President Donald Trump once again threatened to bring electoral repercussions for Indiana Senate Republicans who rejected his push for gerrymandered district maps.
“Republicans in the Indiana State Senate, who voted against a Majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, should be ashamed of themselves,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social late on Friday.
“Headed by a total loser named Rod Bray, every one of these people should be ‘primaried,’ and I will be there to help!” he added, calling out Indiana Senate Republican leader Rodric Bray by name.
On Thursday, a majority of Indiana Senate Republicans sided with Democrats to vote against a new congressional map for the state, which would have given Republicans a competitive edge over two U.S. House seats currently held by Democrats. It was a significant repudiation of Trump, who had exerted immense pressure on them to pass the bill, even though he later said he “wasn’t very much involved” in the redistricting effort.
Trump has been campaigning for Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps, in an effort to maintain or even expand the GOP’s narrow lead in the U.S. House. Texas Republicans heeded the president’s call and passed a gerrymandered map in August, and the Supreme Court earlier this month allowed it to go into effect.
Democratic lawmakers in turn made their own push for redistricting to counter their red state counterparts. Last month in California, voters approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to redraw its district map. The Justice Department is challenging that in court. Even before the Indiana Senate vote on Thursday, Trump had threatened to primary those who defied him. He posted a long screed against Bray specifically, accusing him of “being the only person in the United States of America who is against Republicans picking up extra seats.” Indiana Senate Republicans have offered different reasons for turning down the new map, but several pointed to the violent threats they and their families received over the vote.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News. Recommended
