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Greg Goode wins Republican nomination, beats Trump-backed challenger

State Senator Greg Goode
George Hale
/
WFIU/WTIU News
Sen. Greg Goode at a town hall event during the Indiana special session on congressional redistricting.

State Senator Greg Goode defeated a Trump-backed challenger to keep his seat in the District 38 Republican primary. AP called the race for Goode.

Goode, from Terre Haute, drew the president’s ire for refusing to back his congressional redistricting push in Indiana, which failed. Trump labeled Goode as a RINO (Republican in name only) and threw his support behind his opponent Brenda Wilson, a member of the Vigo County Council.

The race drew attention nationally as a bellwether of the president’s influence over his party. Data from AdImpact shows that pro-Trump groups have spent nearly $7 million on ads this year targeting Indiana senators who opposed drawing new congressional maps.

"Folks here in Western Indiana, we made it about the district and at the same time blocked out all the noise and all of the drama while we did the work," Goode said.

Read more: Trump promised to defeat Republicans who rejected redistricting. Will it work?

The White House and State Capitol also unsuccessfully urged a second challenger, Alexandra Wilson (no relation) to drop out of the race.

Despite denouncement from the head of his party, Goode outpaced Brenda Wilson in pre-primary fundraising by nearly half a million dollars.

“I’m just elated,” Goode said of the primary result. “We have put in a ton of hard work into this campaign, really a ton of hard work ever since I was sworn in in November of 2023.”

Before he voted against redistricting, Goode held a listening session with constituents. He said Tuesday night that if the issue comes up again, "What I will do is I will replicate what I did on this last vote. I will go directly to my constituents. I will do another town hall, and I'll continue to take soundings on it. I will say, I hope it does not come up.”

President Trump gave him the nickname "No Goode."

“I voted for Donald Trump on three different occasions: 2016, 2020, and 2024," Goode said Tuesday night. "He's the only presidential candidate I've ever donated to on so many issues. Most issues I find agreement, and I especially appreciate what he's trying to do on shoring American jobs and securing the southern border, and things like his Trump accounts.”

Ethan Sandweiss is a multimedia journalist for Indiana Public Media. He has previously worked with KBOO News as an anchor, producer, and reporter. Sandweiss was raised in Bloomington and graduated from Reed College with a degree in History.

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