Despite belonging mostly to Donald Trump's party, Indiana state legislators turned their backs on the president and rejected a proposal to redraw the state's electoral district map, dealing a blow to the president's strategy to maintain his party's control of Congress next year.

Thus, 21 Senators from the Republican supermajority and all 10 Democrats in the House rejected the redistricting proposal, despite pressure from Trump, who has urged Republican-majority states to manipulate U.S. House of Representatives congressional districts before the midterm elections to create more seats Republicans are likely to win. This is an unusual move, as district boundaries are typically adjusted based on the census every 10 years. Before the vote, Trump again criticized the Indiana senators who resisted the plan, repeating his promise to back their primary opponents. “If Republicans don’t do what is necessary to save our country, they will end up losing everything to the Democrats,” Trump wrote on social media. Some Indiana lawmakers have also received violent threats during the debate over the past month. Half of the state Senate will be up for reelection in 2026. Democratic state senators spoke out against the one-for-one redistricting legislation during Thursday's session. “Competition is healthy, my friends,” said Sen. Fady Qaddoura. “Any political party in the world that cannot run and win based on the merit of its ideas is not worthy to govern.” “Let there be no doubt: I, like many who will join me in voting against it today, am a constitutional, fiscal, and religious conservative. To me, that means believing in preserving the values, culture, and institutions that gave rise to American exceptionalism,” said Indiana State Sen. Spencer Deery, a Republican, before the vote.

“My opposition to mid-cycle election manipulation does not contradict my conservative principles,” he added.

The proposed map was designed to give Republicans control of all nine of Indiana’s congressional seats, compared to the seven they currently hold. It would eliminate Indiana’s two Democratic districts by splitting Indianapolis into four districts that extend into rural areas, thus restructuring U.S. Rep. Andre Carson’s safe district in the city. It would also eliminate the Northwest Indiana district, held by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan.

Nationally, mid-cycle redistricting has resulted in nine more seats in Congress that Republicans believe they can win and six more that Democrats believe they can win. However, redistricting is being litigated in several states.