Indiana House Republicans move forward with 9-0 congressional map, sending proposal to state Senate

On Friday, the Indiana House of Representatives approved a new congressional district plan designed to favor Republicans in all nine U.S. House districts. The measure passed with a 57-41 vote and now heads to the Republican-controlled state Senate, which will reconvene on December 8.

Several Republican senators have expressed opposition to the redistricting, though it is uncertain whether their resistance will be sufficient to block the legislation. State Senator Kyle Walker, one of the GOP dissenters, recently announced he will not seek reelection. Other opponents, Senators Eric Bassler and Greg Walker, are also leaving office and have voiced objections to the plan.

The redistricting debate in Indiana has been fraught with tension, including reports of bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting lawmakers. Republican State Senator Jean Leising, who opposes the plan, disclosed she received a pipe bomb threat and attributed it to national political pressures, asserting that she would not back down.

The bill advanced through the House elections committee with eight Republicans supporting it, while one Republican joined all four Democrats in opposition. For months, the White House had urged Indiana, a state Donald Trump won by 19 points, to redraw its congressional map to challenge the two Democratic incumbents. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other administration officials met with state Republicans to advocate for the change.

Governor Mike Braun called for a special legislative session in November to address redistricting, but Senate President Rodric Bray indicated there were not enough votes. The legislature then agreed to resume in January during the regular session. In November, Bray acknowledged that mid-cycle redistricting had created significant controversy within the state.

Trump and his allies publicly pressured Republican holdouts, threatening primary challenges against dissenting lawmakers. Across the nation, both parties have increasingly engaged in mid-decade redistrictinga practice previously rare. Texas, for example, redrew its maps under a Republican legislature during the Bush administration, a move later upheld by the Supreme Court. Similar efforts are underway or being considered in states including California, Missouri, North Carolina, and Maryland, prompting legal challenges in some cases.

Most recently, the Supreme Court permitted Texas to temporarily implement its new congressional map after a lower court ruled it was racially gerrymandered.

Author: Grace Ellison