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In a unexpected move, Indiana Republicans rejected a plan to redistrict the state's congressional map on Thursday. This vote constitutes a direct rejection of Donald Trump and broader GOP-led efforts to gerrymander voting maps to benefit GOP office-seekers.

The Vote

The proposal was defeated by a vote of 19 to 31. A significant bloc of 21 Republican lawmakers joined forces with 10 Democratic senators to reject the new redistricting plan.

Currently, Republicans represent seven of Indiana's 9 congressional seats. The rejected map was crafted to create GOP-leaning electorates in all nine congressional seats. This would have been done through several key changes:

• Dividing the Democratic stronghold of the state capital into 4 separate districts.
• Adding slices of the city's electorate to nearby heavily GOP districts.
• Breaking up the north-western congressional district, currently held by Frank Mrvan, into two separate districts.

Pivotal Republican

State Senator Greg Goode, a crucial GOP defector, opposed the redistricting bill. In a extended address to the chamber, he stated that his vote reflected the will of his district.

"I'm a Christian first, then an American citizen, then a conservative, then a member of the GOP – in that order," he proclaimed. "I'm certain that my vote represents the will of my people."

Wider Gerrymandering Fight

This effort in Indiana occurred amid a country-wide push by Donald Trump to pressure the redistricting of congressional maps to add more Republican House seats before next year's midterm elections. The GOP presently hold a narrow lead in the House and are broadly expected to shed seats in the forthcoming election.

In other states, GOP lawmakers in the Lone Star State, North Carolina, and the Show-Me State have all passed districts to favor their side. At the same time, Democrats have retaliated by redrawing districts in places such as California to possibly gain several seats. Democrats in Virginia are also poised to overhaul their maps for Democratic gain.

Trump's Campaign

The former president engaged in a bare-knuckled campaign to lobby Hoosier GOP lawmakers to pass the redistricting plan. Vice President JD Vance reportedly traveled to the state capitol multiple times to confer with state senators.

In a message on his Truth Social, Trump expressed his anger on Wednesday evening. "Every other State has done redistricting, willingly, openly, and without issue. There was no doubt in their minds that contributing to a victory in the midterms for the Republicans was a positive thing to do for our Party, and for America itself," he posted. "Unfortunately, Indiana's Senate Leader Senator Rod Bray enjoys being the only person in the United States of America who is against Republicans gaining additional seats, in Indiana’s instance, 2 of them."

Threats and Attacks

In the lead-up to the vote, Indiana state Republicans reportedly received threats of violence and swatting incidents. Additionally, Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. publicly criticized Senate Leader Rod Bray ahead of the Thursday roll call.

Heritage Action, the activist branch of the conservative think tank, also issued a statement, claiming on Thursday that the state of Indiana would be stripped of federal funding if it failed to pass the map. Their statement warned that critical state projects and operations would be halted.