Six Indiana Senate candidates endorsed by President Donald Trump got an Oval Office meeting with him this week.
But what campaign help they will see from the president’s quest for political retribution over the Indiana congressional redistricting failure remains unclear.
The Wednesday trip to the White House was displayed in social media posts by some of the Trump-endorsed candidates — five of whom are running in Republican primaries against senators who voted against the redistricting plan.
Another candidate, former state Rep. Jeff Ellington of Bloomfield, is among three Republicans seeking to replace GOP redistricting opponent Sen. Eric Bassler, who isn’t seeking reelection.
Ellington told the Indiana Capital Chronicle he was in “shock and awe” of being able to meet Trump in the Oval Office. The Washington trip also included meetings with U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin and a “political team” whom Ellington declined to identify.
Ellington said he and the other Indiana candidates left knowing that Trump’s “political team and his supporters are 110% behind us.”
He added “there’s no doubt” of campaign support for the six candidates but came away without specifics on who would provide it.
“I don’t know,” he said in a phone interview. “Like I said, no details. You just get a feeling.”
That matters because four of the five current senators facing Trump-backed challengers started 2026 with campaign fundraising advantages.
Those senators could also benefit from more than $3 million in campaign funds controlled by Republican Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (Martinsville) — who’s been a frequent target of Trump’s wrath for not supporting a redraw of Indiana’s congressional map to give the GOP an advantage for all nine U.S. House seats.
Challenger returns after dropping out
This week’s Oval Office visit included Bluffton City Councilman Blake Fiechter, who gained Trump’s endorsement against Sen. Travis Holdman in January but then said two weeks ago he was ending his campaign because of a lack of help ahead of the May 5 primary.
Fiechter did not return phone and text messages from the Capital Chronicle seeking comment.
Holdman, who has been a senator since 2008 and is the Senate’s third-ranking member as majority caucus chair, said he wasn’t aware of an active campaign by Fiechter.
“I’m campaigning as though he’s running against me,” Holdman told the Capital Chronicle. “I can’t keep up with his withdrawals and his ins and outs.”
Fiechter has a bare-bones campaign website that links to social media accounts with no posts.
The other candidates who met with Trump this week either declined immediate comment Thursday or did not return messages.
At least two of those candidates — state Rep. Michelle Davis of Whiteland and Tipton County Commissioner Tracey Powell — posted video messages shot outside the White House to their campaign social media accounts.
Ellington said there wasn’t much discussion of the congressional redistricting fight during Wednesday’s meetings and that all the candidates “sounded positive” about their races.
“I think they’ve got some great outlooks,” Ellington said. “When it comes down to primaries, it’s not necessarily how much money that’s spent, but it’s the message.”
Holdman said he and the other senators facing the Trump-backed candidates are taking the challenges seriously.
“We’re doing our best as we can as a team,” Holdman said. “We’re working on it.”