ROOKE: Virginia Redistricting Slapped GOP In The Face With Hard Truth

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

For decades, Republican populists have been handicapped by the so-called “principled conservative” wing of the GOP. The Democratic success with Virginia’s redistricting teaches a lesson that the old hats can no longer ignore.

The writing was on the wall in late 2025 that Democrats would attempt to redraw their U.S. House district maps in places like Virginia and California to give the party an advantage over Republicans in the 2026 midterms. This kicked off a national effort by President Donald Trump and Republicans to do the same in GOP-controlled states like Indiana, which has a Republican trifecta.

However, Indiana, while being solidly red, is not controlled by populist Republicans, but rather members who closely align with the failed version of the Republican party, which was once led by elected officials like former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and former Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. These members have become a living meme, clutching their proverbial pearls and screaming about their so-called principles anytime populists want to use the power they were granted by the people to govern. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)

Indiana has nine House districts. Trump and the national Republican party wanted Indiana to redistrict the state from a 7-2 Republican advantage to a 9-0 GOP sweep. Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun called a special session for congressional redistricting, and the effort passed the state House 57-41, despite a handful of GOP no-votes joining Democrats. However, the new map failed to pass the state Senate.

Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray represented the GOP mutiny on behalf of the “principled” Republicans against the populist Republicans’ plan for redistricting. He claimed that he did “not feel that redrawing our [Indiana’s] Congressional........

© The Daily Caller