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Indiana governor says he’ll help primary Republicans who defied Trump on redistricting
The Hill ^ | 12/12/2025 | Ashleigh Fields

Posted on 12/12/2025 7:13:47 AM PST by Miami Rebel

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R ) on Thursday said he would help President Trump primary Republican state lawmakers who voted against a redistricting measure backed by the leader.

“I am very disappointed that a small group of misguided State Senators have partnered with Democrats to reject this opportunity to protect Hoosiers with fair maps and to reject the leadership of President Trump. Ultimately, decisions like this carry political consequences,” Braun wrote in a post on the social platform X.

‘I will be working with the President to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers,” he added.

In a 19-31 vote, the Indiana Senate rejected the redistricting bid, with more Republicans voting against the new map than for it.

“We’ll be launching primary challenges against every last traitor who voted no, effective immediately! Pack your bags, your time is up!” Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz wrote on the social platform X, responding to the vote.

Republicans lawmakers in the Hoosier State who opposed the effort have defended their decision to buck Trump.

“Make no mistake, I, like many of those who will join me in voting no today, are constitutional fiscal and religious conservatives. What that means to me is that I believe in conserving the values, the culture and the institutions that created American exceptionalism,” said Indiana state Sen. Spencer Deery (R), who voted against the map.

“My point is that my opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast with my conservative principles,” he said. “My opposition is driven by them.”

Trump has threatened to primary all GOP lawmakers that defied his mid-decade redistricting push in the state.

“They found some Republican ‘SUCKERS,’ and they couldn’t be happier that they did! Guys like Failed Senate Candidate Mitch Daniels, who I opposed in his Race against Senator Jim Banks, and Cam Savage, whoever that is, are fighting against the Republican Party, all the way,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post ahead of Thursday’s vote.

He specifically slammed Indiana State Senate Leader Rod Bray (R ).

“Bray and his friends are the favorite Republicans of [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries [D-N.Y.], Crazy [Rep.] Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.], and Cryin’ Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.]. Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring,” he wrote.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: ashleighfields; braun; indiana; leftistsource; mikebraun; multiplenicks; rinos; tds; thehill; theshill
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1 posted on 12/12/2025 7:13:47 AM PST by Miami Rebel
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To: Miami Rebel

21 RINOs voted “No” yesterday. About half of them (including Rod Bray) aren’t even up for re-election until 2028.

People have short memories, RINOs will have all the funding they need, the GOPe will (if necessary) run “paper conservatives” in order to split the conservative vote in primaries, etc.

It doesn’t mean that real conservatives shouldn’t TRY to oust these traitors, but don’t expect very much.

General rule: in a Republican-controlled state legislative body, just like in Congress, you do NOT get to be the party leader (Speaker, Majority Leader) unless you are a RINO.

A coward like Rod Bray is a perfect example, and there are others like him in every so-called Republican state.


2 posted on 12/12/2025 7:20:17 AM PST by PermaRag (Facts, context, and more facts)
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To: Miami Rebel

The Indiana state senate has 50 seats — 40 of which are GOP-held.

That means that the Republicans in the Indiana state senate *alone* voted 19-21.

I’m not sure “primarying” more than half the sitting R state senators is possible OR wise.


3 posted on 12/12/2025 7:20:56 AM PST by Capn Hayek (Capital is not responsible for Labor's lack of planning)
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To: Capn Hayek

You can be certain that every senator who voted against redistricting did a very pragmatic assessment of the consequences of their actions and didn’t give much weight to the threat of retribution.


4 posted on 12/12/2025 7:23:45 AM PST by Miami Rebel
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To: Capn Hayek

Here are the Senators who voted No AND who are up for re-election in 2026, along with their district ratings. Almost all are in very safe GOP districts; these RINOs are ripe for extinction in a primary:

Eric Bassler, District 39, R+18
Jim Buck, District 21, R+12
Spencer Deery, District 23, R+9
Dan Dernulc, District 1, D+1
Greg Goode, District 38, R+6
Travis Holdman, District 19, R+15
Rick Niemeyer, District 6, R+12
Linda Rogers, District 11, R+6
Greg Walker, District 41, R+16
Kyle Walker, District 31, R+4

The other 11 RINOs who helped the Democrats yesterday are not up until 2028.


5 posted on 12/12/2025 7:28:02 AM PST by PermaRag (Facts, context, and more facts)
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To: Miami Rebel

OR they were either threatened with blackmail or offered lucrative, under the table deals and perks. How many of these politicians end up multimillionaires after they leave office - and beyond.

Gavin Newsom, for example - how did he afford a $9 million dollar house on his $291,715, governor’s salary? He’s reported to be worth $20 million.


6 posted on 12/12/2025 7:32:38 AM PST by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolution?)
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To: Miami Rebel

The article seems to contradict the headline.

The messed up Hill and confused media.


7 posted on 12/12/2025 7:33:52 AM PST by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ (Jude 3) and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: PermaRag

RINOs love to cut their own throats


8 posted on 12/12/2025 7:34:49 AM PST by butlerweave (Fateh)
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To: Jim W N

It depends on if you treat “primary” as a verb versus an adjective.


9 posted on 12/12/2025 7:35:52 AM PST by Ultra Sonic 007 (There is nothing new under the sun.)
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To: Bon of Babble

No one’s going around schmearing 20-odd state senators or blackmailing them. You’d have hear of one of them balking and ratting out the others.


10 posted on 12/12/2025 7:36:14 AM PST by Miami Rebel
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To: Miami Rebel

I can promise you, that the Democrats will have absolutely no problem redistricting the State of Indiana as soon as they have the chance.


11 posted on 12/12/2025 7:37:53 AM PST by Pete Dovgan
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To: PermaRag
"...is not in contrast with my conservative cuckservative principles,”

There, fixed it.

12 posted on 12/12/2025 7:38:53 AM PST by Yogafist
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To: Miami Rebel

Not to change the subject, but I saw on a video this morning that Bank of America showed the Indy was the number one metro area in the country for people moving into as opposed to out of. Columbus, OH was number two.

People are LEAVING many of the sun belt cities they moved to during covid and moving back up north to where they came from.
Cleveland, Denver and Chicago were all in the top five.

Miami was the number one city for people moving out of.


13 posted on 12/12/2025 7:39:10 AM PST by woodbutcher1963
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To: Capn Hayek
I’m not sure “primarying” more than half the sitting R state senators is possible OR wise.

Good gosh, MAGA candidates primarying RINO's IS exactly the thing that we should be doing.

14 posted on 12/12/2025 7:41:09 AM PST by FreeReign
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To: Miami Rebel

Remember this is the land of Pence. The only place Pence has friends is Indiana and the Swamp.


15 posted on 12/12/2025 7:44:07 AM PST by poinq (thics and customs and did not take an oath to the country. And did not follow the country's traditio)
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To: Miami Rebel

My suspicion is that some of them were smart enough to grasp more than silly tweets —

People erroneously assume “it’s all so easy” and just redrawing maps results in a foregone conclusion... but — the failed map actually could have backfired big time.

In a neutral election, it might well go 9-0. But - if the voting patterns were more like 2018? It might well have ended up a disastrous 5-4. As it stands now - it’s almost impossible for worse than 6-3, with 7-2 being most likely (and 8-1 not impossible, as Gary slowly dies and the redder parts of that area make up a bigger population share).

Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor - and 2026 increasingly looks like tough sledding.


16 posted on 12/12/2025 7:45:35 AM PST by Capn Hayek (Capital is not responsible for Labor's lack of planning)
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To: Miami Rebel

Forensic audits of all their personal and campaign finances too!


17 posted on 12/12/2025 7:47:02 AM PST by bigbob (We are all Charlie Kirk now)
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To: woodbutcher1963

I’m a little doubtful about Miami. Maybe people ARE moving out because it’s become quite expensive, but on a net basis it’s offset by a considerable influx since the pandemic began. Things are definitely cooling off.


18 posted on 12/12/2025 7:47:44 AM PST by Miami Rebel
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To: FreeReign

It’s a free country, so do as you please.

However, it gets increasingly annoying when people throw around the ‘RINO’ tag based on *nothing* except fluff like this.

I’m no longer a Hoosier - haven’t been in 30 years - so I know virtually nothing about any of these so-called RINOs. But, since you call them RINOs, I have to ask...

Do YOU know their opinions and votes on any RTKBA/2A issues? Abortion? Taxes? The role and size of government?


19 posted on 12/12/2025 7:57:52 AM PST by Capn Hayek (Capital is not responsible for Labor's lack of planning)
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To: FreeReign

I’m not sure “primarying” more than half the sitting R state senators is possible OR wise.

Good gosh, MAGA candidates primarying RINO’s IS exactly the thing that we should be doing.

I agree with the first statement. I suspect most of the 21 have been State Senators for a cycle of more and have a built in constineunt base. The challengers are going to spend a lot of money to get no where. Also any likely challenger is probably already friends with the incumbent.

Separately, has open primaries. Somebody would have to be at each polling place to challege these and I don’t think that is ging to happen.

As per The Green Pages: NOTE: In any Primary election in INDIANA, voters state which Party they are affiliated with by asking the poll workers for the ballot of that Party in a given Primary. A voter’s party affiliation is determined solely by his or her Primary voting record; the state’s voter registration form does NOT provide a place for the voter to state Party affiliation.

Even though the history of a voter’s Party affiliation- solely as determined by the individual voter’s Primary voting record- is part of the public record, the informaton is NOT available at the polling place. Any voter, however, may challenge another voter’s Party affiliation at the polls:


20 posted on 12/12/2025 8:02:21 AM PST by Steven Scharf
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