President Donald Trump suffered a rare and striking defeat on Thursday as Indiana Republicans rejected his aggressive effort to redraw congressional lines to eliminate the state’s only two Democratic-held House seats. The vote: 19 in favor, 31 against.
The failed scheme represents a major setback for Trump’s broader effort to reshape the House ahead of the 2026 midterms, an unprecedented push to use mid-cycle gerrymandering to wipe out Democratic representation in GOP-run states. No state faced the pressure Trump applied in Indiana—politically or personally.
Trump leaned hard on Indiana lawmakers. He promised to back primary challengers against anyone who defied him. Vice President JD Vance made multiple trips to the state capitol to lobby Republican senators. And as the political pressure mounted, so did threats of real-world violence.
After the first special session on redistricting called by Gov. Mike Braun in November, Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray warned that the GOP “did not have the votes to pass the map.” Lawmakers who tried to adjourn the session became targets: Sen. Spencer Deery, Sen. Greg Walker, and Sen. Greg Goode were victims of attempted swatting. Sen. Jean Leising received a pipe bomb threat. Sen. Linda Rogers reported repeated threats at both her home and her business.
Trump’s public attacks amplified the intimidation.
“Indiana Senate ‘Leader’ Rod Bray enjoys being the only person in the United States of America who is against Republicans picking up extra seats, in Indiana’s case, two of them,” Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. “He is putting every ounce of his limited strength into asking his soon to be very vulnerable friends to vote with him. By doing so, he is putting the Majority in the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., at risk and, at the same time, putting anybody in Indiana who votes against this Redistricting, likewise, at risk.”
Trump promised he would “do everything within my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party, and our Country, again.”
Yet, despite the threats and pressure, a small group of Republicans refused to bend. During debate, those opposing the map emphasized both their conservative credibility and the threat gerrymandering poses to democracy itself. Sen. Gary Byrne warned:
“No one benefits when we shield those who hold power from the will of the voters. Fighting fire with fire burns the world down.”
Indiana Republicans’ decision not to redraw the map marks a rare rebuke of Trump’s political power. In a moment that blends political drama with real-world danger, GOP lawmakers stood against both the president and the threat of violence, preserving the state’s Democratic representation for now.
