The Indiana Senate voted down a bill 31-19 Thursday that would allow the state to redraw U.S. congressional districts in favor of Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The vote followed hours of, at times, impassioned speeches from lawmakers divided on the issue, and hours of public comment ahead of the committee vote earlier this week.
Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader Chris Garten, who represents Clark and part of Floyd County, reiterated his support for the move before casting his “yes” vote Thursday, saying lawmakers stood at a crossroads rarely seen in Indiana history.
“The vote we are about to take is not simply procedural,” he said. “It's not just about lines on a map, it's a vote of critical epic proportion that will define Indiana's role in the recovery of this republic.”
Lawmakers returned early Dec. 1 to take up the issue, after months of pressure from President Donald Trump to change the map. Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray initially said that body would not return to convene early because the votes weren’t there, but shifted course in late November.
The Senate’s Thursday vote followed the House passing the measure last week 57-41. Republican Rep. Karen Engleman, whose district includes Harrison and parts of Clark, Floyd and Washington counties, and Republican Zach Payne, representing parts of Clark, Jefferson and Scott counties, voted in favor.
Republican Rep. Ed Clere and Democrat Wendy Dant Chesser voted against the bill.
Clere’s district includes most of Floyd County, and Dant Chesser represents part of Clark and Floyd County.
Both representatives have said Indiana lawmakers should not be taking up redistricting years ahead of the 2030 census, and that Hoosiers have bigger challenges, like child care, health care and affordability.
“I am so relieved that we will be able to focus on those things that we've been working on for the last eight months,” Dant Chesser said Friday morning, responding to the Senate vote. “We can now put our focus firmly back on those priorities.”
The proposed map, which IPB News reported Thursday was created by the National Republican Redistricting Trust, would have split Marion County between four larger districts and cut up a Northwestern district with a Democratic representative. It paired Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties with part of Indianapolis, which Clere and Dant Chesser said would have meant a representative torn between very different areas.
Dant Chesser said the vote was an example of how the democratic process should go.
“I am impressed by the courage that the senators showed in their votes,” she said. “It shows that they were listening to the constituents that they represent, and it also shows that the voice of Hoosiers can be heard when channeled.”
Advocates for the map change, like Senate Majority Floor Leader Garten, and Republican Sen. Gary Byrne, whose district includes Harrison, Washington and part of Floyd County, have said this move is needed to counter Democratic gerrymandering in other states and to strengthen Republican representation.
Garten said redistricting was a unique opportunity to forge a partnership between Indiana and Washington, and to help carry on efforts by the Trump administration.
“Some will say these maps are political. Let me be clear, you're damn right they are,” he said, hitting the lectern with his hand. “Political policy is political. Safe streets are political. Look at Indianapolis. Affordable electricity is political. A drug-free Indiana is political. Peace in the Middle East is political.”
Garten’s office did not respond by publication to a request for comment following the vote.
Rep. Byrne said in a statement sent to LPM News that "I am disappointed that the Senate failed to pass House Bill 1032, which would have redrawn Indiana's congressional maps to ensure our conservative voice is heard in Washington, D.C.
"Our state had a huge chance to help our country at a time when we needed it most, and we missed it. I will continue to fight for my constituents in Senate District 47 and continue to fight to protect our conservative values no matter what."
Byrne and Garten were both among senators to sponsor the House bill.
Pressure from the White House has mounted on Indiana lawmakers, with Trump threatening to support primary opponents to people against the bill and to withhold federal funds from the state.
Dant Chesser called the threats to the state “Absolutely absurd. We are here to serve our people and to do what's best for us, not for him.”
She also condemned the physical threats and swatting attempts Indiana officials have faced in recent weeks, which includes Clere. The News and Tribune reported Wednesday that Indiana State Police responded after a report of a bomb threat at Clere’s home, one of a dozen or more officials who have been targeted.
No bomb was found, and Clere told LPM News he believes it was tied to his redistricting vote, “no question.”
“There's been way too much dangerous rhetoric, and we need to find a way to turn down the temperature,” he said. “I know that's not going to be easy, but it is absolutely necessary. This is dangerous. We are in a very dangerous time.”
Clere said he believes the vote was the right outcome and he’s glad the question of Indiana redistricting right now is over.
“I hope we can move, move past it. But it's not going to be easy,” he said. “It has created a lot of divisions and frayed a lot of relationships.”
He said he will be looking to the state’s congressional delegation to ensure there isn’t retribution against Hoosiers.
“I've never seen anything like this,” he said. “And I'm very concerned about where it has taken us and where we go from here.”
Seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. congressional districts are held by Republicans.
Indiana most recently redrew congressional lines in 2021, following the 2020 U.S. Census.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
