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In a unexpected development, Indiana Republicans voted down a proposal to reshape the state's U.S. House map on Thursday. This outcome marks a direct rejection of former President Trump and wider national attempts to reconfigure electoral maps to favor Republican candidates.

The Roll Call

The proposal was defeated by a count of 19 to 31. A notable group of 21 Republican senators sided with ten Democrats to defeat the new district maps.

Currently, GOP representatives hold seven of Indiana's 9 congressional seats. The defeated plan was designed to establish Republican-leaning districts in every single one of the House districts. This aimed to be accomplished through multiple key changes:

• Dividing the Democratic base of Indianapolis into four separate congressional areas.
• Appending segments of Indianapolis voters to adjacent solidly Republican regions.
• Splitting the north-western congressional district, presently held by Democrat Frank Mrvan, into 2 new districts.

Key Holdout

State Senator Greg Goode, a crucial GOP holdout, voted against the map. In a lengthy address to the chamber, he asserted that his decision reflected the will of his voters.

"I am a Christian man first and foremost, then an American, then a conservative thinker, then a member of the GOP – in that priority," he stated. "I am confident that my vote represents the desire of my people."

Wider Gerrymandering Fight

This campaign in Indiana occurred during a country-wide push by Donald Trump to influence the redrawing of district lines to add more Republican seats ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The GOP currently maintain a razor-thin lead in the House and are widely projected to lose ground in the upcoming election.

Elsewhere, Republicans in Texas, the Tar Heel State, and the Show-Me State have all redrawn districts to favor their party. At the same time, Democratic legislators have retaliated by adjusting districts in states like the Golden State to potentially gain multiple seats. The Democratic party in the Commonwealth of Virginia are also ready to redraw maps for Democratic advantage.

High-Stakes Lobbying

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

In a post on his social media platform, Trump expressed his frustration on Wednesday. "Every other State has done Redistricting, willingly, transparently, and easily. There was never a question in their minds that contributing to a WIN in the Midterms for the Republican Party was a good move to do for our party, and for America itself," he posted. "Sadly, Indiana Senate Leader Senator Rod Bray enjoys being the sole individual in the United States of America who is against the GOP picking up additional seats, in Indiana’s instance, two of them."

Pressure Tactics

In the days to the vote, Indiana GOP senators reportedly received death threats and swatting incidents. Furthermore, Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. publicly attacked Senator Rod Bray before the Thursday vote.

Heritage Action, the advocacy arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, also issued a statement, claiming on the day of the vote that the state would forfeit congressional funds if it did not pass the map. Their post implied that critical infrastructure initiatives and operations would be impacted.