INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is in the national spotlight after lawmakers rejected a proposal backed by the president and GOP leaders to redraw congressional district maps mid-session. The move comes after a months-long pressure campaign from the White House, and the decision is one President Trump has suggested could have consequences.
Vice President JD Vance first visited the state of Indiana in August. Since then, there have been anti-redistricting rallies and pro-redistricting rallies. One political expert WRTV spoke with said Indiana isn’t the only state pushing back on redistricting.
"The fact that we are seeing pushback from not only in Indiana but also in Kansas as well suggests that there might be some cracks in the president's coalition,” Steven Webster, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, said.
One question that keeps coming up following this vote is can redistricting come back this legislative session? Webster said it is unlikely.
"Absent a new map being drawn, I don't see this happening,” Webster said. “But frankly, even if a new map was drawn, I think the political capitol has been spent here."
Senator Rodric Bray, the President Pro Tem of the Senate, also weighed in moments after Thursday's vote.
"We can't revisit it this session because this is a bill from the 2026 session, so yeah, we can't revisit it this year,” Bray said.
Ahead of the vote in the Senate, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about Indiana addressing Bray and threatening to primary those who vote against the new map.
At least one conservative advocacy group — Heritage Action— warned that Indiana could lose federal funding over the result of the vote, something Webster says is unlikely.
"So long as Congress maintains its constitutional authority and acts out of laws that have already been passed, this is not something that the president can do,” Webster said.
As for Senator Bray… he didn't seem concerned about the possibility of losing funding.
"You know, I have had a lot of conversations with folks in Washington D.C., and Indiana will continue to function and do well,” Bray said.
There have also been threats to primary the 21 state senators who voted against redistricting… something we could see happen next year.
