The Indiana state Senate has voted against a redistricting map intended to bolster President Donald Trump’s strategy for maintaining Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a Thursday vote, all 10 Democrats and 21 Republicans in the state Senate rejected the map—approved by the Indiana House of Representatives—leaving only 19 senators supporting redistricting efforts.
President Trump has threatened to target Indiana Republicans who opposed the measure, warning that “anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring.” Vice President JD Vance condemned Indiana GOP leadership, stating: “Rod Bray, the Senate leader in Indiana, has consistently told us he wouldn’t fight redistricting while simultaneously whipping his members against it. That level of dishonesty cannot be rewarded, and the Indiana GOP needs to choose a side.”
Republican state Senator Spencer Deery emphasized that voters should decide midterm outcomes rather than partisan maps: “I, like a supermajority of you, do not want to see another Democrat Speaker of the House,” he said. “But that isn’t for me to decide, and it isn’t for anyone in this body to decide either.”
The conflict has intensified with violent threats targeting opponents. Indiana State Senator Jean Leising reported a pipe bomb threat at her home on Saturday evening. Republican State Senator Greg Walker described receiving similar intimidation attempts linked to his opposition, stating: “I fear for this institution, I fear for the state of Indiana, and I fear for all states if we allow intimidation and threats to become the norm.”
With the vote, Indiana Republicans now face potential presidential retaliation in future elections.
