Jerry Williams (ISP Major) 26%, Steven Flores (St. John Police Chief) 22%, Edward Jenkins (LCSD Deputy Chief) 18%, Jason Gore (retired ATF agent) 18%, Maria Garcia Trajkovich (LCSD Deputy) 13%, Jack Gregory Sanchez (LCSD Deputy) 3%.
He’ll face Republican David K. Crane Jr. in November in a county where Democrats hold a substantial structural advantage.
Clark County
Voters not surprised to see incumbent Clark County sheriff lose in primary (WLKY)
Former Jeffersonville Police Chief Kenny Kavanaugh defeated incumbent Sheriff Scottie Maples in the Republican primary for Clark County Sheriff.
Maples was never accused of wrongdoing but served under former Sheriff Jamey Noel, now in prison for stealing millions in taxpayer dollars.
Both Kavanaugh and Democrat Tim Deeringer are former Jeffersonville PD Chiefs and campaigned on restoring accountability to the office.
Monroe County
Deckard wins nomination for Monroe County Commissioner (IPM)
Trent Deckard defeated fellow Monroe County Council member David Henry 59.7%-40.3% for the Democratic commissioner nomination.
No Republican filed — Deckard is effectively the next Monroe County Commissioner.
Key issues facing the new commissioner: the county’s new jail project and budget cuts following Braun’s income tax reductions.
Other Indiana News
Public school group expects record number of school referendums (ICC)
Up to 100 Indiana school districts may ask voters for new property tax revenue this November — a record.
The driver: last year’s Senate Enrolled Act 1 property tax reforms, which ICPE estimates will cost public schools $744M through 2028.
Districts that don’t go to voters this fall can’t try again until November 2028.
Per-pupil public school funding has effectively dropped 7% since 2010-2011 when adjusted for inflation.
State funding increasingly diverted to vouchers, charter schools, and education savings accounts while public schools got only a 2% increase in last year’s budget.
Braun adds Indiana gas tax suspension on top of sales tax break (ICC)
Gov. Braun extended the gasoline sales tax suspension another 30 days and added the 36-cent excise tax — saving Hoosiers 59.3 cents per gallon total.
In April, Braun told reporters he lacked legal authority to suspend the excise tax without legislative approval — he clearly received new advice.
The combined 30-day suspensions will cost state coffers $104M and local units $52M; the state is still $425M above fiscal year projections.
Average Indiana gas prices rose from $4.14 in April to $4.76 this week — up from $2.70 before the war with Iran began.
AG Rokita has opened price gouging investigations and sent warning letters after receiving 150+ complaints.
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan calls it a “perfect storm” — Iran’s Hormuz blockade plus the BP refinery outage in northwest Indiana.
Indianapolis council approves data center for Martindale-Brightwood (WFYI)
The City-County Council approved California-based Metrobloks’ rezoning request to build a data center on a 14-acre former drive-in theater site in the historically Black Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood.
Residents have opposed the project for months, citing the neighborhood’s legacy of lead contamination from decades of industrial use and fears of additional noise, water, and power burdens.
Councilor Jesse Brown — who doesn’t represent the district — tried to pull the vote for a public hearing but lacked the authority; he separately introduced a non-binding resolution urging a temporary stay on high-impact data center approvIals, which passed.
The councilor who does represent the area and supports the project — Ron Gibson — had his home shot in April. note left behind read “No Data Centers.” No arrests have been made.
Indiana’s 2019 tax abatements for data centers have made the state a magnet for the industry, driving rapid expansion across multiple neighborhoods and townships simultaneously.
Hobart officials OK Amazon data center site plan in tense meeting with residents (NWI Times)
Hobart’s Plan Commission voted 8-0 to approve two site plans totaling 750+ acres for Amazon’s data center project after a nearly five-hour meeting.
Standing-room-only crowd was overwhelmingly opposed — residents cited health risks, noise, property values, and environmental impact in what they called a “sacrifice zone.”
The only speakers in favor were a NIPSCO employee and a regional economic development official — both were jeered by the crowd.
…And Finally This Week
Micah Beckwith Says The Death Penalty Is ‘A Blessing’ (PFAW)
Beckwith lamented the Indiana legislature’s narrow rejection of firing squad executions earlier this year on an appearance on “The Kuyper Files.”
He argued capital punishment is biblically mandated, citing Romans 13, and that opposing it means being “more virtuous than Christ.”
He called execution a “blessing” for death row inmates because it gives them the chance to “be in the presence of Jesus.”
On cost: lethal injection is expensive; a firing squad costs “a couple bucks.”
He framed non-execution as anti-life — arguing that without it, “evildoers basically run amok.”
The show’s name references Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch theologian whose doctrine that Christ is sovereign over “every square inch” of human existence is a foundational text of Christian nationalism.
