A dark-money group tied to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks has unleashed television, radio, and digital ads across Indiana hammering five Republican state senators who blocked President Donald Trump’s push to redraw congressional maps mid-decade.
The campaign, which began last week, marks the opening salvo in what could become a multimillion-dollar revenge effort against GOP lawmakers who refused to deliver more safe House seats for Republicans.
Who Is Paying for the Ads?
The ads come from Hoosier Leadership for America, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit registered to a private home in Fort Wayne. These “dark money” groups are not required to disclose their donors.
The organization has clear ties to Sen. Jim Banks. It hosted a pro-redistricting rally with Banks in Noblesville last fall and shares the same treasurer, Charles Gantt, a Massachusetts-based GOP compliance expert.
FCC records show the group has already purchased airtime in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Terre Haute, and other markets. Digital ads are running on YouTube and other platforms, targeting specific ZIP codes inside the senators’ districts.
The Five Senators in the Crosshairs
The targeted lawmakers are all seeking re-election in the May 5, 2026, primary and all voted against the aggressive mid-decade redistricting plan Trump demanded:
- Jim Buck (Kokomo)
- Spencer Deery (West Lafayette)
- Greg Goode (Terre Haute)
- Travis Holdman (Markle)
- Greg Walker (Columbus)
Sen. Greg Walker called the attacks “over the top and ridiculous” and insisted every dollar is coming from outside his district. “This is non-Indiana money and self-serving agendas trying to curry favor in Washington,” Walker said.
Sen. Spencer Deery described the campaign as an attempt by “out-of-state forces” to intimidate lawmakers. “I’m knocking doors and going to events. You can’t do that from Virginia or D.C.,” Deery told reporters.
Trump’s Personal Vendetta
President Trump has made the redistricting fight personal. Each of the five targeted senators now faces a primary challenger who has received Trump’s public endorsement.
The challengers, including Fountain County GOP Chair Paula Copenhaver (running against Deery), traveled to the White House on March 4 for a photo-op with Trump.
“I’ve come to learn that President Trump is a man of his word,” Copenhaver said last week when asked about expected campaign support. “If he says he’s going to help us, he will.”
More Money Is Coming
Sources close to the effort say this is only the beginning.
Fair Maps Indiana, led by former Trump campaign official Marty Obst, has already promised seven-figure spending. The Club for Growth, headed by former Indiana Congressman David McIntosh, is sending mailers for at least one challenger.
Digital advertising expert Andrew Arenge notes these online ads are cheaper than television but highly targeted. “They can zero in on the exact towns and neighborhoods that matter,” he explained.
Sen. Deery worries the infighting hurts the larger Republican goal of protecting their narrow U.S. House majority. “We control supermajorities in the Indiana legislature,” he said. “We should be spending this money holding the House, not attacking conservative Republicans over an issue that’s already settled.”
The redistricting bill died last session after these five senators joined Democrats to block it. Mid-decade redistricting for political gain is rare and legally questionable in many states, which is why some Republicans refused to support it despite pressure from Trump and national GOP groups.
Walker, seeking his sixth term, says voters in his district care more about property taxes, schools, and roads than Washington power games. “They’re telling me loud and clear: focus on Indiana issues,” he said.
Yet the ads keep coming, and more outside money is on the way.
Hoosiers will decide in May whether Trump’s revenge campaign works, or whether standing up to Washington pressure still matters in a Republican primary.
These races have become the latest test of Trump’s grip on the party he remade. Five conservative senators who simply said “no” to an unusual power grab now fight for their political lives with millions of dark dollars arrayed against them.
