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Pressure is mounting on Indiana Republicans as the White House invites state lawmakers for a visit, and a poll in the field assesses the political risk of a mid-cycle redistricting.
National conservative activist Charlie Kirk also called out House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray in a post on X.
The moves come after Vice President JD Vance visited the Hoosier State Aug. 7 and met with Gov. Mike Braun and legislative leaders to push for new congressional maps in Indiana. President Donald Trump hopes to pick up GOP seats in a handful of states to keep a slim Republican majority in the U.S. House in 2026.
Hoosier lawmakers redraw districts after each decennial census, as per the Indiana Constitution. They last did so in 2021. Congressional Republicans have a 7-2 advantage.
A move in Indiana would likely focus on the 1st District in northwest Indiana, which is held by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, a Democrat. But it could also include 7th District U.S. Rep. André Carson, whose district includes much of heavily Democratic Indianapolis.
Rank-and-file GOP lawmakers slowly have been coming out against the maneuver this week.
National political newsletter Punchbowl News reported Friday morning that all Indiana GOP state lawmakers have been invited to the White House Aug. 26. It is not yet known who will attend.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle obtained an email invitation that was sent July 28 for this meeting—before Vance came to Indiana but after the Texas special session started where redistricting is a major issue. The email came from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
“This will be an opportunity for Indiana’s elected officials to hear directly from senior White House Officials and Cabinet Secretaries to learn how to partner with the Administration to implement President Trump’s Agenda at the state and local level,” the invite said. “Also, there will be a Q&A session after each speaker, along with Intergovernmental Affairs representatives from agencies to answer questions.”
Redistricting was not mentioned as a topic.
Meanwhile, Kirk brought attention to the issue by posting “Are Indiana House Speaker @tmhuston and Senate President @bray_rodric going to ignore President Trump, the majority of their voters, and the GOP Grassroots across the country by REFUSING to redistrict Indiana’s Congressional Seats? Let’s hope they are better than that!”
Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, argued against the redistricting on Kirk’s post.
“I’m an Indiana State Representative. In Indiana, Republicans hold about 90% of all LOCALLY elected offices, have had a supermajority in both House and Senate since 2012, have the Governors office and every state elected position, and have 7 of 9 Congressional districts. Please help me understand the push to pick up MAYBE 1 Congressional seat while putting many good state elected officials at risk because of a political redistricting stunt!”
Kirk is closely aligned with Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, the only top Republican so far to come out publicly in favor of redistricting.
Braun has said legislative leaders need to assess their members before he would call a special session. He also has indicated without a new Texas map that could pick up five seats it might not be worth Indiana stepping into the fight. That effort is at a standstill as Texas Democrats fled to take away a quorum for business.
Bray and Huston have remained mum.
Meanwhile, Republicans appear to be polling on the controversial topic.
A new survey—that was distributed via texts to some Hoosiers—has three questions on redistricting, along with the usual ratings of key statewide elected officials in Indiana.
The first question asks, “Do you support Governor Braun calling a special legislative session for the Indiana General Assembly to redraw its congressional districts, giving Republicans a better chance of winning two additional seats in Congress?”
Another question asks, “If your state representative and/or state senator voted for redistricting during a special legislative session, would you be more or less likely to support them for re-election?” It listed five answers.
But a third question in the poll appears to threaten property tax cuts delivered earlier this year for Hoosiers.
“During a special session, the General Assembly may address other issues, including property tax reforms passed earlier this year and a property tax cut for homeowners. If you knew the legislature would use a special session to reduce or eliminate this property tax cut, would you still support Governor Braun calling for a special session?”
The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
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The other side of the gerrymandering coin that rarely gets discussed is this: if you take from R+20 districts to create more R+10 districts, you run the risk of losing all of those districts in midterm despite the gerrymandering. I welcome republicans to try it. Based on the way things have gone with the Trump admin so far, coupled with Dems now having higher educated voters who turn out in higher numbers in midterms, it’s not hard to imagine that these gerrymandering efforts totally backfire on republicans. The same can’t be said of blue states who do the same thing, for the reasons above. The blue wave is coming, I’m not sure it makes sense to lower the floor for districts to be flooded by it.
Based on how bad our legislature and the national scene, Micheal may be correct. Several districts could change due to intelligence of our voters. Many are getting fed up with current upheaval.
Also not noted, who pays if legislators go to DC BOTH TRIP AND EXPENSES?? Then cost of special session. – what a waste of money.
They will bend the knee and do what Dear Leader tells them to do. You think they care about what Hoosiers think, or care if it costs us tax dollars?
Besides, it would be more surprising if they didn’t have districts already drawn that would safely make it 9-0.
Why was the blue wave at such a low ebb last November, Michael? James? What have the Democrats done to show they humbly accept the referendum that lost them every single swing state? Is it possible that, after what people saw and experienced from 2021-2024, they prefer the “current upheaval”?
Since Democrats are so much more intelligent, have they thought perhaps they should try using smaller words in conveying their deeply unpopular measure to the plebes? Maybe speaking in grunts and clicks and snorts through buck teeth?
As Hamilton County indeed becomes less GOP, mostly due to the TDS of old-school Republican elites (a situation shared by most big-city suburban counties where the favored winds blow), what does that say about the Democrat party’s commitment to “the common person”, let alone the “marginalized” that they profess to care about so much? Why WAS Kamala’s message so unpersuasive to people with household incomes below $85K? If the Democrats continue to spurn this demographic bloc (which consists of about 75% of the population), who will represent it? Clearly not the neocons. They have always been even worse, and, increasingly, are indistinguishable from the neolibs.
“Is it possible that, after what people saw and experienced from 2021-2024, they prefer the “current upheaval”?”
Sure, it’s possible. But riddle me this … if people are truly happy with the Trump administration, why does the Trump administration feel the need to command states to perform mid-cycle redistricting? Wouldn’t the “plebes” flock to re-elect the same people they sent to Congress, to show their approval? What do hey have to worry about?
Because they’re behaving as though … they aren’t as popular as they claim to be.
Republicans didn’t really win, Lauren. They cheated. It’s the only way they can “win”. They’ve made that abundantly clear. No legit way they won every swing state. Statistically impossible.
Hamilton County is a good example. Once a stalwart of Republicans it is now showing cracks with the infusion of Democrats and voters changing, tired of the one party system that has been in place since the 1950’s. Received a call from some group wanting me to waste my time to “encourage” redistricting. Told them to fly a kite.
John S have you checked out Russia or China? I bet you’d be right at home there
Lauren almost never engages directly with a point made. The point is that the Trump admin is unpopular and likely only to get more unpopular as tariffs begin to wreak havoc on prices. The scenes of masked police invading neighborhoods to break up law-abiding family units might be great as red meat for the MAGA base that is so lost in their own TDS they can’t see that the fabric of the social and economic fabric of the country is being ripped to shreds before their eyes, but it certainly is appalling to the vast majority of the country that still has a moral compass. So, those R+20 districts that turned out for Trump but get gerrymandered to R+10 might not be so safe for Republicans this midterm. The party in power never performs well in midterms, and the Biden administration did themselves no favors. But, this blue wave only has to be strong enough to break up Republican control in one chamber of congress, and that seems inevitable regardless of Republican desperation. Hopefully, Lauren can read this, as it would be a lot to convey with “grunts and clicks.” Why is it always republicans who bring up how unintelligent they are? “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”