Indiana GOP senators refuse Trump’s redistricting push for December session
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Indiana Senate Republicans refuse to attend President Donald Trump’s December redistricting hearing; This decision was first announced on Friday. Indiana Capital Chronicle and a development that marks a significant rupture in Trump’s political operation as states prepare for the 2026 midterms.
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said in a written statement that there were not enough votes in the GOP caucus to reopen Indiana’s congressional map, according to the Chronicle. Lawmakers were expected to reconvene on Dec. 1 for an unusual attempt to redraw all nine congressional districts by the middle of the decade.
“Over the past several months, Senate Republicans have taken a very serious and thoughtful look at redrawing our state’s congressional maps,” Bray said, according to the Chronicle. he said. “There are not enough votes to move this idea forward.”
Gov. Mike Braun has called for lawmakers to convene in November to address redistricting, arguing that Republicans should add additional GOP-leaning districts before Democrats in other states finalize their own map changes.
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Indiana Gov. Mike Braun criticized state senators for blocking a special session scheduled for redistricting on Dec. 1. (ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images)
He called on lawmakers to “come out and do the right thing,” according to a statement released by his office.
Indiana’s current map, drawn by Republicans in 2021, gives the GOP a 7-2 congressional advantage. Redistricting supporters had asked lawmakers to produce a map showing all nine districts favoring Republicans, based on 2020 Census data.
The move comes after months of pressure from Trump allies, including strategist Marty Obst, who now leads the group Fair Maps Indiana. Obst told the Chronicle that Bray “obstructed the special session” and warned that “decisions will have consequences.”
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Governor Braun previously served in the United States Senate before his election in 2024. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Eight Republican state senators openly oppose redistricting, while 13 have expressed support, the Chronicle reported. Undecided senators have been targeted by a wave of television, digital and mail ad campaigns by pro-redistricting groups.
Democrats were quick to praise Bray’s announcement. “People in Washington pressured the governor to rig Indiana’s congressional maps,” Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder told the Chronicle, calling the collapse of the effort “a victory for all of us.”
The poll, cited by the Chronicle, suggested that Indiana voters also oppose revisiting the maps. University of Indianapolis political science professor Laura Merrifield Wilson told the Chronicle that polls show a roughly two-to-one lead over a mid-decade redraw.
The Indiana Statehouse is seen in Indianapolis on May 5, 2017. Four statewide elected officials in Indiana, including the attorney general and secretary of state, would be allowed to carry handguns in the state Capitol, thanks to a bill sent to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
The rejection of Trump’s request makes Indiana the first Republican state to officially reject Trump’s redistricting push. The president has promoted similar efforts in various states, with varying results.
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Some of the effort’s loudest supporters have signaled they will continue to press the issue. State Sen. Liz Brown called the move “cowardly” on social media and vowed to re-increase restrictions when lawmakers return for Organization Day next week, according to screenshots published by the Chronicle.
The White House, Bray’s office and Braun’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
