• Senate President Rodric Bray and roughly half of GOP caucus have resisted four-month White House pressure campaign
• At least a dozen Republican lawmakers targeted with swatting attacks and pipe bomb threats since November
• Speaker Mike Johnson personally calling reluctant senators in previously unreported lobbying effort

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (TDR) — Indiana’s Republican-controlled Senate convenes Monday to decide the fate of a congressional redistricting plan that supporters say would guarantee a 9-0 Republican delegation, setting up a dramatic test of President Donald Trump’s influence over his own party.

The Indiana House passed the map Friday by a 57-41 vote, with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition. The proposal would eliminate the districts currently held by Democratic Reps. André Carson of Indianapolis and Frank Mrvan of northwest Indiana, expanding the GOP’s current 7-2 advantage to a complete sweep ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Bray Leads Senate Resistance to Trump

Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, along with roughly half his 40-member Republican majority, has resisted a four-month White House pressure campaign to redraw the congressional lines. Vice President JD Vance visited Indianapolis twice since August, and legislative leaders met with Trump in the Oval Office earlier this year.

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Bray said in mid-November that the Senate would not reconvene in December because there were insufficient votes to pass new maps. Trump responded by lashing out on social media, calling Bray a “RINO” and demanding senators who oppose redistricting be primaried.

“I do not feel that redrawing our Congressional districts mid-cycle is the best way to achieve that goal.”

Bray made that statement before reversing course and agreeing to convene the Senate, though he has not indicated whether any members changed their positions.

Violent Threats Target Lawmakers

The redistricting battle has taken a dark turn, with at least a dozen Republican elected officials facing swatting attacks and bomb threats since Trump’s social media attacks began. Sen. Jean Leising reported a pipe bomb threat at her home. Sen. Andy Zay’s vehicle-leasing business was targeted with a bomb scare. Gov. Mike Braun said he and his family also received threats.

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Sen. Sue Glick, a Republican who previously served as a local prosecutor, said she has never seen “this kind of rancor” in politics in her lifetime. She opposes redistricting, saying it has “the taint of cheating.”

Sen. Mike Bohacek announced he would vote against the maps after Trump used a slur for people with intellectual disabilities to describe Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Bohacek, whose daughter has Down syndrome, called the president’s language “insulting and derogatory.”

Johnson’s Behind-the-Scenes Push

House Speaker Mike Johnson has been personally calling reluctant Republican state senators in recent days, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss sensitive private conversations. One Indiana Republican elected official briefed on the calls said Johnson’s “soft touch” with lawmakers may be moving the needle.

Outside groups have also flooded the state. Indiana Conservation Voters, Club for Growth, and Building a Better Economy have spent nearly half a million dollars in advertising trying to sway public opinion, according to AdImpact data. Trump campaign veterans including Chris LaCivita have joined the dark money group Fair Maps Indiana to advance the redistricting cause.

Uncertain Vote Count Ahead

The Senate Elections Committee will hold a public hearing Monday afternoon, with a potential floor vote expected later in the week. Redistricting proponents need at least 25 votes in the 50-member chamber to pass the map, which would trigger a tiebreaking vote from Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who supports redistricting.

About a quarter of Republican senators have not publicly declared their positions. The outcome could signal the limits of Trump’s otherwise undisputed dominance over the Republican Party, or demonstrate that sustained pressure can ultimately bend even reluctant members to his will.

Will Indiana’s Republican senators stand firm against White House pressure, or will Trump’s campaign of threats and lobbying ultimately secure the votes he needs?

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