Indiana Republicans’ overwhelming approval of President Donald Trump is not carrying over into their positions on Trump’s fervent redistricting push, a new poll from Virginia-based Bellwether Research found.
On the concept of redrawing congressional maps mid-decade, they are far more tepid. While 90% of Republican voters surveyed have favorable views of Trump, only 53% approve of Gov. Mike Braun calling a special session to heed Trump’s call for redistricting, the survey of 800 registered voters found. As many as 38% of them said they think Republican lawmakers who oppose redistricting are “standing up for fairness.”
“They’re not connecting his desire for one extra or two extra republican congressional seats as a core issue where they need their legislators to be aligned with him on it,” said Christine Matthews, a Hoosier and president of Bellwether.
It’s only the latest poll on redistricting to be released in recent weeks. A pair of polls released in mid-October, before Gov. Mike Braun had officially called for a special session, similarly found that redistricting is unpopular among voters. Braun kicked off the special session call on Nov. 3, but lawmakers decided to convene in December and incorporate redistricting into the regular 2026 legislative session.
The poll by Bellwether, with a margin of error of 3.5%, also provided some insight into how lawmakers’ votes on redistricting come December could impact their upcoming primary elections. A number of state lawmakers are up for reelection in 2026, and Trump-supporting activists have threatened to organize primary opposition against them.
Among the survey respondents, 49% identified as Republican, 35% as Democrat, 16% as independent.
What the poll says about redistricting
Registered voters are plugged in on this topic, according to this poll: 63% are following the news on this “closely.”
Overall, 51% of the respondents oppose lawmakers’ redrawing the maps right now ― 45% of which feel “strongly” opposed.
“That’s a lot of intensity behind it,” Matthews said.
Given the hypothetical that their own state senator decides to vote in favor of redistricting, 43% said they would be less likely to vote for them again.
Nearly three quarters of respondents, including 59% of Republicans, found “convincing” the sentiment that lawmakers should focus instead on other issues, like housing affordability and utility bills.
Given the overall weakness of the performance of the redistricting issue in this data, Matthews said she thinks primary challenges targeting senators who vote against redistricting may not be all that effective when based on that issue alone.
“I don’t see average rank and file republicans in Indiana getting super fired up about this,” she said.
What the poll says about Braun, Beckwith
This poll offered another snapshot of what voters currently think of the jobs Braun and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith are doing.
Similarly to the October polls, Braun significantly trails Trump’s approval ratings: Among his own base in this poll, 58% approve of him and 26% disapprove. Less than half of GOP voters in the poll think the state is headed in the right direction.
Beckwith is still largely unknown to the average voter. With 27% favorable and 16% unfavorable opinions among Republicans, more than half of them don’t know enough to form an opinion.
Contact IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X @kayla_dwyer17.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Poll: Support for Trump does not mean support for Indiana redistricting
Reporting by Kayla Dwyer, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
