The Indiana Senate has rejected a voting map meant to favour Republicans in the 2026 midterms, defying a months-long pressure campaign by the White House.
Enough Republican lawmakers in the state joined all Democrats to resist the changes that otherwise would occur every 10 years to reflect population change.
US President Donald Trump’s call for Republican leaders to advantageously redraw maps to favour the party has sparked a nationwide redistricting battle.
Multiple states have moved to redistrict, including Republican-led Texas and Democrat-led California, two of the country’s largest states.
Other states where redistricting efforts have been initiated or passed include Utah, Ohio, New Hampshire, Missouri and Illinois.
In Indiana, the new map passed last week by the House would have redistricted the state and given Republicans an advantage of two extra seats, but it was voted down on Thursday by a 19-31 vote.
“My opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast to my conservative principles, my opposition is driven by them,” Republican Senator Spencer Deery said ahead of the vote.
“As long as I have breath, I will use my voice to resist a federal government that attempts to bully, direct, and control this state or any state. Giving the federal government more power is not conservative.”
Indiana Governor Mike Braun, a Republican, said he was “very disappointed” in the vote’s outcome.
“I will be working with the President to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers,” he said on X.
Indiana Republicans’ defiance comes after direct pressure from Trump.
On Wednesday, Trump warned on his social media platform Truth Social that Republicans who did not support the initiative could risk losing their seats.
He directly addressed the Republican leader of the state Senate, Ryan Bray, who had resisted efforts, calling him “the only person in the United States of America who is against Republicans picking up extra seats”.
In the weeks before the vote, Trump hosted Indiana lawmakers at the White House to win over holdouts.
He also sent Vice-President JD Vance down to Indiana twice to shore up support.
Nearly a dozen Indiana Republican lawmakers have said they were targeted with death threats and swatting attacks over the planned vote.
Ultimately, the redistricting effort fell flat, becoming another setback for the Trump administration. This includes a string of recent Democratic wins in off-year elections.
The defeat on Thursday appears to have added to Republicans’ concerns.
“We have a huge problem,” said former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon during his podcast, The War Room.
“People have to realize that we only have a couple opportunities,” he said. “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.”
Texas was the first state to respond to Trump’s redistricting request.
After a lower court blocked the maps for being drawn illegally based on race, the Supreme Court allowed Texas Republicans to go ahead.
The decision was a major win for Republicans, with the new maps expected to add five seats in their favour. California’s map is also expected to add five seats for Democrats.
By BBC News
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