Republicans join Democrats rejecting Trump’s map

The Indiana Senate has rejected an electoral map intended to favor Republicans in the 2026 midterms, defying a months-long pressure campaign by the White House.

Enough Republican state lawmakers have joined all Democrats in resisting changes that would otherwise occur every 10 years to reflect changing populations.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Republican leaders to redraw the maps favorably in the party’s favor has sparked a nationwide redistricting battle.

Several states have moved toward redistricting, including Republican-led Texas and Democratic-led California, two of the largest states in the country.

Other states where redistricting efforts have been launched or passed include Utah, Ohio, New Hampshire, Missouri and Illinois.

In Indiana, the new map passed by the House last week would have redistricted the state and given Republicans an advantage of two additional seats, but it was rejected Thursday by a vote of 19 to 31.

“My opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering does not contrast with my conservative principles, my opposition is motivated by them,” Republican Sen. Spencer Deery said before the vote.

“As long as I breathe, I will use my voice to resist a federal government that attempts to intimidate, rule and control this state or any state. Giving more power to the federal government is not conservative.”

Indiana’s Republican governor, Mike Braun, said he was “very disappointed” with the outcome of the vote.

“I will work with the president to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers,” he said on X.

The challenge from Indiana Republicans follows 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 state Senate Republican leader Rodric Bray, who had resisted the effort, calling him “the only person in the United States of America who is opposed to Republicans gaining additional seats.”

In the weeks leading up to the vote, Trump hosted Indiana lawmakers at the White House to win over holdouts.

He also sent Vice President J.D. Vance to Indiana twice to build support.

Nearly a dozen Indiana Republican lawmakers said they were the targets of death threats and violent attacks ahead of the planned vote.

Ultimately, the redistricting efforts failed, constituting another setback for the Trump administration. That includes a string of recent Democratic victories in off-year elections.

Thursday’s defeat appears to have increased Republican concerns.

“We have a huge problem,” former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said on his podcast The War Room.

“People need to understand that we only have a few opportunities,” he said.

“If we don’t get a net 10 increase in the redistricting wars, it’s going to be extremely difficult, 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 because they were drawn illegally on the basis of race, the Supreme Court allowed Texas Republicans to move forward.

This decision constitutes a major victory for the Republicans, the new maps expected to give them five additional seats. California’s map is also expected to add five seats for Democrats.