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In a dramatic move, Indiana Republicans defeated a plan to reshape the state's U.S. House map on Thursday afternoon. This vote marks a direct rejection of Donald Trump and broader GOP-led campaigns to gerrymander voting maps to advantage Republican candidates.

The Final Tally

The proposal failed by a vote of 19 to 31. A significant group of 21 Republican senators voted alongside ten Democrats to block the proposed redistricting plan.

Currently, GOP representatives hold 7 of Indiana's 9 congressional seats. The rejected plan was engineered to establish GOP-leaning districts in all nine House districts. This was intended to be accomplished through multiple major changes:

• Splitting the Democratic base of the state capital into four separate districts.
• Adding portions of Indianapolis electorate to nearby solidly GOP districts.
• Splitting the northwest congressional district, currently represented by Democrat Frank Mrvan, into two separate areas.

Key Holdout

State Sen. Greg Goode (R), a pivotal GOP holdout, rejected the redistricting bill. In a lengthy address to the chamber, he asserted that his decision was in line with the wishes of his voters.

"I'm a Christian first and foremost, then an American citizen, then a conservative, then a Republican – in that priority," he said. "I'm confident that my decision aligns with the view of my people."

Broader Battle

This effort in the Hoosier State took place amid a nationwide push by former President Trump to pressure the redistricting of congressional maps to create more GOP seats ahead of next year’s midterms. Republicans currently hold a very slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and are widely expected to lose seats in the upcoming election.

In other states, Republicans in Texas, the Tar Heel State, and the Show-Me State have all enacted maps to benefit their party. At the same time, Democratic legislators have retaliated by redrawing maps in places such as the Golden State to potentially gain multiple seats. Democrats in the Commonwealth of Virginia are also poised to overhaul their maps for party advantage.

High-Stakes Lobbying

Donald Trump engaged in a bare-knuckled push to lobby Hoosier Republicans to pass the redistricting plan. Vice-president JD Vance reportedly traveled to the state capitol on several occasions to meet with lawmakers.

In a statement on his Truth Social, the former president expressed his anger on Wednesday. "Every other State has done redistricting, willingly, openly, and easily. There was never a question in their mind that contributing to a victory in the midterms for the Republican Party was a great move to do for our Party, and for America itself," he posted. "Sadly, Indiana Senate Leader Senator Rod Bray enjoys being the only person in the United States of America who is opposed to Republicans gaining extra seats, in Indiana's case, 2 of them."

Pressure Tactics

In the days to the critical vote, some Indiana GOP senators allegedly faced threats of violence and swatting incidents. Furthermore, VP J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr. openly criticized Senator Rod Bray (R) before the Thursday vote.

The advocacy group Heritage Action, the advocacy branch of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, also weighed in, claiming on Thursday that the state would lose federal funding if it did not pass the map. Their message warned that key state projects and services would be impacted.