CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny was stunned on Thursday after anchor Jake Tapper broke news that Indiana Republicans had rejected attempts to change the state’s election map ahead of the 2026 midterm.
Zeleny joined Tapper on Thursday’s broadcast of “The Lead” to discuss a pressure campaign President Donald Trump and Republicans were waging to redraw the maps. The efforts happened at a time when other Republican-controlled legislatures, like Missouri and Texas, have redrawn their maps through a process called mid-cycle redistricting.
The Indiana Senate voted 31-19 on Thursday to reject a bill that would change the state’s election map. That’s despite Republicans having a 40-10 majority in Indiana’s Upper Chamber.
Zeleny seemed to be stunned by the news as he reacted on-air.
“The White House and the president’s allies, even Indiana Republicans, are somewhat surprised by the margin,” Zeleny said of the vote tally. “But again, 21 Republicans voting with Democrats to reject this push by the White House — this, without question, as we near the end of the year, is the biggest rebuke that President Trump has taken.”
Trump attempted to put his thumb on the scale on Wednesday when he called out Indiana Senate leader Rod Bray by name in a Truth Social post. The president declared that other MAGA-friendly states like Missouri and Texas had gone along with the redistricting plan “willingly, openly, and easily.”
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