Redistricting

The Indiana Senate rejected a Trump‑backed mid‑decade congressional map 31–19, with 21 Republicans joining 10 Democrats to defeat a plan that would have remade the state into a 9–0 GOP map and likely ousted Reps. André Carson and Frank Mrvan. The vote came after intense pressure from Trump and allies — including visits by VP JD Vance and public threats of primary challenges (Trump singled out Senate leader Rodric Bray, who voted no) — and amid reports of swatting, bomb threats and other harassment of lawmakers.

The Supreme Court issued an unsigned emergency stay allowing Texas to use a mid‑decade, GOP‑drawn congressional map for now — after Justice Alito had briefly reinstated it — saying delays could interfere with candidate qualifying ahead of March 2026 primaries. A three‑judge lower court had found likely racial discrimination (with a Trump‑appointed judge writing there was “substantial evidence”), but the high court’s decision, criticized in Justice Kagan’s dissent as effectively locking in the map, preserves a plan pushed by former President Trump that could net Republicans up to five additional House seats and has already prompted political fallout, including Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s decision not to seek reelection.

Opponents of a Trump-backed mid‑cycle U.S. House map in Missouri submitted more than 300,000 signatures — well above the roughly 110,000 needed to suspend the map — and those petitions must now be verified by local election authorities and Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who argues the referendum is unconstitutional. If validated the measure would likely appear on the November 2026 ballot unless the legislature sets an earlier date; the campaign group People Not Politicians has raised about $5 million (mostly out of state) while GOP-aligned groups have spent over $2 million, part of a broader mid‑decade redistricting battle that includes the Supreme Court’s recent approval of a new Texas map for 2026.