Sam Stein, managing editor of The Bulwark, said on Thursday that he was “blown away” after Indiana Republicans rebuffed President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign to change their election map ahead of the 2026 midterm.
Indiana’s Senate voted down a bill on Thursday to change the state’s election map by a 31-19 majority, despite Republicans having a 40-10 majority in the Upper Chamber. The new map would have made the state’s two Democratic-held Congressional seats more favorable for Republicans.
Stein discussed the vote in a new reaction episode of “Bulwark Takes” on YouTube.
“I was blown away by how nasty it got prior to the vote,” Stein said. “There was no persuasion or carrots. It seemed like it was all sticks.”
Indiana lawmakers debated the bill for about four hours before the final vote, with the debate becoming intense at times. Indiana Senate Majority Leader Chris Garten (R) screamed at his colleagues to “sign it,” referring to the bill, and move on.
The debate followed weeks of pressure from Trump and his surrogates. Trump has reportedly held multiple personal calls with leaders in Indiana’s Republican Party ahead of the vote.
Stein said the result showed how little sway Trump has over the state party.
“These are like state lawmakers. These aren’t members of Congress,” he said. “This isn’t even a governor. These are just random state lawmakers in Indiana. It’s like it’s an incredibly conservative state. This isn’t even Georgia or Wisconsin. It was a little bit surprising how little juice Trump had with these folks.”
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