AP Photo/Michael Conroy Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith announces the results of a vote to redistrict the state’s congressional map, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.
State lawmakers representing parts of Bartholomew County had different reactions to the defeat of President Donald Trump’s push to redraw Indiana’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
On Thursday, the Indiana Senate — including a majority of Republicans — rebuffed pressure from Trump and his allies to redraw the state’s congressional map. The final vote was 39-19 against redistricting. The Senate vote came about a week after the Indiana House voted 57-41 to pass the maps.
Redistricting is a process that is normally done once a decade after the census. However, Trump and his allies have pressured Republican states — including Indiana — to redraw their congressional maps to help preserve the GOP’s narrow national majority in Congress. Republicans currently hold seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats.
Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, and Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, R-Shelbyville, voted against the map, while Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, and Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, voted in favor of it.
Lucas told The Republic on Friday that he was “extremely disappointed” that the Senate voted against early redistricting. He also expressed concern that Indiana might see cuts to federal funding as a result of not moving forward with the new map.
“I know (early redistricting) was important to a lot of people,” Lucas said. “Indiana stands to lose out on a lot of federal money now.”
“The Democrats, if they take the midterms in ‘26, they will impeach Trump on the first day,” Lucas also said. “…They’ve been gerrymandering their states for years, and it’s time that the Republicans learn how to play by their rules or else we’re going to keep getting beat.”
Lauer, who said last week that Indiana “Republicans must stand up now and fight for our republic,” said Friday that he respects the Senate’s decision but disagrees with it.
“(Early redistricting) went through the whole legislative process, and the Senate made their decision,” Lauer told The Republic on Friday. “I do respect that decision even though I disagree. (I’m) looking forward to continuing forward to help Hoosiers in our regular session.”
Meltzer said she voted against early redistricting because most of her constituents did not want it, and she did not think it was necessary.
“I ultimately decided to vote against (early redistricting) as I did not believe that redrawing congressional maps mid-decade was necessary or wanted by most of those in my district,” Meltzer said. “…I stand firm in my convictions that voting against it was the right thing to do.”
Walker, who has been a vocal critic of early redistricting, declined to comment further on Friday.
During the Senate session on Thursday, Walker acknowledged that he had received “a little attention” for his public comments against early redistricting before questioning the constitutionality of the bill that would have redrawn the map.
“I believe the bill on its face is unconstitutional,” Walker said. “…I have a lot of other beliefs about this bill, and I’ve shared some of those, and I’m not going to share any more of those today.”
Earlier this week, Walker spoke out against early redistricting, warning his colleagues that political intimidation must not be allowed to govern Indiana.
Walker delivered the warning Monday evening during a nearly 20-minute address to his colleagues on the Senate Committee on Elections. The remarks were emotionally charged, with the five-term senator at times fighting back tears and, at one point, holding up the Senate’s rule book.
“I refuse to be intimidated,” Walker said during his address. “…I will not let Indiana or any state become subject to the threat of political violence in order to influence legislative product. I honestly don’t feel from fear for my safety. …I fear for this institution, I fear for the state of Indiana, and I fear for all states if we allow intimidation and threats to become the norm.”
Walker and several state lawmakers were targeted in swatting incidents last month following the Senate’s announcement that it would reject Trump’s push for early redistricting. Swatting involves making false reports of criminal incidents in an attempt to create a dangerous SWAT response to the residence.
The reactions from state lawmakers come as warnings of political and financial retaliation escalated — including public threats that Indiana could lose federal funding as punishment for GOP senators’ refusal to approve the new congressional map, The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
The outcome was met with fierce criticism from some state and national Republican leaders who helped drive the effort.
Comments came from Trump, Gov. Mike Braun and national GOP leadership signaled potential retaliation against lawmakers who broke ranks.
Trump and White House officials had numerous calls with Senate Republicans and Vice President JD Vance traveled to Indiana twice to push the effort, The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
Braun said he “rebuked” the state senators who voted against the bill.
“I am very disappointed that a small group of misguided state senators have partnered with Democrats to reject this opportunity to protect Hoosiers with fair maps and to reject the leadership of President Trump,” Braun said in a statement. “Ultimately, decisions like this carry political consequences. I will be working with the President to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers.”
The statement seemed to indicate that Braun was pledging to work with Trump against members of his own party in Indiana to oppose state senators who voted against the bill.
Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, lamented the rejection of Indiana’s proposed map and targeted Senate leadership, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. The president specifically named Republican Senate Pro Tem Rodric Bray, who voted against the measure and said repeatedly in recent months that too few GOP senators supported the mid-decade redistricting for it to pass.
“You had one gentleman, the head of the Senate, I guess Bray, whatever his name is … He’ll probably lose his next primary, whenever that is,” Trump said, adding that Indiana’s Republican Senate “has done a tremendous disservice.”
“I’ll certainly support anybody that wants to go against him,” he added.
Vance also singled out Bray in a tweet.
“Rod Bray, the Senate leader in Indiana, has consistently told us he wouldn’t fight redistricting while simultaneously whipping his members against it,” Vance said on X. “That level of dishonesty cannot be rewarded, and the Indiana GOP needs to choose a side.”
Heritage Action — the advocacy and lobbying arm of The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative think tank — posted just hours before the vote that “if the Indiana Senate fails to pass the map, all federal funding will be stripped from the state. Roads will not be paved. Guard bases will close. Major projects will stop.”
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith echoed that assertion, saying in a post on X Thursday night that the Trump administration was “VERY clear” in its warnings to state lawmakers and the governor that a failed map could bring consequences, The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. Beckwith deleted the post Friday morning.
“They told many lawmakers, cabinet members and the (governor) and I that this would happen,” Beckwith said in the since-deleted post. “The Indiana Senate made it clear to the Trump Admin today that they do not want to be partners with the (White House). The (White House) made it clear to them that they’d oblige.”
Despite the barrage of criticism, however, Bray expressed little concern about threats of lost federal funding or retribution from national party figures, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
After the vote, Bray told reporters he had “lots of conversations with folks in Washington, D.C.” and maintained that “Indiana will continue to function.”
Lucas’ and Lauer’s position on early redistricting evolved after visiting White House and meeting with Trump administration officials.
Lucas initially opposed early redistricting, calling it “highly unusual” and “politically optically horrible,” but ultimately changed his mind, citing concerns about the paralyzing effect a Democratic House majority would have on Trump’s agenda.
Lauer initially said early redistricting was “ill-advised” but later said he supported the idea, saying Indiana “Republicans must stand up now and fight” against what he described as “decades of political disadvantage by blue states tipping the scales.”
The proposed map would have placed all of Bartholomew County within Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, eliminating the current split between the 6th and 9th districts the county. A total of 5,964 registered Bartholomew County voters currently reside in the 9th District, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office.
