President Trump and Vice President Vance met with a delegation of Indiana state GOP lawmakers on Tuesday as the White House pushes for the Hoosier State to undertake a redistricting effort that could net the party additional House seats. The White House has urged Republican states to move forward with redistricting efforts, following in the footsteps of Texas. However, a handful of Indiana state Republicans have expressed reservations about doing so, arguing it would set a problematic precedent and could lead to backlash against the party. Republicans control 70 of 100 seats in the state House and 40 of 50 seats in the state Senate, meaning a sizable number of GOP lawmakers would need to oppose the effort to block it. Some Trump allies have raised the prospect of backing primary challengers for Indiana state lawmakers who do not fall in line, an indication the White House is using its full political might to get the Hoosier State on board with redistricting efforts.
Texas’s efforts have set off a chain reaction of other states on both sides of the aisle eyeing plans to draw new maps ahead of the midterms, including California, Ohio, New York, and Missouri.
