Indiana Republicans are blocking the new congressional map in a rare break with Trump

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s Republican-led Senate voted against a redrawn congressional map Thursday that would have favored their party in the 2026 election, despite months of pressure from President Donald Trump for rare mid-session redistricting.

21 members of the Republican majority in the Senate and all 10 Democratic members of the Senate voted against the redistricting proposal. Trump urged GOP-led states to gerrymander their electoral districts before the midterm elections to create more seats that Republicans could win. It’s an unusual move, as district boundaries are typically adjusted based on the census every 10 years.

He watches: Some Indiana Republicans are resisting White House calls to redraw congressional maps

Before the vote, Trump again criticized Indiana senators who resisted the plan, repeating his pledge to support primary challengers against them.

“If Republicans do not do what is necessary to save our country, they will ultimately lose everything to the Democrats,” Trump wrote on social media. Some Indiana lawmakers also received violent threats during debate last month. Half of the state Senate is up for re-election in 2026.

Democratic state senators spoke out against the redistricting legislation one by one during Thursday’s session.

Senator Fadi Qaddoura said: “Competition is healthy, my friends.” “Any political party on earth that cannot run and win on the merits of its ideas does not deserve to govern.”

Outside the state Senate chamber, opponents of redistricting chanted “Vote no!” and “Fair Maps!” While they carried signs with slogans such as “Losers cheat.”

The proposed map is designed to give Republicans control of all nine congressional seats in Indiana, up from the seven they currently hold. It would effectively erase Indiana’s two Democratic-controlled districts by dividing Indianapolis into four districts that extend into rural areas, reshaping the city’s safe zone for U.S. Rep. Andre Carson. It would also eliminate the Northwest Indiana district controlled by U.S. Rep. Frank Murvan.

Despite Trump’s efforts, support for gerrymandering in the Indiana Senate was uncertain. Dozens of the state’s 50 senators did not publicly commit to a position before the vote.

Republican Senator Greg Good, who is undecided, indicated his dissatisfaction with the redistricting plan. In firm statements, he said that some of his constituents objected to dividing their district or combining it with Indianapolis. He expressed his “love” for Trump, but criticized what he called “excessive pressure” from inside and outside the state.

Sen. Michael Young, another Republican, said the stakes in Congress justify redistricting, with Democrats only a few seats away from flipping control of the U.S. House in 2026. “I know this election is going to be very close,” he said.

Republican Sen. Mike Gaskill, the sponsor of the redistricting legislation, showed senators maps of congressional districts across the country, including several that focus on Democratic-controlled seats in New England and Illinois. He said Republicans in other states and Indiana should play by the same rules.

Nationally, midcycle redistricting has so far resulted in nine additional congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six more congressional seats that Democrats believe they can win. However, redistricting is being litigated in several states.

Texas, Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina quickly enacted new maps favoring the Republican Party, while voters in California approved a new congressional map favoring the Democrats in response to Texas. And in Utah, a judge imposed new districts that could allow Democrats to win a seat, saying Republican lawmakers violated voter-backed standards against gerrymandering.

The bill cleared its first hurdle on Monday with a 6-3 Senate committee vote, though one Republican joined Democrats in opposing it and a few others indicated they might vote against the final version. The state House of Representatives approved the proposal last week, with 12 Republicans standing alongside Democrats in opposition.

They included State Rep. Ed Clare, who said state troopers responded to a false message claiming there was a pipe bomb outside his home Wednesday evening. Indiana State Police said “several others” had received threats but did not provide details about the ongoing investigation.

In an interview, Cleary said these threats were the inevitable result of Trump’s pressure campaign and “winner-takes-all mentality.”

“Words have consequences,” Cleary said.

The White House has launched a strong pressure campaign. Vice President J.D. Vance met twice with Indiana Senate GOP leaders, including the full caucus in October, and senators also visited him in Washington.

Trump joined a conference call with senators on October 17 to deliver his own 15-minute pitch. State Sen. Andy Zay said White House political aides remained in frequent contact for more than a month, even after he endorsed the bill, urging him to support it publicly and track developments among colleagues as part of “holistic journalism.”

Vollmert reported from Lansing, Michigan. Associated Press writer Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed.