Indiana's D.C. delegation pushes redistricting as state lawmakers meet behind closed doors
One by one, Indiana's Republican U.S. representatives are coming out in support of redistricting in Indiana, weeks after Vice President JD Vance's visit to Indianapolis.
The pressure campaign on X mounted at the same time that state House Republicans met privately off Statehouse grounds to discuss President Donald Trump's push to redraw maps mid-decade, which to date has proven unpopular among the state lawmakers.
Gov. Mike Braun, who has the power to call a special session to redistrict, told reporters Aug. 18 he is still undecided and leaning on the will of the legislature.
"I'm not going to call them unless there is going to be general agreement that we need to," he said.
Nor did the House Republican caucus make any decisions at their two-hour meeting, held at a private office building on the north side of the city.
"We're still talking," House Speaker Todd Huston told the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
An hour before the House caucused, U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman of the 3rd District was the first to post on X that "it's time to redraw Indiana's congressional map." The rest of his Republican colleagues in the Indiana delegation followed suit over the next few hours, some posting on campaign accounts and some on their official ones: U.S. Reps. Victoria Spartz of the 5th, Rudy Yakym of the 2nd, Mark Messmer of the 8th, Erin Houchin of the 9th, Jim Baird of the 4th and Jefferson Shreve of the 6th.
All of their posts followed the same formula, framing the desire to redistrict as a response to Democrats' gerrymandering in blue states.
Two of those supporters, Messmer and Houchin, voted for Indiana's current congressional maps as state representatives when they were drawn in 2021. Now they are saying redrawing the maps mid-decade could help strengthen conservative representation in Washington. Right now, Republicans hold seven of Indiana's nine seats.
Messmer made sure to tag Gov. Mike Braun in his post, in whose hands the decision to call a special session lies.
"I am proud to support Hoosier State Legislators and our great @GovBraun in fighting the long history of weaponized voter manipulation in CA, NY, and IL," Messmer wrote. "Redistricting in Indiana will accurately reflect the will of Hoosier voices."
This slew of social media messaging is only the latest pressure tactic from D.C. as Indiana lawmakers have come forward vehemently opposing redistricting. Many voters in certain regions of the state received texts and robocalls from a group calling themselves "Forward America," urging them to tell their state legislators to "fight back against the radical left's agenda" and "stand up for redistricting."
Moreover, some Indiana lawmakers will be heading to D.C. next week for a previously-scheduled meeting where they will talk about how to "implement President Trump's agenda." While the invitation pre-dates Indiana's pushback and the agenda doesn't explicitly include redistricting, this presents an in-person opportunity for the topic to come up.
More: As national conservatives urge Indiana to redistrict, even pro-Trump lawmakers are opposed
Contact IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on X@kayla_dwyer17.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
28 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Trump is fighting something in D.C., but it isn't crime
When the man says no, the agent continues. 'Yeah, Trump's got all federal agencies coming together, seven days, and going out trying to stop the violent crime, all kind of stuff,' the agent says. He continues: 'Smoking, drinking in public, right, it can't happen.' I'm a Detroit-born, Boston transplant at heart, but I've worked as a journalist in Washington for nearly two decades. Though I've built my career here working only for Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Understandably, I have some very strong and very personal views about the president's Advertisement Most obviously, sending armed federal agents and the National Guard to patrol the streets of the nation's capital bears all the hallmarks of a But from my local vantage point, I see even more layers to this dangerous gambit. Advertisement First, let's dispel the idea that Trump's effort is driven in any way by a true desire to make D.C. a better place to live and visit. Trump points to anecdotal evidence, like the If Trump really wanted to fight crime here, there are many things he could do that would actually help, starting with telling his fellow Republicans in Congress to release No, Trump's crime crusade is about something else. Aside from satisfying his Trump loves a shock-and-awe-style attack on perceived domestic enemies. Look at Trump's immigration crackdown, complete with images of suspected immigrants being detained and held in brutally inhumane facilities with nicknames like 'Alligator Alcatraz.' It's a show put on by the former reality show host and the latest episode is brought to you from Democratic-controlled cities he has long railed against. Crime fighting isn't the point. Cruelty is. Advertisement It's gut wrenching to see it happening in a place so filled with history, culture, and joy. It's a richness that comes not just from transplants like me or its world-renown cultural institutions (which are They, and I, want safe, well-policed, and well-resourced communities. Not a federal takeover. And I'm exhausted by the crime hot takes from people who couldn't identify Ironically, even if you thought soldiers should be sent here, they are also being sent from Ohio, the only state that Even Trump's claim that Advertisement Trump is selling a dangerous lie about the city I've made a life in. My D.C. is one of Kimberly Atkins Stohr is a columnist for the Globe. She may be reached at
Washington Post
29 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Texas Capitol evacuated after shooting threat citing ‘political situation'
The Texas Capitol was evacuated late Tuesday in response to a shooting threat that forced people — including those protesting a Republican order for police to escort Democratic lawmakers to their homes — to leave the building.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Florida Democrats challenge Trump's plans to cut mail-in ballots before 2026 midterms
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — President Trump announced his plans to sign an executive order to eliminate mail-in ballots ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. This move has reignited fierce debate surrounding voting by mail, and Florida Democrats are fighting back, challenging the president's constitutional authority.'We're going to start with an executive order that's being written right now by the best lawyers in the country, to end mail-in ballots,' Trump said from the Oval Office. Florida accuses 2 companies of over charging school districts for instructional materials The president posted on Truth Social Monday morning saying, 'ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS.''We would get secure elections; we get much faster results of machines. I mean they say we're going to have the results in two weeks, with paper ballots you have the results that night,' Trump said. In the Sunshine State, Florida has a long history of making sure elections are secure and fair. The state legislature passed a bill back in 2021, led by current Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, which made a slew of changes to the state's elections law. But just like with this recent call, state Democrats are still not on board. 'Florida actually has the largest population of seniors in the country. We have a number of Floridians who are disabled and just who aren't able to get to the polls. And we know that vote by mail has been a safe and convenient way for people to vote,' said State Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa). Driskell said, just like in 2021, she believes her Republican colleagues could attach this idea to legislation next session.'I don't think that the case was ever fully made for why we needed to take such drastic changes. It was more so of the legislature trying to serve the political will of Donald Trump and furthering the big lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. And so, it makes me very nervous that we are on such uneven footing. I thought we'd move past all of that but here we are again,' Driskell said. 8 On Your Side sat down with political analyst Tara Newsom to dig into the current laws on the books.'President Trump will do this, but it doesn't mean he constitutionally can. Article 1, section 4 of the constitution is clear that the time, place and manner of elections is vested in the states.' Newsom added that coupling up Trump's call to end mail-in ballots with the plans to redistrict mid-decade may be too much maneuvering for voters to support. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
