A surprising Indiana map defeat dealt a major setback to President Donald Trump on Thursday as the Indiana Senate rejected a redistricting plan that would have added two new GOP-leaning congressional districts. Despite an intense months-long pressure campaign by Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and outside conservative groups, 21 Republicans joined Democrats to vote the proposal down in a 31–19 decision.
The map would have eliminated the districts of Democratic Reps. Frank Mrvan and Andre Carson and expanded the GOP’s already strong foothold in a state where Republicans hold seven of nine House seats. But Senate Republican leaders insisted support simply wasn’t there. State Senate GOP leader Rodric Bray had previously signaled the chamber was split, and Trump repeatedly blasted him, warning he would “probably lose his next primary.”
Following the vote, Indiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Tallian praised lawmakers for rejecting the proposal, saying, “Upholding the rules is not an act of weakness – it is an act of responsibility.”
The defeat comes as Trump pushes an aggressive national redistricting effort ahead of the 2026 midterms, emphasizing Republicans “must keep the majority at all costs.” While GOP-led states like Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio have moved forward with new maps, battles are unfolding nationwide. Courts have blocked GOP-drawn maps in places like Utah, while Democrats in California and other blue states pursue their own redistricting expansions.
Trump vowed political consequences for Republicans who opposed the Indiana plan, saying he would “do everything within my power” to target them in primaries. For now, though, the president’s high-profile pressure campaign has hit a major roadblock.
