(INDIANAPOLIS) - Top Trump White House aides repeatedly pressured Republican candidate Alexandra Wilson to leave Indiana's Senate District 38 primary, even floating possible state jobs and board appointments as part of the push to clear the race for the candidate President Trump had endorsed.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle, WTHR and the Indianapolis Star all report the pressure campaign unfolded in the days before Indiana's February 13 withdrawal deadline.
At the center of the issue was name confusion.
White House political aides worried Alexandra Wilson's name could be confused with Trump-endorsed Republican Brenda Wilson, who is challenging State Senator Greg Goode after his vote against congressional redistricting.
According to calls, texts and voicemails Alexandra Wilson later released, White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair and political director Matt Brasseaux repeatedly urged her to step aside.
The conversations went beyond political advice.
In recorded calls, aides discussed possible state board appointments and other taxpayer-funded government roles if Wilson chose what they described as another route to public service instead of staying in the race.
At the same time, Wilson was warned the primary could become "really nasty", with national groups and outside money expected to pour into the contest.
The outreach also extended into Indiana government.
Governor Mike Braun's chief of staff Joshua Kelley texted Wilson about possible opportunities, and Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith also reached out by voicemail.
Wilson, a Republican first-time candidate, stayed in the race and then made the communications public, turning the story into a broader look at how aggressively Washington and state GOP power centers were working to shape the ballot in one Indiana legislative primary.
The District 38 race remains one of the most closely watched Republican primaries in the state because it is tied directly to fallout from Indiana's redistricting fight.