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In a unexpected move, Indiana Republicans rejected a plan to redistrict the state's U.S. House district boundaries on Thursday. This vote constitutes a direct defiance of former President Trump and wider national efforts to reconfigure voting maps to favor GOP candidates.

The Vote

The measure failed by a vote of 19 to 31. A notable coalition of twenty-one Republican lawmakers sided with ten Democrats to defeat the proposed redistricting plan.

Currently, Republicans represent 7 of Indiana's nine congressional districts. The defeated map was crafted to create GOP-leaning districts in every single one of the congressional seats. This would have been achieved through multiple major maneuvers:

• Splitting the Democratic stronghold of Indianapolis into four different congressional areas.
• Adding portions of Indianapolis voters to adjacent solidly GOP regions.
• Breaking up the northwest congressional district, currently held by Frank Mrvan, into two new areas.

Pivotal Republican

State Sen. Greg Goode (R), a crucial Republican defector, voted against the map. In a extended address to the chamber, he stated that his decision reflected the desires of his voters.

"I'm a Christian first, then an American citizen, then a conservative, then a member of the GOP – in that sequence," he stated. "I am certain that my vote reflects the view of my people."

Wider Gerrymandering Fight

This push in Indiana occurred amid a country-wide initiative by former President Trump to influence the redrawing of congressional maps to add more Republican seats ahead of next year's midterms. Republicans currently hold a razor-thin lead in the House and are broadly anticipated to lose ground in the forthcoming vote.

In other states, Republicans in the Lone Star State, the Tar Heel State, and Missouri have all redrawn districts to benefit their side. Meanwhile, Democrats have responded by redrawing districts in places such as California to potentially gain multiple Democratic seats. The Democratic party in the Commonwealth of Virginia are also ready to overhaul maps for party gain.

High-Stakes Lobbying

Donald Trump waged a aggressive effort to lobby Indiana Republicans to pass the map. Vice President JD Vance allegedly traveled to the Indiana Statehouse multiple times to lobby state senators.

In a message on his social media platform, the former president expressed his anger on Wednesday. "All other State has done Redistricting, readily, openly, and easily. There was no doubt in their minds that contributing to a WIN in the midterms for the Republicans was a good move to do for our Party, and for America itself," he posted. "Sadly, Indiana Senate “Leader” Senator Rod Bray seems to enjoy being the only person in the United States of America who is against the GOP gaining additional seats, in Indiana’s instance, 2 of them."

Threats and Attacks

In the days to the critical vote, some Indiana GOP senators allegedly were subjected to death threats and swatting attempts. Additionally, VP JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. publicly targeted Senate Leader Rod Bray (R) before the Thursday roll call.

The advocacy group Heritage Action, the advocacy branch of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, also weighed in, stating on the day of the vote that the state of Indiana would lose federal funding if it failed to pass the map. Their statement implied that key infrastructure initiatives and services would be jeopardized.