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In a dramatic move, Indiana GOP legislators defeated a plan to reshape the state's U.S. House map on Thursday afternoon. This outcome represents a pointed rejection of former President Trump and wider national attempts to gerrymander electoral districts to favor GOP candidates.

The Vote

The measure did not pass by a count of 19 to 31. A sizable group of 21 Republican senators joined forces with 10 Democrats to defeat the controversial district maps.

Currently, GOP representatives hold 7 of Indiana's 9 congressional seats. The proposed redistricting scheme was designed to establish GOP-leaning electorates in every single one of the congressional seats. This aimed to be accomplished through several major changes:

• Carving up the Democratic base of the state capital into four different districts.
• Adding slices of Indianapolis electorate to adjacent solidly GOP regions.
• Splitting the northwest congressional district, currently represented by Democrat Frank Mrvan, into two new districts.

Key Holdout

State Sen. Greg Goode (R), a key GOP 'no' vote, opposed the map. In a extended address to the chamber, he declared that his vote represented the desires of his district.

"I am a Christian first and foremost, then an American citizen, then a conservative thinker, then a member of the GOP – in that priority," he proclaimed. "I am confident that my decision aligns with the desire of my constituents."

Broader Battle

This campaign in Indiana took place amid a country-wide push by former President Trump to pressure the redistricting of congressional maps to add more GOP House seats before next year’s midterms. The GOP presently maintain a very slim lead in the House and are broadly expected to shed ground in the forthcoming election.

In other states, GOP lawmakers in Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri have each redrawn districts to favor their party. At the same time, Democratic legislators have responded by redrawing districts in places such as the Golden State to possibly add multiple Democratic seats. Democrats in the Commonwealth of Virginia are also ready to overhaul their maps for Democratic gain.

Trump's Campaign

The former president undertook a bare-knuckled campaign to pressure Indiana Republicans to approve the redistricting plan. Vice-president JD Vance reportedly visited the state capitol on several occasions to meet with lawmakers.

In a message on his Truth Social, Trump expressed his anger on Wednesday. "All other state has done Redistricting, willingly, transparently, and easily. There was never a question in their mind that contributing to a WIN in the Midterms for the Republican Party was a great move to do for our Party, and for America itself," he wrote. "Sadly, Indiana's Senate Leader Rod Bray enjoys being the only person in the United States who is opposed to Republicans picking up extra seats, in Indiana’s case, 2 of them."

Hostile Climate

In the days to the critical vote, some Indiana GOP senators reportedly were subjected to death threats and swatting incidents. Additionally, Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. openly attacked Senate Leader Rod Bray (R) ahead of the Thursday roll call.

The advocacy group Heritage Action, the advocacy branch of the right-leaning think tank, also weighed in, claiming on Thursday that the state would forfeit congressional funds if it did not pass the redistricting plan. Their post warned that critical infrastructure projects and services would be impacted.