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In a unexpected action, Indiana GOP legislators voted down a proposal to redistrict the state's U.S. House district boundaries on Thursday afternoon. This decision marks a pointed rebuke of Donald Trump and wider national campaigns to reconfigure electoral districts to favor GOP office-seekers.

The Vote

The bill failed by a vote of 19 to 31. A sizable coalition of 21 Republican senators sided with 10 Democrats to reject the controversial redistricting plan.

Currently, Republicans represent 7 of Indiana's 9 congressional districts. The proposed plan was designed to create Republican-leaning districts in all nine congressional seats. This would have been accomplished through several key maneuvers:

• Dividing the liberal base of the state capital into 4 different congressional areas.
• Adding slices of the city's electorate to nearby heavily GOP districts.
• Breaking up the northwest congressional district, currently held by Frank Mrvan, into 2 new districts.

Key Holdout

State Senator Greg Goode (R), a key Republican defector, rejected the map. In a lengthy floor speech, he stated that his vote reflected the wishes of his voters.

"I'm a Christian first and foremost, then an American, then a conservative thinker, then a Republican – in that sequence," he proclaimed. "I am convinced that my vote represents the desire of my constituents."

Wider Gerrymandering Fight

This effort in the Hoosier State took place during a nationwide initiative by Donald Trump to influence the redistricting of district lines to add more GOP seats before next year’s midterms. The GOP currently maintain a razor-thin majority in the House and are broadly expected to lose seats in the forthcoming vote.

Elsewhere, Republicans in Texas, the Tar Heel State, and Missouri have all passed maps to benefit their side. At the same time, Democratic legislators have responded by adjusting maps in states like California to potentially add multiple Democratic seats. The Democratic party in Virginia are also poised to overhaul their maps for Democratic advantage.

Intense Pressure

Donald Trump waged a aggressive effort to pressure Indiana GOP lawmakers to approve the redistricting plan. Vice-president JD Vance reportedly traveled to the Indiana Statehouse multiple times to lobby state senators.

In a message on his social media platform, the former president expressed his displeasure on Wednesday. "Every other State has done redistricting, willingly, openly, and without issue. There was no doubt 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's Senate Leader Rod Bray enjoys being the sole individual in the United States who is against the GOP picking up extra seats, in Indiana’s instance, two of them."

Pressure Tactics

In the days to the critical vote, some Indiana state Republicans reportedly received death threats and swatting incidents. Furthermore, Vice President J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr. openly criticized Senate Leader Rod Bray (R) before the Thursday roll call.

The advocacy group Heritage Action, the activist branch of the right-leaning think tank, also weighed in, claiming on the day of the vote that the state would lose congressional funds if it did not pass the map. Their message warned that key infrastructure initiatives and services would be jeopardized.