President Donald Trump-backed candidate Trevor De Vries was leading by a comfortable margin in the race for the GOP nomination in the Indiana State Senate’s First District Tuesday night.
De Vries was unable to immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Three Republicans — De Vries, incumbent state Sen. Dan Dernulc and financial analyst Nader Liddawi — campaigned to be the Republican party candidate. Democrat Scott Houldieson ran unopposed.
With 73% of the votes counted, De Vries was ahead with 4,780, or 75.8% of the vote. Dernulc was a distant second with 1,425, or 22.6%, and Liddawi was in third with 101, or 1.6%.
Trump endorsed De Vries in a Truth Social post, calling incumbent Dernulc “a ‘RINO’ LOSER.” Gov. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Attorney General Todd Rokita also endorsed De Vries.
De Vries’ goals included expanding school choices for families, ending abortion on demand, strengthening gun rights, securing elections, providing energy choices that lower costs, cleaning up the food supply, and putting Hoosiers first.
“Trevor is committed to putting people first, strengthening families, growing our economy, and advancing conservative, community-focused policies,” his website says.
Dernulc sought reelection after first being elected state senator in 2022. He previously told the Post-Tribune that his political experience, including his time as a Lake County councilman and GOP chairman, made him stand out to voters, but if reelected, he believed this would be his last term.
In December, Dernulc voted against a bill to redistrict Indiana’s Congressional districts, according to Post-Tribune archives, which would have redrawn both Northwest Indiana’s First District and Indianapolis’ Seventh District into Republican-leaning seats. Trump endorsed primary opponents of those who voted against the plan, which was hatched by his political operatives to ensure Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I think it will directly affect a lot of the way that people vote,” Dernulc said in an April interview. “Keep in mind, this is a primary, so it’s a party function. I’m a Republican, and I have to make sure that my Republican folks are engaged and know the facts.”
Dernulc did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Liddawi congratulated De Vries Tuesday night, saying Trump’s endorsement “probably sealed the deal.”
“He did a really good job in the campaign,” Liddawi said. “He ran a really good ground game, and he had a lot of the money behind him.”
Liddawi didn’t have political experience, which he previously told the Post-Tribune that he viewed as an advantage. He was concerned about Northwest Indiana’s economic potential, and Liddawi wanted to focus on lowering utility costs and property taxes.
He wants to see De Vries fight for more affordability for constituents if he’s elected in November. Liddawi also hopes to not see as much of an emphasis on intra-party fighting, like with redistricting efforts.
“The race shouldn’t have been about redistricting,” Liddawi said. “Redistricting is a one-time event, but we’ve got to focus on affordability, and the party and the district has to rally around Trevor.”
