Indiana’s Republican-controlled Senate rejected a proposed congressional map on Thursday, delivering a rare rebuke to President Donald Trump and derailing a plan that could have expanded GOP representation in Washington ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
The bill, which had passed the state House last week, failed in the Senate by a vote of 31–19 after 21 Republicans joined all 10 Democrats to oppose the measure.
The defeat in Indiana marks one of the most striking setbacks yet in Trump’s nationwide effort to pressure GOP-led legislatures to redraw political maps in the party’s favor.
Had the measure passed, Republicans stood a chance of flipping Indiana’s only two Democratic-held congressional seats — including the district represented by André Carson, the state’s lone Black member of Congress.
Trump has spent months urging state leaders to support aggressive mid-cycle redistricting, a strategy embraced in states such as Texas and California as both parties seek an advantage in the battle for control of the U.S. House.
Several Indiana Republicans framed their opposition as a stand against federal intrusion.
State Senator Spencer Deery argued that supporting the near-term political gain would undermine conservative principles.
“My opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast to my conservative principles, my opposition is driven by them,” Deery said before the vote.
He added that he would “use [his] voice to resist a federal government that attempts to bully, direct, and control this state or any state.”
Other lawmakers reported facing intense pressure from Trump allies and, in some cases, threats of violence. Nearly a dozen Republican legislators said they were targeted with swatting attempts and death threats in the days leading up to the vote, according to local reports.
The decision follows direct lobbying from Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, who hosted Indiana lawmakers at the White House and made two visits to the state to rally support.
Trump warned on Truth Social on Wednesday that Republicans who opposed the map risked losing their seats, and singled out Senate leader Rodric Bray, accusing him of blocking GOP gains.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun expressed disappointment after the bill’s failure.
“I will be working with the President to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers,” he said on X.
Conservative commentator and former White House strategist Steve Bannon echoed concern on his “War Room” podcast, saying Republicans are running out of opportunities.
“If we don’t get a net 10 pickup in the redistricting wars, it’s going to be enormously hard, if not impossible, to hold the House,” Bannon warned.
For activists opposed to the map, the vote was a surprise win. Demonstrators gathered at the Indiana Statehouse throughout the week.
Keith “Wildstyle” Paschall, an Indianapolis-based activist, said the atmosphere after the vote was “jubilant.”
“People had thought that we would have to move on to a legal strategy and didn’t believe we could defeat it directly at the statehouse,” he told the BBC.
The proposal would have reconfigured parts of Indianapolis, a change critics said targeted minority voters and threatened Carson’s long-held seat.
Indiana’s vote comes as redistricting battles intensify across the U.S.
According to Reuters and the Associated Press, Trump has urged Republican officials nationwide to pursue maps that maximize GOP gains heading into 2026 and 2028.
Texas was the first to respond. After a lower court blocked the state’s maps on racial discrimination grounds, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the GOP-controlled legislature to move ahead — a decision expected to add several Republican seats.
California, by contrast, approved new lines expected to give Democrats five additional seats, illustrating the polarized national landscape.
Africa Digital News, New York
