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Poll: Third-Party Candidate Leading In 6 Battleground States

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

This is unexpected…

The pollย fromย The New York Timesย and Siena College showsย Robert F. Kennedy Jr.ย beating both Trump and Biden among voters under 45 in six swing states.

Mediaite reports:

The polling shows that in an average of data gathered from Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin, Kennedy has 34 percent support base with voters aged between 18-29, and he also has 31 percent with 30-44 year old voters. Trumpโ€™s numbers stand at 29 percent with 18-29 year olds, and 30 percent with 30-44 year olds. Biden stands at 30 percent in both categories.

And in some states, Kennedy is winning younger voters by enormous margins. In Arizona,  Kennedy has 39 percent of the 18-29-year-old vote to Trumpโ€™s 26 โ€” and in Georgia, Kennedy leads Trump 35 to 28 in the same demographic. Biden still has some sway with younger voters in several states โ€” pulling in 37 percent of the 18-29 year old vote in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Kennedy originally entered the 2024 contest as a Democratic primary challenger to Biden, but it was about a month ago when he dropped that bid and reinvented his campaign as a third party independent run. Much of the media focus on Kennedyโ€™s run has focused on his numerous bizarre and misinformation statements, though recent polls have shown that his independent bid could be cutting into Trumpโ€™s base more than Bidenโ€™s.

McConnell Biography Unveils Senate Leaders Private Reaction After 2020 Election

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Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer attend medal ceremony via Wikimedia Commons

A new biography on Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) exposes new details surrounding his tense relationship with former President Donald Trump.

Michael Tackett, deputy Washington bureau chief at the Associated Press, drew from nearly three decades of McConnellโ€™s political career using sources including recorded diaries by the elder statesmen and past interviews. In the finished book,ย The Price of Power, which hits shelves on October 29, Tackett uncovered several shockingly negative assessments of the ex-president by McConnell, who has publicly expressed his support andย endorsed himย in the 2024 election.

After Trump lost the election in 2020, McConnell congratulated his former Senate colleague Presidentย Joe Bidenย and warned his fellow Republicans not to challenge the election results. But behind the scenes โ€” and as Trump tried and failed to overturn the election results โ€” he apparently couldnโ€™t wait to see the last of Trump:

Privately, he said in his oral history that โ€œitโ€™s not just the Democrats who are counting the daysโ€ until Trump left office, and that Trumpโ€™s behavior โ€œonly underscores the good judgment of the American people. Theyโ€™ve had just enough of the misrepresentations, the outright lies almost on a daily basis, and they fired him.โ€

โ€œAnd for a narcissist like him,โ€ McConnell continued, โ€œthatโ€™s been really hard to take, and so his behavior since the election has been even worse, by far, than it was before, because he has no filter now at all.โ€

Before those Georgia runoffs, McConnell said Trump is โ€œstupid as well as being ill-tempered and canโ€™t even figure out where his own best interests lie.โ€

An account of the aftermath of January 6, which had McConnell in a secure location while his aides โ€œbarricadedโ€ in the office, revealed an emotional moment between the former Senate Majority Leader and his staff:

McConnell then went to his office to address his staff, some of whom had barricaded themselves in the office as rioters banged on their doors. He started to sob softly as he thanked them, Tackett writes.

โ€œYou are my family, and I hate the fact that you had to go through this,โ€ he told them.

House Democrat Says Lawmakers โ€˜Had Wagers Goingโ€™ On Trump, Musk Implosion

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UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

It was only a matter of time…

Some members of Congress believed the implosion of President Trumpโ€™s relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk was so inevitable that they were wagering on how long it would last, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) suggested Thursday.

โ€œWe had wagers going on the floor: Is this relationship going to last three months? Is it going to last six months?โ€ Gonzalez told CNNโ€™s Kaitlan Collins in an interview. โ€œI donโ€™t think anyone thought it was going to last a year.โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t think you needed to be a genius, though, to foresee that this eruptive and public display of divorce was going to happen at some point,โ€ he added.

Trump and Musk publicly traded barbs on Thursday in an explosive end to their previously tight alliance, with cracks beginning to show in recent days as Musk blasted the House GOPโ€™s โ€œOne Big Beautiful Bill Actโ€ as a “disgusting abomination.”

On Thursday afternoon, Elon Musk publicly endorsed a call for President Donald Trumpโ€™s impeachment. Responding to a post on his social media platform X by conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong โ€” who suggested Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance โ€” Musk replied with a succinct โ€œyes,โ€ signaling his agreement with the sentiment.

The worldโ€™s richest man and SpaceX CEO said his space exploration company will ground the spacecraft used to shuttle astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station.

On Friday morning, Fox News reported that Musk may speak with some of the President’s aides in an apparent effort to calm the growing feud between the two powerhouses.

A senior White House official told Fox News that Trump does not expect to speak to Musk today. However, White House aides told Doocy that Trump administration staffers might try to talk to Musk. 

“No call scheduled or had. Musk wants a call. POTUS hasnโ€™t made a decision,” a source familiar with the matter also told Fox News regarding a possible conversation between Trump and Musk.

Doocy also reported that a red Tesla vehicle that Trump bought during a Tesla demonstration on the South Lawn of the White House grounds earlier this year is now expected to be given away or sold off. 

The vehicle with Florida tags, as of Friday, remains parked near the White House on West Executive Drive.

READ NEXT: Foxโ€™s Mark Levin Unleashes On Tuck

Denver Mayor Could Face Removal, Jail Time Over Deportation Stance

Trump at the border wall via Wikimedia Commons

Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently said he wasย prepared to break with President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation plans and Republicans are warning he will absolutely suffer the consequences.

Johnston said during a recent interview that he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is “illegal or immoral or un-American” in the city โ€“ including the use of military force.

During a Sunday morning interview on Face The Nation, Paul told anchor Margaret Brennan that Johnstonโ€™s plan is a โ€œform of insurrectionโ€ that could see him removed from office.

BRENNAN: The stated Trump plan is to use the military or military assets, deputize the National Guard, and have them act as immigration agents. Do you believe that is lawful?

PAUL: You know, Iโ€™m 100% supportive of going after the 15,000 murderers, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapist, all of these people. Letโ€™s send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison. So I would say all points bulletin all in. But you donโ€™t do it with the army because itโ€™s illegal. And weโ€™ve weโ€™ve had a distrust of putting the army into our streets because the police have a difficult job. But the police understand the Fourth Amendment. They have to go to judges. They have to get warrants. It has to be specific. And so Iโ€™m for removing these people. But I would do it through the normal process of domestic policing.

Now, I would say that the mayor of Denver, if heโ€™s going to resist federal law, which thereโ€™s a long standing, standing history of the supremacy of federal law, heโ€™s going to resist that. It will go all the way to the Supreme Court. And I would suspect that he would be removed from office. I donโ€™t know whether or not that would be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law. But he will lose. And people need to realize that what he is offering is a form of insurrection where the states resist the federal government. Most people objected to that and rejected that long ago. So I think the mayor of Denver is on the wrong side of history and really, I think will face legal ramifications if he doesnโ€™t obey the federal law.

The president-elect’s pick to be the next border czar responded that he’s willing to put the Denver Mayor in jail for outright flouting Trump’s policies.

“You are absolutely breaking the law,” Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” designate, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “All he has to do is look at Arizona v. U.S. and he would see he’s breaking the law. But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. Heโ€™s willing to go to jail, Iโ€™m willing to put him in jail.”

Homan pointed to a statute that says it’s a “felony if you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from immigration authorities.”

Homan said they have to secure this country and save lives. 

“President Trump has been clear, we want to concentrate on public safety threats and national security threats. I find it hard to believe that any governor would say they donโ€™t want public safety threats removed from their neighborhoods,” he said.

Trump Makes Endorsement in House Speaker Race

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Jim Jordan via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump is throwing his support behind Jim Jordan to become the next Speaker of the House.

โ€œHe is a STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment. Jim, his wife, Polly, & family are outstanding โ€“ He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!โ€ Trumpย posted on hisย Truth Social platform.

โ€œCongressmanย Jim Jordanย has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, D.C., representing Ohioโ€™s 4th Congressional District. Respected by all, he is now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,โ€ Trump wrote.

The former president backed Jordan over Majority Leaderย Steve Scaliseย (R-La.), whoย announced his own bidย to replace ousted Speakerย Kevin McCarthyย on Wednesday.

Trump had initially declined to back any particular candidate for Speaker following McCarthyโ€™s removal,ย telling reporters Wednesdayย that โ€œwe have some great people in the Republican Party that could do a great job as Speaker.โ€

Some House Republicans floated the former president himself as a possible Speaker nominee, with the conference scrambling to coalesce around a new leader following McCarthyโ€™s exit from a position he had held since January.

Trump appeared to dismiss those calls, saying Wednesday he wasย โ€œtotallyโ€ focused onย his White House bid. On Thursday, he said he would do so on a temporary basis only โ€œif necessary,โ€ adding to Fox News Digital: โ€œI have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress.โ€ย 

Marjorie Taylor Greene Reportedly Prepping For 2028 Presidential Run

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is reportedly considering a run for president in 2028 โ€” a move that, if realized, could reshape the Republican Partyโ€™s post-Trump era and test the staying power of the โ€œAmerica Firstโ€ movement.

According to a new report from Notus, Greene has privately expressed interest in following in Donald Trumpโ€™s footsteps to the White House. The outlet cites four sources familiar with her thinking, saying Greene believes she represents the โ€œreal MAGAโ€ faction โ€” the core conservative movement that has reshaped the GOP since 2016 โ€” and that many Republican leaders have drifted away from those grassroots values.

One source told Notus that Greene feels confident she has built the national donor network and grassroots support needed to mount a serious primary campaign, especially as the GOPโ€™s base remains loyal to Trumpโ€™s populist agenda.


Building a National Brand

While Greene has long been a lightning rod for criticism from the left, sheโ€™s also gained national recognition for her unapologetic defense of conservative causes โ€” from border security to religious freedom, from cutting wasteful spending to standing up against what she calls the โ€œweaponizationโ€ of government against political opponents.

In recent months, Greene has sought to expand her reach beyond the hardcore MAGA base. Sheโ€™s made high-profile appearances on Bill Maherโ€™s โ€œReal Timeโ€ on HBO, The View, and CNN, signaling an effort to engage audiences outside of conservative media. Her willingness to enter unfriendly territory underscores her confidence and desire to make the case for conservative principles in front of skeptics.

As one GOP strategist told Notus, โ€œSheโ€™s trying to take the MAGA message to a national stage โ€” not just to Republicans, but to all Americans who feel Washington is broken.โ€


Criticizing the GOPโ€™s Lack of Direction

Greene has also been unafraid to criticize her own party when she believes it has lost focus. On Real Time, she expressed frustration with Republicans who, after years of campaigning to repeal and replace Obamacare, โ€œstill donโ€™t have a plan.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m angry about that,โ€ Greene said on the show, adding that conservatives need to deliver tangible results, not just rhetoric.

In recent weeks, she has also called out male Republican members of Congress as โ€œweakโ€ for caving to establishment pressure, blasted the GOP for having โ€œno planโ€ to avoid government shutdown chaos, and criticized the partyโ€™s leadership for not pushing harder to release Jeffrey Epstein files, saying Americans deserve transparency and truth.


A Populist in the Trump Mold

Those close to Greene describe her as both fiercely loyal to Donald Trump and equally committed to ensuring his populist movement survives beyond him. She was one of Trumpโ€™s earliest and most vocal defenders during both impeachments and remains one of his strongest allies in Congress.

At the same time, Greene has worked to develop her own national voice, one that emphasizes restoring American sovereignty, rebuilding manufacturing, reducing foreign entanglements, and protecting traditional values that she argues have been under assault from both the left and establishment Republicans.

The 2028 Question

When asked directly about a presidential run during an appearance on comedian Tim Dillonโ€™s podcast last October, Greene laughed off the speculation โ€” but didnโ€™t shut it down entirely.

โ€œOh my goodness. I hate politics so much, Tim,โ€ she said. โ€œPeople are saying that, and Iโ€™ve seen a few people saying โ€˜sheโ€™s runningโ€™โ€ฆ What Iโ€™m doing right now is I very much want to fix problems. Thatโ€™s honestly all I care about.โ€

Still, those familiar with her thinking say Greeneโ€™s ambitions go beyond her congressional seat. With her growing national platform, fundraising power, and ability to command headlines, she could emerge as one of the most influential Republican figures in the post-Trump era โ€” whether she runs in 2028 or not.

In August, President Donald Trump made his clearest endorsement yet for a future Republican presidential candidate, declaring that Vice President JD Vance is โ€œmost likelyโ€ to carry the MAGA torch after his second term ends.

Trump described Vance as โ€œprobably the favoriteโ€ to lead the Republican Party into the next election cycle.

โ€œHeโ€™s most likely the heir,โ€ Trump said, referring to Vance. โ€œHe understands the movement, he understands the people, and heโ€™s doing a phenomenal job as Vice President.โ€

Trump also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling him โ€œsomebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form,โ€ suggesting Rubio could play a key role in a future Vance-led administration or campaign.

Rubio, for his part, echoed Trumpโ€™s praise of Vance during a recent interview with Lara Trump on Fox News.

โ€œI think heโ€™s doing a great job as Vice President. Heโ€™s a close friend, and I hope he intends to do it,โ€ Rubio said of Vance.

Although recent polling has shown Rubio with some early support among Republican voters for a potential 2028 run, conventional political wisdom indicates he wouldnโ€™t start publicly signaling interest in running for president until much closer to the election.

โ€œYou never know what the future holds,โ€ Rubio said. โ€œBut if Iโ€™m able to finish this term strong and we accomplish what weโ€™ve set out to do, Iโ€™ll be satisfied with that as the apex of my public service career.โ€

Trump Impeachment Star Witness Makes Longshot Run For Senate

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a former National Security Council official best known for his role in President Donald Trumpโ€™s first impeachment, announced Tuesday that he is entering Floridaโ€™s 2026 U.S. Senate race as a Democrat, challenging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.

Vindman rose to national prominence in 2019 after testifying against President Trump over a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyโ€”testimony that became central to Democratsโ€™ first impeachment effort. That impeachment ultimately failed, with the Senate acquitting Trump in a 52โ€“48 vote largely along party lines.

In his campaign launch video, Vindman leaned heavily on footage from the impeachment proceedings, framing his candidacy as an extension of his opposition to Trump. โ€œThe last time you saw me was here,โ€ Vindman said, referring to the impeachment hearing. โ€œSwearing an oath to tell the truth about a president who broke his.โ€

Vindman went on to describe Trump as a โ€œwannabe tyrantโ€ and claimed the former president unleashed a โ€œreign of terror and retributionโ€ against him and his familyโ€”language that underscores how central anti-Trump activism is likely to be to his campaign pitch.

A political newcomer with no prior electoral experience, Vindman faces steep odds in Florida, a state that has moved decisively to the right in recent election cycles. Trump carried the Sunshine State by 13 points in November 2024, and Republicans currently hold every statewide elected office. Florida has not elected a Democratic senator since Bill Nelsonโ€™s narrow reelection victory in 2012.

Vindman, an Iraq War veteran, retired from the Army in 2020 after a decades-long military career. He later filed a lawsuit against Trump and several former aides, alleging โ€œintimidation and retaliation,โ€ but the suit was unsuccessful. His wife, Rachel Vindman, publicly criticized former President Joe Biden for declining to issue pardons to the couple at the end of his term.

โ€œWhatever happens to my family, know this: No pardons were offered or discussed,โ€ Rachel Vindman wrote in a post on Bluesky. She added that she โ€œcannot begin to describe the level of betrayal and hurtโ€ she felt toward the Biden administration.

Sen. Ashley Moody, a Republican and former Florida attorney general, was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the seat vacated by Marco Rubio after Rubio became secretary of state. Moody is running for reelection with the backing of President Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, giving her a significant institutional and fundraising advantage.

The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as โ€œsolid Republican,โ€ its strongest rating for GOP-held seatsโ€”reflecting Floridaโ€™s recent political realignment and Democratsโ€™ continued struggles to remain competitive statewide.

The 2026 contest is a special election to serve the final two years of Rubioโ€™s term. The winner will need to run again in 2028 to secure a full six-year term.

Vindman has lived in Broward County since 2023, a Democratic stronghold in South Florida. His twin brother, Eugene Vindman, represents a safely Democratic House district in northern Virginia, further highlighting the familyโ€™s close ties to Democratic politics.

Nationally, Democrats face a difficult map in 2026 as they attempt a longshot effort to retake control of the Senate. To do so, they would need to defend vulnerable seats in states like Michigan and Georgia while flipping at least four Republican-held seatsโ€”an outcome most analysts consider unlikely.

CBS In Chaos? โ€˜60 Minutesโ€™ Producer Resigns Amid Trump Legal Battle

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Bill Owens, the executive producer of CBS’ “60 Minutes,” announced his resignation on Tuesday, claiming a loss of editorial independence. The decision comes in the wake of a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against CBS, alleging deceptive editing in a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

As Mediaite reports:

Owens said Tuesday in a memo to staffers obtained by Mediaite that he decided to step aside because โ€œover the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for โ€˜60 Minutes,โ€™ right for the audience.โ€

Owens is the third producer to runย 60 Minutesย in its more than 50 years on the air.

โ€œSo, having defended this show โ€” and what we stand for โ€” from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward,โ€ Owens wrote.

Owens made clear the show will continue without him. โ€œThe show is too important to the country. It has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer,โ€ he wrote.

The Lawsuit’s Allegations

President Trump’s lawsuit, initiated in December 2024, accuses CBS of violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the federal Lanham Act. The core of the complaint is that “60 Minutes” edited Harris’ interview to portray her more favorably, potentially influencing public opinion during the presidential election. Specifically, the lawsuit points to discrepancies in Harris’s responses about the Israel-Gaza conflict, suggesting that the edits were made to enhance her image and disadvantage Trump’s campaign.โ€‹

Resignation Amid Corporate Considerations

CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, is reportedly considering settling the lawsuit to facilitate an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which requires FCC approval. This move has sparked internal conflict, with Owens and other CBS journalists opposing a settlement, viewing it as a compromise of journalistic integrity.

CBS’ Response and Transparency Efforts

In response to Trump’s allegations, CBS released the full, unedited transcript of the Harris interview in February, asserting that the editing was standard journalistic practice aimed at clarity and brevity, not deception. The network maintains that its editorial decisions are protected under the First Amendment.

The ongoing situation underscores the tensions between media organizations and political figures, raising questions about journalistic independence, corporate influence and the role of the press in democratic societies. As CBS navigates legal challenges and corporate decisions, the resignation of a key figure like Owens highlights the complexities at the intersection of media, politics and business.โ€‹

READ NEXT: Ex-Fox News Star Jumps Into High-Stakes Governorโ€™s Race [WATCH]

Nancy Pelosiโ€™s Daughter Launches Campaign Days After Mom Announces Retirement

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Nancy Pelosi via Gage Skidmore flickr

Nancy Pelosiโ€™s daughter, Christine Pelosi, announced she is tossing her hat into the ring for the California state senate, just days after her mom announced her highly anticipated retirement from Congress.

The younger Pelosi, a longtime political consultant and former chairperson of the California Democratic Womenโ€™s Caucus, announced her campaign on social media on Monday morning.

โ€œHi, Iโ€™m Christine Pelosi. Attorney, author, advocate, wife, mom, and today, a candidate for California State Senate,โ€ she says in a campaign video accompanying the post.

Christine Pelosi, 59, is one of the former House speakerโ€™s five children with her husband, Paul.

Pelosi, 85, announced on Thursday that she would not run for reelection after a historic congressional career that spanned four decades.

The retirement reveal was celebrated by President Donald Trump, who later relayed through Fox News reporter Peter Doocy that she was โ€œevil, corrupt, and only focused on bad things for our country.โ€

โ€œShe was rapidly losing control of her party and it was never coming back. Iโ€™m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice,โ€ Trump said.

Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosiโ€™s rivalry has been one of the defining political dramas of recent years, symbolizing the deep partisan divide in Washington. From Trumpโ€™s first impeachmentโ€”driven by Pelosiโ€™s Democratic Houseโ€”to their public clashes over the State of the Union address, the two leaders turned political disagreement into personal enmity. Trump often cast Pelosi as the face of establishment obstruction, accusing her of putting party politics ahead of American progress. For many Republicans, her approach epitomized the D.C. eliteโ€™s refusal to respect the voters who put Trump in office.

Even after Trump left the White House, the feuds continued to shape both figuresโ€™ legacies. Pelosi frequently invokes Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump uses her name as shorthand for what he sees as the failures of liberal governance.

Indiana Governor Vows To Help Primary Republicans Against Redistricting Plan

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) on Thursday sharply criticized a bloc of Republican state senators who joined Democrats to defeat a GOP-backed redistricting proposalโ€”an effort supported by President Donald Trump. Braun said he will actively assist Trump in backing primary challengers against lawmakers who, in his view, sided against fairer maps and against the interests of Indiana conservatives.

โ€œI 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,โ€ Braun said in a post on X.

โ€œI will be working with the President to challenge these people who do not represent the best interests of Hoosiers,โ€ he added.

Redistricting Bill Fails Despite Republican Majority

The Indiana Senate rejected the proposed mid-cycle redistricting plan in a 19โ€“31 vote, with more Republicans voting against the measure than for it. The bill sought to strengthen GOP representation by adjusting district lines to reflect population changesโ€”an approach Trump has pushed in multiple states as Democrats continue to deploy aggressive legal and political strategies to secure map advantages nationwide.

Following the vote, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz blasted the dissenting Republicans. โ€œWeโ€™ll be launching primary challenges against every last traitor who voted no, effective immediately! Pack your bags, your time is up!โ€ he wrote on X.

Some Republican lawmakers defended their decision. State Sen. Spencer Deery (R) argued the proposal conflicted with his conservative philosophy of stable governance.

โ€œMake no mistake, I, like many of those who will join me in voting no today, are constitutional fiscal and religious conservatives,โ€ Deery said. โ€œMy point is that my opposition to mid-cycle gerrymandering is not in contrast with my conservative principles. My opposition is driven by them.โ€

Trump Names Names

Trump directly criticized several figures he sees as obstructing the GOPโ€™s ability to compete more effectively, including former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and strategist Cam Savage.

โ€œThey found some Republican โ€˜SUCKERS,โ€™ and they couldnโ€™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,โ€ Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the vote.

He also singled out Indiana Senate Leader Rod Bray (R) for failing to rally Republican support.

โ€œBray and his friends are the favorite Republicans of [House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries], Crazy Nancy Pelosi, and Cryinโ€™ Chuck Schumer. 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,โ€ Trump said.

National Context: A Broader Redistricting Fight

Indianaโ€™s internal GOP clash comes amid a broader national battle over congressional maps, where Democrats have aggressively leveraged courts and commissions to secure more favorable districts:

  • New York: Democrats redrew maps to target several GOP-held seats after the stateโ€™s high court allowed a do-over, boosting Democratic recruitment in key suburban districts.
  • North Carolina: Republicans successfully redrew districts after a conservative shift in the state Supreme Court, likely netting the GOP multiple additional U.S. House seats.
  • Alabama & Louisiana: Federal courts forced both states to create additional majority-Black districts, likely giving Democrats two more congressional seats in 2024 and beyond.
  • Wisconsin: A liberal state Supreme Court struck down longstanding legislative maps, creating uncertainty heading into 2025 and potentially benefiting Democrats.
  • Georgia: The state drew new maps after a court ruling, but Republicans managed to preserve their overall advantage.

In this landscape, conservatives argue that refusing to strengthen GOP mapsโ€”especially in red statesโ€”amounts to unilateral disarmament. That argument underpins Trumpโ€™s pressure campaign in Indiana, where he insists the party must use every legal tool available to secure representation that reflects the electorate.

A Turning Point for Indiana Republicans?

With Trump and Braun both committing to fund and endorse primary challengers, several Indiana state senators could soon face serious political consequences. For Trump-aligned voters and officials, the vote represents a missed opportunity to counter Democrats’ redistricting gains nationwide. For the GOP lawmakers who opposed the measure, it is a stand for what they call principled conservatism.