May 5: High-ranking Indiana Sen. Travis Holdman knocked off by Trump-endorsed challenger - Fort Wayne Business Weekly

+6 Fiechter +6 Stutzman +6 Brown +6 Carbaugh +6 Connolly EDITOR'S NOTE: Final unofficial Allen County results that came after Business Weekly's deadline show Republican County Councilman Paul Moss defeating his primary challenger, who mentioned the  possibility of a recount. This story has been updated to reflect the results and comments from both candidates are included. Final election results will be reported in May 15's Business Weekly. The highest-ranking Indiana state senator on President Donald Trump’s target list lost his Republican primary race. Sen. Travis Holdman of Markle was seeking reelection to his northeastern Indiana seat, but fell to Bluffton City Councilman Blake Fiechter. The Associated Press called Fiechter’s victory as he had received 60% of the vote in preliminary tallies. In Allen County, with 276 of 278 precincts reporting, voters chose Fiechter 61.23% to Holdman’s 38.77% of 962 votes. Holdman was looking to retain the Senate District 19 seat he’s held since 2008. He had considerable Statehouse clout as Senate majority caucus chair and leader of the chamber’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee. He was the highest-ranking member of the Senate’s GOP leadership to face a Trump-endorsed challenger after voting against the congressional redistricting bill in December. That made him something of a proxy for the ire Trump directed at Senate Republican leader, Rodric Bray, who isn’t up for reelection until 2028. Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Banks of Columbia City, wrote on X late May 5, “Big night for MAGA in Indiana. “Proud to have helped elect more conservative Republicans to the Indiana State Senate.” NBC News reported that Holdman was one of five unseated five Republican incumbents. The Indiana Democratic Party released a statement from Chair Karen Tallian on Indiana’s 2026 Primary Election that read in part, “Months ago, Donald Trump and his D.C. cronies came into our state and demanded Indiana gerrymander mid-decade to drown out the voices of Indianapolis and Northwest Indiana. Today, we’re proud (U.S. Reps.) André Carson (District 7) and Frank Mrvan (District 1) were overwhelmingly renominated to continue serving their communities. “... Trump and (Gov.) Mike Braun spent millions of dollars targeting their fellow Republicans. This fight reflects a party in shambles. They spent millions of dollars on ads attacking each other while Hoosiers struggle with $5/gallon gas.” Indiana’s general election is scheduled for Nov. 3. Other Allen County races Allen County voter turnout was at 6.27% of 267,927 registered voters. This year, registered voters could cast ballots of one of 53 vote centers. More from this section +3 Seasonal workers need this much to make ends meet this holiday season +5 Daniel Craig’s Tom Ford suit could fetch $53,000 at James Bond auction Large tax burden on Seattle businesses continues to grow, analysis shows Allen County voters gave overwhelming support to Republican U.S. Rep. Marlin A Stutzman’s bid for his 3rd District seat over challenger Jon M. Kenworthy, with 68.81% of the 6,397 votes. In November he’ll face Kelly Thompson, who had no challengers in the Democratic primary. Republican State Sen. Liz Brown of Fort Wayne edged past challenger Darren Vogt for the nod in the District 15 race, with Brown securing 51.72% of the 2,972 votes to Vogt’s 48.28%. Brown will face Julie McGill, who defeated Chloe Andis in the Democratic primary with 60.06% of the 2,163 votes. Republican State Rep. Martin Carbaugh held a commanding lead over challenger David Mervar in the District 81 race with 74.31% of the 1,623 votes. He’ll face Democrat Sharon L. Wight, who received 81.37% of the 934 votes over Chad Clevidence. On the county level, Republican Recorder Nicole Keesling had 63.49% of the 6,239 votes over challenger Robert Armstrong. She’ll face Democrat Cheyenne Stoppenhagen, who ran unopposed. County Commissioner Paul Moss won over challenger Ewelina Connolly by 67 votes, or 50.16% of the 21,179 total votes, in the District 3 race. As of now, he'll face Democratic Jorge Fernandez, who ran unopposed. However, Connelly in a statement mentioned the possibility of a recount. Connolly said in a written statement, "This campaign always focused on people, not private interests – on policy and real community issues, not politics. We ran on a vision for Allen County that is safe, connected, prosperous, and open for business. "The results reported today are close and not yet finalized. Given the Allen County Election Board’s technical challenges and close margin, a recount may be necessary. "We respect the process and are committed to ensuring every vote is accurately counted, and I will accept whatever the certified outcome is. I am deeply grateful to the volunteers, donors, and neighbors who have invested time, resources, kind words, and prayers in this effort." Moss said in a written statement, “This campaign has been about experience, integrity, and conservative principles, and I am grateful to voters throughout Allen County for their trust and support. I’ve spent my life in this community. It’s where I built a business, raised my family, and continue to serve. I understand the responsibility that comes with this role, and I look forward to the months ahead, meeting with voters and sharing my vision for Allen County’s future.” Mike Clendenen came out on top over challengers Kyle A. Kerley and Bryan K. Bohnke in the County Council District 1 race. He’ll face Democrat Melissa Fisher, who ran unopposed. Paul Lagemann lost his County Council District 3 seat, with challenger Eric (ET) Tippmann getting 57.80% of the 2,052 votes. Tippmann will face Democrat Stacey Freeman, who ran unopposed. Democrat State Rep. Phil GiaQuinta ran unopposed. No Republicans ran in the primary for that race. Final unofficial election results were released at 12:33 p.m. May 6. Earlier that morning Director of Elections Amy Scrogham of the Allen County Election Board released the following statement: "Although the Primary election results are taking additional time, we anticipate releasing unofficial results after 12:00 PM based on current tabulation rates. Despite the results being delayed, poll workers and most importantly, voters praised the process and convenience of being able to vote at any Vote Center on Election Day. "As we prepare for the upcoming General Election in November, we will be working with our Election vendor to increase technical capabilities so that results can be compiled and distributed earlier. This election was a learning process for utilizing Vote Centers in Allen County. Overall, we will always place accuracy over speed when distributing results." Tags Politics Of The United States Republican Party (united States) Elections United States Senate American Politicians Politics Political Events Presidency Of The United States United States Allen County, Indiana Rodric Bray Legislative Branch Of The United States Government Government United States House Of Representatives Democratic Party (united States) Organized Events Democracy Indiana Democratic Party Indiana Mike Braun André Carson Donald Trump Karen Tallian Jim Banks Factions In The Republican Party (united States) Election Accountability Related articles Oct. 6: Finalists announced for BBB Torch Awards for Ethics Oct. 6: Indiana tallies $13M boost off ‘blackout’ license plate sales, invests in BMV modernization Oct. 6: Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch donates nearly 3,000 pounds of food items to organizations Oct. 6: U.S. Postal Service will be closed in observance of Columbus Day, Oct. 12 Oct. 6: Congregation Achduth Vesholom holding corned beef on rye fundraiser Allen County Board of Commissioners - legislative session canceled Oct. 6: Purdue Fort Wayne opens renovated Doermer School of Business building Oct. 5: Vorderman Volkswagen celebrates remodeled dealership Oct. 5: Purdue Fort Wayne brings community together for inaugural Don Fest Oct. 5: Allen County Bar Foundation grant to fund courthouse, History Center tours Recommended for you × Post a comment as anonymous Emoticons [smile] [beam] [wink] [sad] [cool] [innocent] [rolleyes] [whistling] [lol] [huh] [tongue] [love] [sleeping] [yawn] [unsure] [angry] [blink] [crying] [ohmy] [scared] [sleep] [sneaky] [tongue_smile] [thumbdown] [thumbup] [censored] [happybirthday] [ban] [spam] [offtopic] [batman] [ninja] [pirate] [alien] Comment Text Cancel Post comment × Report Cancel Report Abuse × Watch this discussion. 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