Indiana Republicans say they do not have the support necessary to pass a mid-cycle, partisan redistricting map more favorable to the party, despite an ongoing pressure campaign from the White House.
“The votes aren’t there for redistricting,” Molly Swigart, a spokesperson for the Indiana Senate Republican caucus, said in a Wednesday statement. The current map gives Republicans a 7-2 advantage in the state.
Trump held a personal phone call with reluctant state senators on Friday, but the plea failed to convince many lawmakers to support the measure.
So far, just five Senate Republicans have come out in favor of a mid-cycle redistricting plan, while three have said they oppose it, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. The remaining members of the 40-member caucus are either undecided or have not made definitive statements, including House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray.
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A recent poll commissioned by Unite America found that 44% of Hoosiers oppose redrawing the congressional districts, with just 31% supporting it.
Republican Gov. Mike Braun said in a post to X on Wednesday that he is “still having positive conversations with members of the legislature.”
“I am confident the majority of Indiana Statehouse Republicans will support efforts to ensure fair representation in congress for every Hoosier,” Braun continued.
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who also serves as president of the Senate, sharply criticized Republicans in a lengthy statement Wednesday for failing to unite behind the partisan redistricting plan.
“The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise, or collapse at the very moment courage is required,” Beckwith wrote, calling on GOP senators to “find your backbone” and back a “9-0 conservative map.”
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus this week criticized the redistricting effort for “diluting Black voting power” and “undermining the democratic process.” The concerns echo warnings from advocates around the country.
Republicans in North Carolina took the opposite approach on Wednesday, approving new state district maps that add one more Republican seat to the state’s already 10 Republican districts, ahead of four Democratic districts.
In Ohio, the state redistricting commission is charged with drawing a new map ahead of 2026 elections that would last until after the next census in 2030. NOTUS reported on Wednesday that the commission is struggling to meet deadlines. If the state redistricting commission does not act, state Republicans are eyeing the opportunity to pass a map by a simple majority that would be in place for two election cycles.
The redistricting battle kicked off in Texas in early September when Republicans in the state legislature advanced a redistricting map that would likely result in five fewer seats held by Democrats.
California responded, approving a state amendment that allows voters to approve a new redistricting process. Money from both parties has been pouring into the state to influence the ballot measure, but Democrats’ Yes on 50 committee reported raising more than twice as much as the two No committees combined. The Democratic National Committee has also allocated significant funds to the cause.
Other Republican-led states, including Missouri, Kansas and Utah, have taken steps toward drawing new maps at the request of Trump
“More seats equals less Crime, a great Economy, and a STRONG SECOND AMENDMENT. It means Happiness and Peace,” Trump posted on Truth Social in September. “But Republicans, there is one thing even better - STOP MAIL-IN VOTING, a total fraud that has no bounds. Also, go to PAPER BALLOTS before it is too late - At one tenth the cost, faster, and more reliable. If we do these TWO things, we will pick up 100 more seats, and the CROOKED game of politics is over.”
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