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Why this Indiana Republican bucks Trump on redistricting

When Spencer Deery first decided to run for his state Senate seat in western Indiana four years ago, he knew he would face hard moments. Senator Deery admits, however, that he never expected anything like this past week, which has included attacks from leaders in his own party 鈥� such as the Indiana governor and president of the United States 鈥� and a .

But as difficult as this past week has been, Mr. Deery says his vote that triggered it all was not.

After President Donald Trump called for Texas to redraw its congressional maps this summer to create a more advantageous map for the Republican Party ahead of next year鈥檚 midterm elections, focus quickly turned to Indiana in search of more GOP seats. Republicans saw an opportunity here, in a state that President Trump won by double digits in the past three elections. With a Republican governor and Republican supermajorities in both state legislative chambers, the party could pick up two House seats and create a 9-0 GOP district map.

The White House has spent significant political capital over the past few months to make that happen. Vice President JD Vance flew to Indiana twice to lobby legislative leaders, and Indiana lawmakers, including Statehouse leaders, met with Mr. Trump in August. But , Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray announced there were not enough votes in his chamber to move forward on redistricting. With 19 Republicans joining the 10 Democrats, senators voted 29-19 to adjourn and not hold the December special session on redistricting as requested by Gov. Mike Braun 鈥� an in state history and a proxy vote for where senate Republicans stood on redistricting.

鈥淭o me, it really goes to, What is the most basic principle in the Constitution? And that is the idea of popular sovereignty, or the idea that the people select their rulers. Anything that undermines that violates my oath of office,鈥� says Mr. Deery, who was one of the first senators to come out against midcycle redistricting. He knows that gerrymandering already happens, but it鈥檚 鈥渆specially egregious,鈥� he says, to do it 鈥渨henever we want鈥� in fear of election results.

鈥淚鈥檓 not taking this position because I鈥檓 opposing conservative values,鈥� he says, pointing to his own conservative voting record and his 100% rating from right-leaning groups such as the and . 鈥淚鈥檓 taking it because of my conservative values.鈥�

At a time when Republican opposition to Mr. Trump鈥檚 wishes are rare and often futile, it鈥檚 state lawmakers in a ruby-red state who have initiated one of the most notable intraparty pushbacks of the president鈥檚 second term. It comes on the heels of the congressional vote to release the Justice Department files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And while many of these GOP legislators say they share the president鈥檚 goals for a Republican majority in the U.S. House following the 2026 midterms, they worry that redistricting could undermine that effort and create rifts at a moment when the party should be united.

鈥淚 want us to be focused on winning the midterms,鈥� says Mr. Deery, 鈥渁nd instead, we are fracturing the party at just the wrong time.鈥�

GOP redistricting caution emerges

Hoosier legislators aren鈥檛 the only ones to push back on midcycle redistricting. Republicans in Nebraska and Kansas, as well as Democrats in Maryland, have all declined to move on new maps, some of them citing similar reasons as their peers in Indiana.

鈥淚t looked like simply a party maneuver,鈥� Republican state Sen. Merv Riepe of Nebraska . 鈥淚 represent my district and I think that鈥檚 what democracy is supposed to be about.鈥�

鈥淚 would rather just stand on principle and stand on my morals and ethics,鈥� Republican state Rep. Brett Fairchild of Kansas . 鈥淭hat way I can actually look at myself in the mirror and sleep at night. It鈥檚 not all just about getting re-elected.鈥�

But arguably, no state legislators have faced more White House pressure than those in Indiana, whom Mr. Trump has taken to publicly shaming on his Truth Social account over the past week. Between Monday and Tuesday, Mr. Trump posted about Indiana Republicans four times, calling Senator Bray a 鈥淩INO,鈥� or a Republican in name only, who would soon face a 鈥淧rimary Problem鈥� as would 鈥�.鈥�

And on Tuesday, Mr. Deery got just that. Paula Copenhaver, of the Fountain County Republican Party and a for Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, announced that she was launching a primary rechallenge (she ran against him in 2022). In her , Ms. Copenhaver said Hoosiers have 鈥渨atched weak leadership in the state senate fail to deliver the redistricting plan.鈥� The lieutenant governor has and endorsed the White House鈥檚 redistricting plans.

Governor Braun said that he would 鈥渄efinitely鈥� support a change in Senate leadership. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 have a Senate that鈥檚 constantly a wet blanket,鈥� he added. The governor has warned of 鈥渓ong-term political consequences鈥� for Senate holdouts, and said he is exploring ways to 鈥渃ompel鈥� them to act, while also condemning an earlier swatting attack on another senator. (So far this week, swatting calls on GOP state senators, including Mr. Deery, with anonymous callers falsely reporting emergencies designed to bring a large police presence.)

Although the state House has also adjourned until January, Republican House Speaker Todd Huston has said and told his members to stay prepared for a special session in December.

鈥淚鈥檝e been a little taken aback because I just don鈥檛 see why this is not fair to do,鈥� says James Bopp, a former deputy attorney general of Indiana who also served as the Republican National Committee vice chairman from 2008 to 2012. He says that Senate Republicans in Indiana need to think about the national implications of a Democratic-controlled House in 2026.

鈥淭he consequences are so dire. ... We鈥檙e just a part of the puzzle of the whole nation,鈥� says Mr. Bopp. 鈥淚 would never ask any politician or any person to do something that is unconstitutional, illegal, immoral, or unethical. Gerrymandering is not any of those things. It鈥檚 politics.鈥�

Could gerrymandering backfire?

Indiana鈥檚 pushback comes at a difficult moment for Republicans鈥� redistricting efforts, with the GOP facing setbacks in several states. Earlier this month, California passed a ballot measure that allows the state to redraw its congressional map and add as many as five Democratic-leaning districts, an effort to counteract the GOP in Texas. On Tuesday, however, a federal court blocked Texas from using its new plus-five Republican district map, ruling it an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The state filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.

This follows an early November court ruling in Utah that threw out a GOP-favored map for one district. Now, after the GOP started a redistricting battle to bolster its efforts next year, Republicans have potentially .

This is one thing Mr. Deery has been worried about 鈥� that GOP midcycle redistricting efforts could 鈥渂ackfire.鈥� He鈥檚 taken to posting videos on Facebook that show him talking to constituents, and during one recent walk in the woods, he explained some of his redistricting concerns. By 鈥渃hanging the math and spreading Republican voters鈥� across the two current Democratic-held districts, Republicans could make themselves vulnerable (a process known as 鈥渄ummymandering鈥�). 鈥淲ithout Trump on the ballot,鈥� he says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not a clear win.鈥�

Mr. Bray in an interview with Politico this week. Instead, say both Mr. Bray and Mr. Deery, Republicans should focus on finding a qualified candidate to run in Indiana鈥檚 1st Congressional District, which Democrats have won the past two cycles by single digits.

Mr. Deery says 鈥渘o small amount of money鈥� was spent on robocalls and text messages to his Republican constituents, telling them to contact him and tell him to change his mind. But the majority of the voters who called him after these messages offered their support for his efforts instead.

鈥淢ost of the noise has not been coming from constituents,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t goes to Hoosier culture, which is that we are a state that has a strong sense of fairness.鈥�