Indiana House passes new Republican-drawn congressional map

The Indiana House on Friday approved a new congressional map intended to give two seats to Republicans, setting off a clash over the redistricting effort pushed by President Donald Trump in the state Senate.

The bill passed the state House, 57-41. But Indiana Senate Republican leaders said there isn’t enough support for the map, which is designed to give the GOP control of the state’s nine congressional districts. But the White House has been pressuring reluctant Indiana lawmakers for months to redraw their map as Trump seeks to consolidate his party’s narrow majority in the House of Representatives ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

The fight has been divisive, leading to threats of primary challenges and violent harassment against Republican lawmakers who oppose the new map. At least 11 Republican elected officials in Indiana have been the victims of “swatting” attempts, or false police reports intended to provoke an alarming response from law enforcement, as well as other threats.

Representatives Andre Carson and Frank Mrvan are currently the only Democrats representing Indiana in Congress. The map drawn by the Republicans would divide their districts. He proposes dividing Indianapolis into four districts, diluting the center of the state’s Democratic vote and dividing the Democratic-leaning northwest part of the state into two districts.

The map was drawn with politics first and foremost in mind, said Rep. Ben Smaltz, the Republican who introduced the legislation. He said it was drawn by the National Republican Redistricting Trust, a group that also drew the new Texas map.

The map passed the state House after more than three hours of remarks and condemnation from Democrats.

“This is a direct attack on the system, but more importantly, it is a blatant indication that you don’t care what Hoosiers want,” said state House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta.

Democratic state Rep. Matt Pierce criticized Republicans for attempting to completely remove Democrats from the state’s congressional delegation and for conducting a rushed and unusual redistricting process.

“Imagine having to be a member of Congress and, when you look at issues, having to represent communities in the middle of Indianapolis and communities in rural areas along the river, it’s a really difficult thing to do,” he said.

While House Speaker Todd Huston made brief remarks in support of the map, Smaltz was the only other Republican to speak in its defense Friday.

“While the census anchors the process, nothing in the law prevents a legislative body from revisiting the maps when circumstances require,” he said.

Indiana is just the latest state to engage in an unusually aggressive mid-decade redistricting campaign at Trump’s behest. Republicans received a boost Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas to use its new map, which could give the party up to five seats in the 2026 elections.

California followed suit with a Democratic-drawn map that aims to reverse any Republican Party gains in Texas that voters approved last month.

Republicans in Missouri and North Carolina have adopted new maps that could give the party an additional House seat in each state. Ohio lawmakers passed new district boundaries that could give Republicans a slight boost, while a court-ordered map in Utah would likely result in a one-seat gain for Democrats.

Elsewhere, Florida Republicans and Virginia Democrats have taken initial steps to redraw their maps, efforts that will continue into next year.