Local lawmakers stand firm in Redistricting decision despite pressure from Trump and National GOP leaders

SOUTH BEND, Ind.— Indiana lawmakers held their ground despite extreme pressure from President Trump and national Republican leaders.

The bill, which would have redrawn Indiana’s congressional map to potentially add two Republican seats, was voted down 31 to 19. More than twenty Republican senators joined Democrats to block it.

“I really thought maybe state Senate might bow to the political pressure, but they pretty much stayed consistent that they did not have the interest in doing this and they stuck to their guns,” said Chad Kinsella, associate professor of political science at Ball State University.

Local Republican Sen. Blake Doriot of Goshen voted against the map despite those threats. He explained what his vote came down to, after weeks of back and forth.

“They weren’t for it, so I think we came to the right decision,” Doriot said.

“It really diluted the input of Elkhart County and that was probably my main reason of why I couldn’t support it couldn’t support these maps,” he added.

Threats of political retaliation surrounded the vote. One conservative PAC suggested Indiana could lose federal funding for refusing to approve the new map, but Doriot said a loss of federal funding is not likely.

“Probably not gonna hurt that much now there are things that can be held up. I really want the USDA office to be set up in Indianapolis,” he said.

Kinsella said a loss of federal funding is not likely and technically not possible.

“That might be more of an idle threat, again the president was clearly very frustrated with this happening, and this was part of a bigger plan to try to protect and try to ensure a Republican majority,” he said.

Federal funds such as highway money and Medicaid are already allocated, he said.

“Thinking of it is like a legal issue and more of something that’s not possible because of the way federal funding is structured to the states. I don’t think it’s something that could be done,” Kinsella said.

Doriot felt confident in his vote, Friday.

“Just because everyone else is doing something wrong doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do what’s right and that’s where I’m at. Hopefully our decision doesn’t hurt too many Hoosiers. It might slow things down, but we all got to sleep at night,” he said.

Redistricting cannot be voted on again until the 2027 legislative session.