{"id":2520592,"date":"2025-12-12T13:24:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T18:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T13:26:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T18:26:24","slug":"indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana&#8217;s Redistricting Surrender Illustrates Why Primaries Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Findianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2520592&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses Indiana Republicans&#8217; recent failure to pass a redistricting plan that would have increased thier party&#8217;s representation in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Despite holding a Senate supermajority, many Republican senators sided with Democrats to block the proposed map, contrasting sharply with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/greg-casar-launches-reelection-campaign-with-help-from-mamdani-adviser\/\" title=\"Greg Casar launches reelection campaign with\u00a0help from Mamdani adviser\">aggressive redistricting efforts<\/a> by Democrats in other states. The piece argues this failure highlights a broader problem within the Republican Party: the lack of accountability among GOP incumbents due to low primary election engagement by conservative voters. It emphasizes the importance of Republican voters actively participating in primaries to challenge weak Republican officeholders (frequently enough labeled RINOs) and promote true conservative leadership. The article calls for red states to be represented by staunch conservatives and urges voters to embrace self-governance by vetting candidates closely and holding them accountable post-election, warning that without such involvement, the Republican Party will remain ineffective.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:StateCapitolIndiana.jpg\">Daniel Schwen\/Massimo Catarinella\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.5\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 2.5<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/12\/indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Indiana%E2%80%99s%20Redistricting%20Surrender%20Illustrates%20Why%20Primaries%20Matter&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/12\/indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Indiana%E2%80%99s%20Redistricting%20Surrender%20Illustrates%20Why%20Primaries%20Matter&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/12\/indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/12\/indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Indiana%E2%80%99s%20Redistricting%20Surrender%20Illustrates%20Why%20Primaries%20Matter&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/12\/indianas-redistricting-surrender-illustrates-why-primaries-matter\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The phrase, &ldquo;I voted Republican and all I got was this dumb t-shirt,&rdquo; is a good summation of the disappointment that comes with supporting the feckless Grand Old Party. But in the case of Indiana, we didn&rsquo;t even get the t-shirt.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, the Hoosier State&rsquo;s Republican-controlled Senate shot down efforts to pass a new congressional map seeking to boost their party&rsquo;s share of seats heading into the 2026 midterms. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-dealt-major-blow-indiana-senate-rejects-redistricting-added-2-gop-house-seats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, the new map &ldquo;would have created two more right<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-time-to-deflate-the-inflation-reduction-act-look-how-much-its-costing-you\/\" title=\"It\u2019s Time to Deflate the Inflation Reduction Act: Look How Much It&#039;s Costing You\">-leaning congressional districts<\/a> in the solidly red Midwestern state, where the GOP controls seven of Indiana&rsquo;s nine U.S. House seats.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1848846799\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite holding a supermajority in the upper chamber, 21 of the Senate&rsquo;s 40 Republican senators joined Democrats in defeating the proposed map (31-19). The measure had previously cleared the state House (57-41) last week. <\/p>\n<p>The contrast between this embarrassment and redistricting efforts by Democrat-led states could not be starker. While Democrats with razor-thin margins in blue states like Virginia are willing to seemingly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/29\/miyares-virginia-dems-last-ditch-gerrymandering-gambit-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">violate the law<\/a> to pass gerrymandered maps in their party&rsquo;s favor, fake red states like Indiana can&rsquo;t even be bothered to legally use their supermajorities to do the same. <\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s clear there&rsquo;s only one political force playing to win this game, and it&rsquo;s not the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>But more to the point, Indiana&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >bungled redistricting gambit underscores<\/a> an important feature of the electoral system that many GOP voters have long ignored: the primary process.<\/p>\n<p>The entire reason feckless Republicans believe they can continue to get away with the type of betrayal exemplified in the Hoosier State is that they don&rsquo;t fear electoral accountability from the GOP base. All too often, conservative voters <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/09\/getting-involved-in-republican-primaries-is-the-best-way-to-weed-out-the-gop-establishment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">either<\/a> vote to reelect the same weak-kneed incumbents or sit out the primaries altogether, thus allowing the establishment class to maintain its hold on power.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/22\/want-better-republicans-stop-sitting-out-primaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Want Better Republicans? Stop Sitting Out Primaries<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This dilemma isn&rsquo;t exclusive to Indiana, either. It&rsquo;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/05\/thanks-to-the-state-freedom-caucus-network-gop-legislatures-are-getting-more-conservative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nationwide problem<\/a> witnessed at every level of government, in which gutless RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) routinely stab their base in the back but face no repercussions at the ballot box. And it&rsquo;s one that must change. <\/p>\n<p>While leeway should be given to Republicans representing blue jurisdictions (ex., Sen. Susan Collins of Maine), there&rsquo;s zero rationale for re-nominating the same failed GOP officials in the reddest localities and states across the country. In essence, our red states and their elected officials should be as conservative as California is leftist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/22\/trump-cant-drain-the-swamp-if-he-keeps-endorsing-its-worst-offenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump Can&rsquo;t &lsquo;Drain The Swamp&rsquo; If He Keeps Endorsing Its Worst Offenders<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only way this can happen is if Republican voters rediscover what it means to be a self-governing people. That doesn&rsquo;t just mean vetting candidates in any given primary, but staying engaged with these officials once they get elected and ensuring they&rsquo;re following through on what they promised voters on the campaign trail. <\/p>\n<p>Being a voter and a citizen are two different things. And until enough conservatives become the latter instead of solely the former, the Republican Party will continue to be the useless husk that we all know it to be. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2026-midterms\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2026 midterms<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gop-establishment\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">GOP establishment<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gop-primaries\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">GOP primaries<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/indiana\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Indiana<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/politics\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/redistricting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">redistricting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rinos\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">RINOs<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/self-governance\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">self-governance<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image Credit Daniel Schwen\/Massimo Catarinella\/Wikimedia Commons\/CC BY-SA 2.5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2520593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Indiana.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6571,7006,5894,9973,16985],"class_list":["post-2520592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-elections","tag-indiana","tag-politics","tag-primaries","tag-redistricting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Indiana.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2520592"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2520596,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2520592\/revisions\/2520596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2520593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2520592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2520592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2520592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}