IndyStar’s Kayla Dwyer talks about the Indiana Senate’s decision not to redistrict.
IndyStar’s Kayla Dwyer reports on the Indiana Senate’s decision not to redistrict, despite President Donald Trump’s push to do so.
(This article has been updated with new information.)
The Indiana Senate will not convene for redistricting in December, blocking President Donald Trump’s efforts to redraw the state’s congressional maps.
Senate Republicans don’t yet have the votes to pass the redistricting bill sought by Gov. Mike Braun, so they simply won’t try, Senate President pro tempore Roderick Bray announced on Nov. 14.
“In recent months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the idea of redrawing the state’s congressional maps,” he said. “Today, I am announcing that we do not have enough votes to advance that idea and that the Senate will not reconvene in December.”
State lawmakers had convened in the first two weeks of December to consider redistricting, with plans to incorporate it into the 2026 regular session. Without the participation of the Senate, the Indiana General Assembly cannot pass such a bill.
In response to the news, the Trump campaign began calling some Indiana lawmakers and inviting them to meet with the president in the Oval Office at an unspecified date. Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis) said he’s going to answer those calls.
“As Aaron Freeman says in his book, if the president of the United States invites someone to the Oval Office, I’m going to go,” he said. He said he hasn’t looked at the map, so he hasn’t made a decision on the land readjustment yet.
Brown expressed regret over Senate Republicans’ decision in a statement on November 14th.
“I called for Congress to convene to ensure that the voice of Hoosiers in Washington, D.C., is not diluted by Democratic gerrymandering,” he said. “Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps. Hoosiers have a right to know where their elected representatives stand on important issues.”
It is unusual for lawmakers not to heed the governor’s call to convene a special session. Freeman said he believes that is wrong and plans to attend Dec. 1 regardless.
Despite the tradition of redistricting immediately following the decennial census, President Trump is running a redistricting campaign to strengthen the Republican majority in Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Indiana’s current congressional map gives Republicans seven seats and Democrats two. The request from the White House was to draw new maps favoring Republicans in all nine districts.
Indiana’s supermajority Republican legislature rejecting Trump’s push is unusual, given his success in at least three states with small Republican majorities: Texas, Missouri and North Carolina. However, efforts have stalled in some other states, including Kansas and Nebraska.
Indiana’s House Republican caucus was already on board, and assuming all Democrats voted no, Senate Republicans needed 25 “yes” votes to make redistricting a reality. There are 40 Republican senators.
The vote-counting process was largely private, with only some Republican senators speaking publicly. According to an IndyStar tally, 13 senators expressed support, eight said they opposed, eight were undecided and 11 said nothing. Three of the opposition senators announced their positions last week.
In recent months, there has been a sustained pressure campaign, mainly from outsiders. Vice President J.D. Vance visited the Indiana Statehouse twice and had personal conversations. Voters in some Senate districts received phone calls and text messages from little-known 501c4 organizations. Club for Growth, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, bought television ads in the Indianapolis market this week. A new group called Fairmaps Indiana, featuring former Trump campaign veterans, has also launched a voter assistance campaign.
U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, whose 7th Congressional District would have been divided, credited the decision to Indiana’s traditional independence.
“Prayer, people and partnership make a difference. Hoosiers do things differently. We value collaboration, not division,” he said in a statement. “We value independent thinking and not being dictated to by Washington. I want to thank Senator Bray and all of the Republican and Democratic members of the Indiana General Assembly for upholding Hoosier values. This is a victory for all of us.” It is unclear whether the Indiana House of Representatives will convene on Dec. 1. House Speaker Todd Huston did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Organization Day, the ceremonial beginning of the 2026 Congress, will take place on November 18th.
Contact IndyStar statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her at@kayla_dwyer17.
