A majority of Hoosiers say they don’t want Indiana lawmakers to attempt to redistrict the state again to give Republicans an advantage before the 2028 election, according to a new Free Press Indiana Poll conducted by Bellwether Research.
In a survey of more than 800 likely voters, 54% said Indiana legislators should wait to redistrict until after the 2030 census. States traditionally redraw voting maps every 10 years following the census, which provides the most up-to-date population and demographic data.
Just 30% said they supported redistricting before the 2028 election. Another 14% said they weren’t sure.
Facing a pressure campaign from President Donald Trump, GOP legislators late last year tried to redraw the state’s congressional districts to favor Republicans heading into the midterm elections.
The measure failed after 21 Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to vote down the proposal.
Trump responded with a well-funded retribution campaign to oust those who voted against the scheme. In this year’s primary, five Trump-backed candidates defeated Republican incumbents who opposed the proposal.
Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, who led the Republican opposition to redistricting but is not up for reelection this year, faced intense backlash from Trump and is stepping down from the top Senate position. Sen. Chris Garten, who supported redistricting, will take his spot.
The shakeup means Republicans could once again push to redistrict during next year’s legislative session. Garten decline to comment on whether the Senate would take up the issue in response to an email sent by FPI News.
Of those who said they supported redistricting before 2028, 70% said they considered themselves a Trump supporter first and a Republican second. Of the total number of those who identified as Republican, 54% said they supported a new redistricting effort.
Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the proposal, with 88% saying to wait until after 2030. They were joined by 66% of independents who felt the same way. People surveyed between the ages of 35-44 also strongly agreed, with 74% saying to wait.
Those opposing a second attempt to redistrict are already organizing to fight any potential Republican efforts next year. In July, MADVoters organized a small rally outside the statehouse that was joined by State Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis.
Trump’s push this year for red states to redistrict led to a national battle with blue states to gerrymander maps to favor their party. In the end, seven Republican states and two Democratic states voted to redistrict.
Nine other states, including Indiana, attempted to redistrict, but the efforts eventually failed.
Free Press Indiana commissioned the poll by Bellwether Research. It surveyed 896 registered voters in Indiana from Oct. 8-11 via telephone interviews and online surveys sent by text message. The results are based on responses from 839 likely voters, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Bellwether Research’s clients include former Gov. Mitch Daniels, Eli Lilly and the Nature Conservancy in Indiana.
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FPI News reporter Carson Gerber covers healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, immigration … and just about any other topic that’s shaping how we live in Indiana today. Reach him at 765-204-4250 or carson.gerber@fpinews.org.
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