U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., who represents Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, publicly backed President Donald Trump’s push to redraw Indiana’s congressional map. But multiple Redress South Bend sources with direct knowledge of the events said Yakym privately worked to stop it, persuading State Sen. Linda Rogers to abandon the Trump-backed maps.
Sources said Gov. Mike Braun called Linda Rogers the night before the vote to confirm her support for the redistricting bill, and Rogers indicated she was a yes for the maps. Later that night, sources said, Rudy Yakym called Rogers and flipped her vote. Before Yakym’s call, Republicans were counting on Rogers. After it, she was a no. One source described Yakym as lazy and said he opposed the redraw because he did not want to campaign harder, take on new territory or defend a district with a slightly reduced Republican majority.
Indiana’s redistricting fight drew national attention, with the state being one of only a dozen considering new congressional maps. Vice President JD Vance traveled to Indiana in August 2025 to meet with Republican leaders on redistricting, as Trump pressed GOP-led states to redraw congressional lines ahead of the midterms.
President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Braun had already warned that Republicans who voted against the plan could face political consequences, including primary challenges. The Indiana Senate rejected the redistricting bill, voting 31-19, on December 11th, 2025. Rogers voted no. Afterward, Rogers said publicly that the constituents who contacted her were overwhelmingly against redistricting, even though some Rogers voters said they saw no reason to contact her. They believed they had already sent the message that they support the Republican mandate on Election Day, when they reelected her with 61.7 percent of the vote in a Republican district.
The campaign against the no-vote state senators moved quickly. Indiana Capital Chronicle reported on March 5th, 2026, that six Indiana Senate candidates endorsed by Trump got an Oval Office meeting with him. Five of them were running in Republican primaries against senators who had voted against the redistricting plan. The paper described the visit as part of Trump’s “quest for political retribution” over Indiana’s failed redistricting push.
Rogers later drew a challenger of her own. Dr. Brian Schmutzler launched a campaign for Indiana State Senate District 11 after Rogers’ no vote. His campaign endorsements page lists U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, Lucas Miles, Turning Point Action, and other conservative backers. One omission stands out: Rudy Yakym.
If the source accounts are accurate, Yakym did more than break with Trump’s redistricting push in private. He lobbied against it. And when the backlash moved into the primary, he still did not back Rogers’ challenger. Stutzman did. Yakym did not.
Logan Foster
Logan Foster is the founder and editor of Redress South Bend, an independent news outlet covering local government, courts, and public institutions in South Bend and St. Joseph County, Indiana. He reports from primary documents: public records requests, court filings, state audit reports, and campaign finance disclosures. His reporting has examined city and school district payments made without competitive bidding, school board spending, and the records of candidates in county races. Redress South Bend obtained the South Bend Police Department's ShotSpotter coverage map after the department initially denied public access. The outlet is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Online News Association. Reach him at info@redresssouthbend.com
