The Republican-led Indiana Senate voted against a proposal backed by President Donald Trump to change the state’s Congressional map, which would have likely flipped two Democratic seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The effort to pass a new map failed in a 19-31 vote despite Trump’s public pressure on Indiana Republicans to follow in the steps of red states such as Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina and give the GOP a better advantage in next year’s pivotal elections. The Republican-favored proposal passed the Indiana House last week by a vote of 57-41, but ran into Republican opposition in the state Senate.
On Wednesday, Trump warned that any Republican who voted against the redistricting proposal would be met with a “MAGA primary,” adding, “If Republicans will not do what is necessary to save our Country, they will eventually lose everything to the Democrats.”
Last month, Trump blasted Indiana state senators who pushed back on his redistricting calls, saying that he was “very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats.”
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“The Democrats have done redistricting for years, often illegally, and all other appropriate Republican States have done it,” Trump added. “Because of these two politically correct type ‘gentlemen,’ and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL!”
Vice President JD Vance accused Indiana Senate Republican leader Rodric Bray of telling the White House that he wouldn’t fight the redistricting effort “while simultaneously whipping his members against it.” Bray denied the accusations leveled against him by the vice president, saying, “Typically my style is to let people vote like they want. They could come with a yes or come with a no. It’s exactly what I did this time.”
After Indiana Republican Governor Mike Braun called for state lawmakers to reconvene for a special session on redistricting, Bray warned that there wasn’t enough support among GOP state senators to pass a new map.
“Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state’s congressional maps. I’m announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December,” Bray said in a statement on November 14.
Trump said on Wednesday that if the redistricting vote failed, “Rod Bray and his friends won’t be in Politics for long, and I will do everything within my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party, and our Country, again.”
The redistricting effort is just one of several around the country, with the Supreme Court ordering that Texas’ map with five additional Republican-favored districts could go forward. California passed Prop. 50 in November, which would allow five more Democrat-favored districts in the Golden State, and it is facing an ongoing lawsuit from the Justice Department. Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana are among the states with active redistricting battles, but it could end up leading to similar numbers favoring both parties overall, according to Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman.
The battle comes amid tight margins in the House ahead of 2026, with Republicans currently holding 220 seats compared with Democrats, who hold 213 seats. Two seats are currently vacant.
Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.