INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WDRB/AP) — The Indiana Senate rejected a redistricting plan backed by President Donald Trump on Thursday in a 31-19 vote.
Twenty-one senators from the Republican supermajority and all 10 of the chamber’s Democrats voted down the redistricting proposal.
The vote was held just after 4:30 p.m. during a special session after months of pressure from the president to redraw the state's congressional maps to create more winnable seats for Republicans, a plan that passed the House last week.
Opponents have called the rare mid-cycle redistricting push gerrymandering — since district boundaries are usually adjusted based on census results every 10 years.
In a statement rebuking the vote, Gov. Mike Braun said he was "very disappointed" in the results.
"I am very disappointed that a small group of misguided State Senators have partnered with Democrats to reject this opportunity to protect Hoosiers with fair maps and to reject the leadership of President Trump," Braun said. "Ultimately, decisions like this carry political consequences. I will be working with the president to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers."
There are 50 seats in the Indiana Senate, with 10 Democrats and 40 Republicans. Twenty-one Republican senators and all 10 Democratic senators voted against the plan.
"This was never about winning or losing. It was about whether Indiana would honor a simple promise: voters choose their leaders, not the other way around. HB 1032 would have pulled decision-making even further from the people who live with the consequences. Hoosiers rejected that. Loudly. Consistently. In every way they knew how," the Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement following the vote.
Debate started around 1:30 p.m., with some senators announcing their intentions to vote against the re-drawn maps.
The president on Wednesday criticized Indiana senators who resist the plan, repeating his vow to back primary challengers against them.
“If Republicans will not do what is necessary to save our Country, they will eventually lose everything to the Democrats,” Trump wrote on social media. Some Indiana lawmakers have also received violent threats during the debate over the last month. That includes Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany, who received a bomb threat at his home late Wednesday night.
State troopers responded to a hoax message claiming a pipe bomb was outside his home, Clere said in an interview. A threat tied directly to his vote was, he said, the inevitable result of Trump's pressure campaign and a "winner-take-all mentality."
"Words have consequences," Clere said. Indiana state police Capt. Ron Galaviz said "numerous others" received threats Wednesday but did not release details.
Half of the state Senate is up for reelection in 2026.
The state's 10 Democratic senators — along with several Republicans — made it clear early on that they oppose the plan.
Democratic state senators spoke against the redistricting legislation one by one during Thursday's session.
“Competition is healthy my friends,” said Sen. Fady Qaddoura. “Any political party on earth that cannot run and win based on the merits of its ideas is unworthy of governing.”
Republican Sen. Michael Crider (District 28) is the majority whip, tasked with keeping members of his caucus voting with leadership. The bill needed 25 votes for passage. Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who favored redistricting, would have broken any tie.
"Most of us have made a decision on what we are going to do," Crider said. "A lot of the tactics have been used; threats to my home ... was supposed to be fire bombed and shoot everybody in the house."
Protesters were out in full force at the statehouse this week as lawmakers convened for the special session to revisit the congressional maps. Outside the Senate chamber, redistricting opponents chanted "Vote no!" and "Fair maps!" while holding signs with slogans like "Losers cheat."
"We are simply here for Hoosier values of fairness and to be represented by our actual elected officials," Judy Wilson, a demonstrator against the proposed congressional districts, said Wednesday. "Why are they betraying us, why are they stabbing us in the back when they know there is a critical mass of Hoosiers that do not want this?"
The purpose of redrawing the map was to give Republicans control of all nine of Indiana’s congressional seats, up from the seven they currently hold.
"I am grateful that Hoosiers, not Washington, D.C., prevailed today. Today is proof that your voice matters in our state government," House Democratic leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said in a statement following Thursday's vote. "Now that the Senate has rejected mid-decade redistricting, it's time for state lawmakers to focus on solving what Hoosiers have been begging us to fix: the rising cost of living and impact of tariffs on our economy. Indiana House Democrats are ready to lower the cost of utilities, housing, health care and child care. Let's get to work for Hoosier wallets.
The bill cleared its first hurdle Monday in Indiana with a 6-3 Senate committee vote, although one Republican joined Democrats in opposing it and a few others signaled they may vote against the final version. The state House passed the proposal last week, with 12 Republicans siding with Democrats in opposition.
Nationally, mid-cycle redistricting so far has resulted in nine more congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six more congressional seats that Democrats think they can win. However, redistricting is being litigated in several states.
Republicans nationwide have been pushing for redistricting in states they control, worried that midterms tend to favor the party opposite the one in power. Despite Trump's push, support for gerrymandering in Indiana's Senate was uncertain.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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Indiana's proposed redistricting map draws fire for favoring Republicans
Indiana House Republicans pass Trump-backed map, setting up high-stakes Senate fight
Threats pile up as Indiana Republicans confront pressure from Trump on redistricting
Indiana Gov. Braun defends redistricting as protesters gather in New Albany
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