Rallies speak out against Indiana’s mid-decade redistricting process
Hear from those who attended Thursday’s rally against gerrymandering at the Indiana State Capitol, including former Secretary of Transportation and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, at the request of President Donald Trump’s administration, formally summoned lawmakers back to the state Capitol for a special session to redraw the Hoosier state’s congressional maps in mid-decade.
It’s scheduled to start Nov. 3, according to the plan Brown signs on Oct. 27.
“I am calling a special session to protect Hoosiers from efforts by other states to weaken their voice in Washington and ensure fair representation of Hoosiers in Congress,” Brown said in an Oct. 27 news release.
Indiana is already following other red states such as Texas and Missouri in changing its maps to create more Republican-friendly maps for the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans already control seven of the state’s nine electoral districts (77%). Less than 60% of Indiana voters chose Republicans to lead the 2024 presidential election.
Special session after White House pressure campaign
The decision comes after a months-long pressure campaign by the White House and its allies, including Vice President J.D. Vance’s two visits to Indianapolis on August 7 and October 10 to discuss redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps with state lawmakers. In late August, dozens of state lawmakers heard Vance’s claims firsthand during a pre-scheduled visit to Washington, D.C.
While Republican lawmakers in other states seem eager to redraw the map to help Trump, Indiana’s lawmakers seem more cautious and reluctant, with several telling IndyStar recently that they were still considering the idea or opposed it outright. A spokesperson for the Indiana Senate Republicans said no votes had been collected for the Oct. 22 redistricting, but Politico reported that in an Oct. 17 call with the White House, a majority of the caucus supported redistricting.
Assuming Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith breaks the tie and votes in favor of redistricting, the Senate would need 25 votes to pass a new map. Only 11 senators publicly support the bill, and Senate Democrats are likely to vote it down.
At one point, voters in various state legislative districts received phone calls and text messages from a little-known 501c4 urging them to tell their legislators to support Trump’s push. Then, in September, Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative figure who promoted redistricting and a confidant of President Trump, was assassinated, intensifying the ideological battle.
The Trump administration has encouraged Republican-led states to redistrict to preserve the Republican majority in the House, but some Democratic governors, such as California, have pushed back, saying they would change their state maps to increase their party’s seats.
Brown is calling on the state Legislature to take action, but it will be up to the Indiana House and Senate to decide how to change existing congressional districts that were last approved in 2021.
Republican lawmakers who initially spoke publicly about redistricting were largely critical of calling a special session for that purpose. But more lawmakers have expressed support in recent weeks, and some skeptics have changed their minds.
Additionally, all Republicans representing Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives have publicly stated their support for the move.
The idea remains relatively unpopular among voters, according to a recent national survey by Common Cause. A poll of 2,000 registered voters found that 60% opposed redistricting in mid-2010.
How will Indiana lawmakers act?
It’s not yet clear how far Republican state lawmakers intend to go to change the state’s legislative map. Experts say any action will likely face lawsuits, as happened in both Texas and Missouri.
Political analysts say lawmakers are most likely to target Indiana’s 1st Congressional District in northwest Indiana, currently held by Democratic Rep. Frank Murban. National Republicans have for years been eyeing the 1st District as an opportunity to flip, especially as President Donald Trump has made gains among voters in northwestern Indiana communities.
But lawmakers could also try to carve out Marion County’s deep-blue 7th Congressional District, which has been held by U.S. Rep. Andre Carson since 2008. The challenge there, experts say, is the expansion of heavily Democratic areas in Indianapolis, which could make other currently safe Republican districts more competitive in future elections.
Both Mr. Murban and Mr. Carson have criticized redistricting efforts in the middle of the decade.
Contact IndyStar statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her at@kayla_dwyer17.
Contact Senior Government Accountability Reporter Hayley Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com or follow her at X @hayleighcolombo.
