Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray looks into the Senate Chambers before the mid-cycle session to consider redistricting in the Senate Chambers, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025 at the Indiana Statehouse. House Bill 1032 for redistricting passed 57-41 in the House last week, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

President Donald Trump is targeting another state senator. This time, it's a member of his own party from a red state.

While speaking in the Oval Office on Dec. 11, Trump said he hopes Indiana Sen. Rodric Bray loses his next primary.

"I hope he does, because he’s done a tremendous disservice," Trump told reporters.

Bray, the Hoosier state's senate president pro tempore, was among 21 Republican senators who recently voted 31-19 to kill the redistricting bill in the GOP-controlled Indiana Senate.

Bray, 56, has been a member of the state's Senate since 2012, representing the 37th state Senate district including Morgan County and part of Johnson, Owen and Putnam counties.

Trump's words stem from the state's recent redistricting efforts, the legal process of drawing electoral district boundaries.

The Supreme Court on Dec. 4 ruled Texas can use a new congressional map favorable to Republicans in the 2026 elections. Not since the 1800s have so many states tried to redraw U.S. House district boundaries without a new census.

Here's why Trump wants someone else elected to Bray's seat next year.

Why is Trump taking interest in Indiana?

Trump said Thursday, Dec. 11, that he hopes Bray loses his next primary after the Indiana Senate recently rejected a congressional redistricting plan backed by the president.

The vote came less than a week after the Indiana House approved House Bill 1032 for redistricting, passing the legislation 57-41 on Dec. 5 and advancing the controversial plan to redraw Indiana's congressional maps ahead of the 2026 elections, a move supported by Trump and the National Republican Redistricting Trust.

The bill sought to create two new Republican districts, which would have given Republicans control of all nine of Indiana's congressional districts.

Trump's hope is for the GOP to hold on to control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections after the president recently pushed for new congressional district maps in several states.

Where do other states stand on redistricting?

As of Dec. 7, six states had redrawn maps that determine who residents can vote for to represent them in the U.S. House. They are:

  • California
  • Ohio
  • North Carolina
  • Missouri
  • Texas
  • Utah

Texas and California each expect to tip five seats to their majority parties.

Ohio could flip two Democratic-held seats to the GOP.

North Carolina’s map was designed to flip one seat to Republicans.

Missouri dismantled a Democratic seat based in Kansas City.

Utah’s map remains disputed in court but could create one Democratic seat among the state’s four.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Trump is upset over Indiana and hopes a Republican loses next race

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, Joey Garrison and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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