The Indiana Senate voted 31 to 19 against a congressional redistricting plan pushed by former President Donald Trump aimed at helping Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. The chamber is 40‑member Republican but the bill failed, marking the first time Trump’s mid‑decade redistricting campaign has been rejected by members of his own party.
Republican state Sen. Spencer Deery said his opposition was rooted in conservative principles, telling colleagues that resisting federal overreach and “mid‑cycle gerrymandering” was consistent with his beliefs. Democrats, who hold just two of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats, also opposed the plan, arguing it would dilute minority voting power.
Mid‑decade redistricting is unusual; states typically redraw maps soon after the decennial census. Trump has urged Republican‑led states to pursue mid‑decade maps to blunt Democratic gains and shore up the U.S. House majority in 2026. Some Republican states, including Texas, Missouri and North Carolina, moved forward with similar efforts earlier.
The vote followed weeks of internal GOP turmoil in Indiana. Protesters outside the Statehouse chanted “vote no” and “Hoosiers fight fair.” Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican who backed the plan, and Trump had warned they might support primary challenges against lawmakers who opposed redistricting. Amid tensions, some lawmakers reported anonymous threats against themselves and their families.
Vice President Vance criticized Senate leadership on social media during the debate, saying Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray had privately told the administration he wouldn’t block redistricting while publicly encouraging no votes; Bray ultimately voted against the measure. Supporters of the plan framed it as necessary political strategy, noting Democratic‑led states have previously redrawn maps to benefit their party. Republican Sen. Mike Young argued that a small number of districts nationwide could determine control of Congress and urged colleagues to “play the game” to help keep the nation in Republican hands.
The defeat in Indiana is a setback for the broader push for mid‑decade redistricting aimed at influencing the 2026 midterms and underscores divisions within the GOP over whether to pursue aggressive map changes outside the usual post‑census cycle.
Ben Thorp is a reporter for WFYI. Larry Kaplow is with NPR.
