A handful of Republican state lawmakers in Indiana have come out against the Trump administration’s redistricting pressure campaign since President Trump sent his VP and a handful of White House officials to the state earlier this month. It was seen as an attempt to strong-arm Republican officials there into redrawing their congressional district maps — even though seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats are already held by Republicans — as padding for Trump’s campaign to gerrymander/power grab his way towards keeping the GOP in control of the House in the midterms.
In the wake of the White House meeting with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, he and other members of the state legislature’s Republican leadership were tight-lipped about whether they’d agreed to redraw their state maps, and potentially flip the only two seats that Democrats hold in the U.S. House. But since then, some state lawmakers have come out openly against it.
“I have tremendous respect for President Trump and love what he’s doing,” Republican state Sen. Jim Lucas (R) said, per The Hill. “But for Hoosiers, Indiana Republicans, to abandon their principles and basically take away the rules, that sets such a dangerous precedent moving forward and for our children.”
Another Republican state House member, Rep. Danny Lopez, posted similar remarks shooting down the effort on Twitter earlier this month.
I have heard from several folks and want to be clear on my position. I am a hard “no” on potential efforts to redraw electoral maps in Indiana mid-decade. Just a few years ago, our General Assembly undertook the complex redistricting process based on up-to-date census data,…
— Daniel Lopez (@dlopezIND) August 12, 2025
A handful of others have made their opposition clear as well, as the Indiana Capital Chronicle and others have reported.
And for that, Trump’s allies are threatening to primary them.
On Monday, the Trump ally and CEO of Turning Point USA, notable MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk, posted on Twitter saying his group would “support primary opponents for Republicans in the Indiana State Legislature who refuse to support the team and redraw the maps. I’ve heard from grassroots across the country and they want elected Republicans to stand up and fight for them. It’s time for Republicans to be TOUGH.”
As Republicans in Indiana met as a caucus to discuss the Trump administration’s redistricting squeeze, Politico reported on a new pressure campaign underway in the state, reportedly linked to Trump’s “political operation,” in Politico’s words:
The comments came as Indiana House Republicans were preparing to convene for an afternoon caucus Monday to discuss redistricting. Lawmakers have already been targeted by robocalls and text messages from a mysterious group called Forward America. There is little public information about the group and its aggressive voter outreach campaign; a POLITICO reporter who lives in Indiana has received about two dozen calls and messages in recent days.
Another Way Red State Officials Can Show Fealty
Not able to gerrymander your state’s congressional seats before the midterms to demonstrate your loyalty to Trump’s cause? No worries. Send some National Guard troops to D.C. for Trump’s performative occupation, instead.
More red state officials are jumping on the bandwagon this week to send National Guard troops to D.C. to aid Trump in his takeover of the D.C. police force and military occupation of the nation’s capitol. It’s all a stunt to make Trump look tough on crime (violent crime rates are on the decline in D.C. and across the U.S.), while also giving him leverage to punish the city’s Democratic elected officials. In that way, it’s similar to the goals of the occupation in Los Angeles.
Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry announced on Twitter last night that he had approved the deployment of 135 of his state’s National Guard troops to D.C.
I have approved the deployment of approximately 135 @LANationalGuard soldiers to Washington DC to assist in President @realDonaldTrump’s mission of restoring safety and peace in our nation’s capital.
We are a nation of law and order. Our capital is a reflection of our nation’s…
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) August 18, 2025
He joins the Republican governors of Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina, and West Virginia. They’ve each pledged to send members of their states’ National Guards to the Capitol to support Trump’s charade.
Trump Jokes About Wartime Pause on Elections
Trump has been intentionally riling up the masses with his talk of running again in 2028, for what feels like years at this point. During his Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week, he made another “””””joke”””” about his well-documented interest in attempting to stay in power.
“So you say, during the war, you can’t have elections,” Trump said. “Say, three and a half years from now — so you mean, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections. I wonder what the fake news would say about that?”
In Case You Missed It
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Speaker Johnson Comes Out Against Midcycle Redistricting … When Dems Do It
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Trump, Elections and the Opposition’s Strategic Depth
What We Are Reading
Donald Trump Took Over DC’s Police. Why Is the City’s Mayor So Zen?
More Texas Democrats plan to spend the night in the statehouse in protest amid redistricting fight
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