{"id":16628,"date":"2025-12-12T22:31:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T22:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/indiana-gops-trump-rebuke-could-lead-to-temporary-redistricting-detente\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T22:31:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T22:31:55","slug":"indiana-gops-trump-rebuke-could-lead-to-temporary-redistricting-detente","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/indiana-gops-trump-rebuke-could-lead-to-temporary-redistricting-detente\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana GOP’s Trump rebuke could lead to temporary redistricting detente"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Indiana Republicans\u2019 redistricting rejection marks a rare ceasefire in the gerrymandering wars\u2014and could lead to other state leaders backing off their own plans.<\/p>\n

The result gives cover for some Democratic-leaning states to stand down, even as the party\u2019s base is whipped into a frenzy over the issue. Lawmakers in Illinois and Maryland have for months had internal debates about whether to move forward with redrawing their maps, and Indiana\u2019s decision was met with some relief from the mounting pressure they anticipated being under had Republicans in Indiana further gerrymandered their maps.<\/p>\n

Illinois Democrats have long said they would only gerrymander if the Indiana GOP bowed to Trump\u2019s demands and redid their own map. In the wake of Hoosier Republicans\u2019 move on Thursday, they don\u2019t seem eager to change their minds.<\/p>\n

Maryland has been a mirror image of Indiana: One Democratic leader is rebuffing entreaties from top Democrats to eliminate the state\u2019s lone remaining GOP seat.<\/p>\n

Maryland Democratic Senate President Bill Ferguson has exchanged phone calls with Indiana Senate Republican leader Rodric Bray, four people familiar with the two leaders, granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, tell Blue Light News. Each has resisted pressure from top officials in their party to move on redistricting. Bray\u2019s success could now lessen the pressure on Ferguson. Bray’s spokesperson, Molly Swigart, said no deal was ever made between Bray and Ferguson on redistricting in their respective states.<\/p>\n

And in Virginia, where Democrats gained 13 seats in their House of Delegates in November\u2019s statewide elections, they\u2019re poised to make drastic changes to their congressional maps that could net the party upwards of four seats. But that stance seems at odds with the views of Democratic Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, who sounded reluctant to the idea<\/u><\/a> of making wholesale changes to congressional lines at a Blue Light News event earlier this week.<\/p>\n

There are also headwinds elsewhere for Trump and his allies: Kansas<\/u><\/a> and Kentucky Republicans have so far failed to move forward with their redistricting pushes that are complicated by opposition from Democratic governors; Ohio Republicans struck a compromise with Democrats for a less aggressive gerrymander<\/u><\/a> than what some national leaders wanted; a judge picked a map in Utah that drew a safe Democratic seat<\/u><\/a>; and Republicans are facing a potential setback for Missouri<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean the redistricting wars are over. Lawmakers in a number of other states are still weighing their own maps, with GOP-led Florida and Democratic-controlled Virginia remaining the biggest question marks on the board. Republicans are still eying Kentucky and Nebraska as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot more states that we can do work on,\u201d one person close to the White House granted anonymity to speak candidly on a sensitive matter told Blue Light News Friday, while admitting that \u201cIndiana was definitely frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling further gutting the Voting Rights Act<\/u><\/a> in the coming months, a number of states are expected to rush to redraw their lines before their states\u2019 filing deadlines, in a move that could give the GOP a huge boost and potentially put the House out of reach for Democrats.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is, I think we’re still, we’re in the middle of this redistricting war,\u201d said John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. \u201cWe’re all waiting to hear back from the Supreme Court as to what they’re going to do and how they’re going to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to expect in the coming weeks from states including Maryland, Florida, Illinois and a challenge to the already-passed maps passed in Missouri.<\/p>\n

Maryland<\/h5>\n

Perhaps lawmakers breathing the biggest sigh of relief from Indiana bucking Trump\u2019s redistricting push are those in Maryland.<\/p>\n

Ferguson has for months been facing pressure from Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and national Democrats<\/u><\/a> to wade into the redistricting fight. That lobbying campaign to net Maryland Democrats an additional seat would have been kicked into hyperdrive if Indiana had drawn new maps.<\/p>\n

Reports of Ferguson possibly losing his grip on leading the Senate Democrats<\/u><\/a> evaporated this week after he was unanimously renominated as Senate leader<\/u><\/a>. Then on Thursday, just hours before the Indiana Senate cast the vote dooming the redistricting effort, Ferguson put out a statement with Democratic House Delegates Speaker Pro Tem Dana Stein declaring that lawmakers in the special session Moore called for next week will definitively not take up any new maps<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

While that likely closes the door on the redistricting push for this year, Moore still has an opportunity to reignite a pressure campaign aimed at Ferguson to hold a vote on the issue in January, when the legislature returns for regular session. The governor\u2019s Redistricting Advisory Commission<\/u><\/a> is meeting Friday for its final public hearing to solicit comments from Maryland residents before its members make a recommendation to the governor and the General Assembly on whether to redraw maps.<\/p>\n

Illinois<\/h5>\n

For months, Illinois Democrats have suggested they were unlikely to try to squeeze another seat out of their already-gerrymandered state unless Indiana Republicans redrew their seats.<\/p>\n

And while state Democratic leaders didn\u2019t completely rule out redistricting in the wake of the Indiana GOP\u2019s vote, they don\u2019t sound particularly eager for a new map.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur neighbors in Indiana have stood up to Trump\u2019s threats and political pressure, instead choosing to do what\u2019s right for their constituents and our democracy,\u201d Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement after the result, without saying what Illinois might do.<\/p>\n

A person in Pritzker\u2019s office, granted anonymity because they weren\u2019t authorized to speak publicly, said the governor was less than equivocal in his statement because no one knows what Trump’s next move might be.<\/p>\n

State House and Senate Democratic leaders struck similar tones, praising their Hoosier neighbors while pledging to stay vigilant against similar efforts in other states.<\/p>\n

Virginia<\/h5>\n

Democrats\u2019 best remaining chance for a multi-seat gerrymander is Old Dominion. But while statehouse leaders seem eager to push forward with a complicated plan for a voter referendum to approve a new gerrymander \u2014 much like California\u2019s move \u2014 the state\u2019s incoming Democratic governor doesn\u2019t seem quite as eager to lend a hand.<\/p>\n

The Democratic-dominated Virginia legislature is expected to easily pass a procedural measure before putting the issue of redistricting before voters to approve a constitutional Virginia amendment to redraw the state\u2019s maps ahead of the midterms \u2014 a move that legislative leaders have teased could lead to a 10-1 map.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel comfortable that we have an opportunity to do a number of maps here in Virginia to allow for us to level the playing field,\u201d Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said at a Blue Light News event this week<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

But at the same event, Spanberger hedged when asked if she supported redrawing maps to achieve the feat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe calendar is tight, and for me, I want to win,\u201d Spanberger said, pointing to Virginia\u2019s first and second congressional districts that are currently held by Republicans. \u201cI want to flip seats in the House of Representatives and I know that we can because I just won those districts.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when asked directly if redistricting is the way to go, Spanberger said Virginia should \u201cleave open the option\u201d of new maps, but ultimately voters will decide if the legislature should move forward.<\/p>\n

Florida<\/h5>\n

Florida Republicans could deliver their party three to five more seats if they press ahead with mid-decade redistricting. But two factors complicate that effort.<\/p>\n

First, GOP leaders aren\u2019t on the same page. GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has been touting the need to draw new maps since last summer<\/u><\/a>, has suggested waiting until the spring of next year in case the U.S. Supreme Court weakens the VRA and bars the consideration of race when drawing lines, a position backed by the state\u2019s GOP Senate president, Ben Albritton.<\/p>\n

But state GOP House Speaker Daniel Perez said this week it is \u201cirresponsible\u201d to wait and that the House is prepared to send a map to the Senate during its regular session that starts next month.<\/p>\n

Second, GOP leaders may be constrained by Florida\u2019s voter-approved constitutional ban on redistricting for partisan gain. Democrats have already asserted that drawing up any new map is \u201cillegal\u2019 and would violate these standards signaling that litigation is likely if state legislators pass a new map. But Florida’s conservative-dominated state Supreme Court already ruled in 2022 that legislators can sidestep minority protections when it allowed a previous GOP-drawn map that was muscled into law by DeSantis, weakening its impact.Perez insisted that he has not been under pressure from Trump or the White House to move ahead<\/u><\/a> on redistricting. When asked on Friday if there was added pressure on the House to act due to the outcome in Indiana he said: \u201cNo sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missouri<\/h5>\n

Missouri Republicans already passed a map to flip Rep. Emanuel Cleaver\u2019s (D-Mo.) district red, but Democrats are hoping to undo the GOP-passed map in Missouri via ballot measure. Earlier this week, they submitted more than double<\/u><\/a> the 107,000 signatures required to force a statewide vote for the secretary of state.<\/p>\n

If the signatures are validated, the map may not cannot go into effect in time for the midterms, and if voters approve the ballot measure, the map gets tossed. Republicans still have a bit of time, since GOP Secretary of State Denny Hoskins doesn\u2019t have to approve the signatures until July. Plus, it\u2019s unclear when the Republican-controlled Legislature will actually put those signatures up for a vote.<\/p>\n

The timing is causing a bit of chaos. Since candidates need to file by the end of March, prospective members of Congress may have to file in districts that aren\u2019t set for the midterms.<\/p>\n

Adam Wren, Andrew Howard, Shia Kapos, Alex Gangitano and Gary Fineout contributed to this story.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indiana Republicans\u2019 redistricting rejection marks a rare ceasefire in the gerrymandering wars\u2014and could lead to other state leaders backing off their own plans. The result gives cover for some Democratic-leaning states to stand down, even as the party\u2019s base is whipped into a frenzy over the issue. Lawmakers in Illinois and Maryland have for months […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16628\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}