Allies of President Donald Trump are pressuring Indiana state lawmakers to vote on a redistricting proposal after a key state leader predicted the measure would fail.
A spokesperson for Rodric Bray, the Indiana Senate’s president pro tempore, told Politico Wednesday morning that “the votes aren’t there for redistricting,” prompting a number of heavyweight Trumpworld figures to hint at political consequences for Indiana Republicans if they don’t redraw the state’s map for the 2026 elections.
“Now the real fun begins,” Chris LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 campaign manager, wrote in an X post sharing the story.
LaCavita subsequently told the Washington Examiner that only “time will tell” if Trump’s political operation specifically targets the Indiana Republicans opposed to redistricting, before adding, “But I keep lists.”
Longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller similarly wrote, “Not smart,” on a post sharing Bray’s position.
Turning Point Action, an influential outside group aligned with the president, had previously vowed to challenge Indiana Republicans resisting the Trump-approved redistricting proposal in next year’s primaries.
However, Trump allies inside and outside of the White House maintain that Indiana Republicans do have the votes to pass redistricting despite Bray’s claims.
One Trump adviser told the Washington Examiner that the White House believes it would have the votes to approve the measure following extensive conversations the president and Vice President JD Vance have had with Indiana Republicans in recent weeks.
Gov. Mike Braun (R-IN) also said Wednesday morning that he expected the redistricting measure to pass.
“I am still having positive conversations with members of the legislature,” he wrote in a statement. “I am confident the majority of Indiana Statehouse Republicans will support efforts to ensure fair representation in congress for every Hoosier.”
The president’s focus on redistricting, which began in Texas earlier this year, expanded after Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) and other Indiana lawmakers said Republicans would lose control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections unless Indiana adds two Republican seats to its district map. The state currently boasts nine seats in the House of Representatives, seven of which are held by Republicans.
Vance traveled to Indianapolis in October to speak directly with lawmakers, his second trip to the Hoosier State this year to push for redistricting.
Trump himself called into an Indiana state Senate GOP caucus meeting last Friday to keep up the pressure after hosting Bray and Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston at the White House in August.
Still, a majority of Indiana voters said in a recent poll published by Politico that they opposed redrawing congressional district maps mid-decade instead of after the completion of the U.S. Census, as is customary.
That poll showed 53% of voters opposing the Republican redistricting push, with 43% answering they “strongly” oppose it. Trump won Indiana in 2024 with roughly 58% of the vote.
And Hoosier State Democrats have called Trump’s push for redistricting unethical, though national Democrats have attempted to counter his efforts in Indiana, and also states like North Carolina, by redrawing maps in blue states.
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Indiana House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta said Wednesday that “nobody” in the state is actually “asking for redistricting.”
“Instead, Hoosiers are asking their elected leaders to fix their high utility bills, property taxes, and absurd healthcare costs,” he said. “House Democrats have received massive amounts of calls against redistricting, and I’m sure the Senate Republicans have, too. I’ll continue to monitor the possibility of redistricting until we end the 2026 legislative session in March.”
