Gov. Mike Braun, Indiana GOP leaders talk redistricting with Vice President; Mrvan says decision ‘a done deal'
'Today, JD Vance and Donald Trump brought the circus to Indianapolis,' Mrvan, D-Highland, said. 'They are afraid of checks and balances. They are afraid of the polling that they see, and they want to redistrict things.'
Mrvan, speaking at a press conference at the Indiana Statehouse, said he believed the meeting ended with an agreement to redistrict Indiana.
'I believe, humbly, that this is a done deal,' Mrvan said. 'No matter what district they put me in, I will fight for working class people. I will fight for fair education. I will fight for access to healthcare, and I will not allow our most vulnerable populations to be left behind.'
Redistricting occurs every 10 years following the release of census data. But, the Trump administration has been pressuring states, most notably Texas, to redistrict ahead of the 2026 midterm elections as Democrats would only need to flip three seats to take control of the House.
Texas House Democrats fled their state and came to the Chicago area last weekend to prevent a quorum for a special session to vote on a redrawn Congressional map. Texas Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday the FBI has granted his request to assist Texas law enforcement in locating House Democrats who fled the state, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Indiana Capital Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Niki Kelly shared on her X/Twitter account that Vance entered the Indiana statehouse through the basement, where media shacks are located, but did not respond to a question about why Indiana should redistrict. When Vance left the Capitol, Indiana State Police officers shut the doors of the shacks, Kelly tweeted, though some reporters captured short video clips of Vance leaving.
After the meeting, Kelly tweeted that Braun walked by reporters and confirmed to them that redistricting was discussed. When asked if an agreement on redistricting was reached, Braun said 'we listened,' according to Kelly's tweet and videos shared on social media.
Ahead of the meeting, multiple media reports confirmed that the governor's office was covered by a black curtain.
Indiana GOP leaders didn't provide much detail on the topics of conversation or any potential agreement to move forward.
Braun posted on his X/Twitter account Thursday that it was 'great' to meet with Vance and that they discussed 'a number of issues.'
House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, said in a statement that he appreciated the opportunity to meet with Vance and 'share many of the successes we're experiencing in Indiana.'
'We've been proud to work alongside the Trump Administration on several issues to strengthen our state and nation. We had a meaningful discussion, heard the vice president's perspective on a number of topics, and will continue conversations as we work to advance Indiana and deliver results for Hoosiers,' Huston said.
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said in a statement that officials had a 'productive' meeting with Vance.
'I appreciated the opportunity to hear from the Vice President on a variety of issues, which we will continue to talk through in the days ahead,' Bray said.
In Indiana, Article 4, Section 5 of the state's constitution states that the General Assembly elected during the year in which a federal decennial census is taken shall fix by law the number of Senators and Representatives and apportion them among districts according to the number of inhabitants in each district, as revealed by that federal decennial census. The territory in each district shall be contiguous.
Indiana has nine Congressional districts, which were last redistricted in 2021, with seven districts represented by Republicans and two represented by Democrats. The two Democratic districts are the first and seventh districts.
The First Congressional District seat — which Mrvan has held since 2021 — is a 'realistic' target for redistricting because it's a larger district compared to the Seventh District, which encompasses Indianapolis, said Julia Vaughn, the executive director of Common Cause Indiana, a grassroots, nonpartisan organization with active independent redistricting commission campaigns in the state.
The First Congressional District remains Indiana's most competitive seat. In 2022, Mrvan won nearly 53% of the vote against Republican Jennifer-Ruth Green. In 2024, Mrvan saw a small increase in the number of votes to just over 53% when he won against Republican Randy Niemeyer.
But, Vaughn said redistricting the First District poses the risk of racial gerrymandering, which is the illegal packing of communities of color to preordain election outcomes. If racial gerrymandering were to occur, it would face legal action, she said.
Aaron Dusso, an associate professor of political science at Indiana University Indianapolis, said if the Seventh District was considered for redistricting, legislators could use 'the pizza method,' which would slice Democratic portions of Marion County into Republican districts to break up Democratic support.
During a press conference Thursday, U.S. Rep. André Carson, who represents the Seventh District, noted that Vance came to Indianapolis to talk about redistricting near the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting practices, being signed into law.
'A democracy belongs to the people, and the people are making their voices heard. We will not accept our state being cut and spliced and maneuvered for a wanna-be king in Donald Trump. We won't accept our democracy to turn into a dictatorship,' Carson said.
The mid-decade plan to redistrict aims to disenfranchise Hoosier voters, Carson said.
'Seven out of nine seats in Congress just isn't enough. Now, they want all nine,' Carson said. 'It is our turn to call out this power grab. We don't need a dictatorship nationally, statewide, or locally.'
State Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said the effort to redistrict Indiana's Congressional maps 'is the most dangerous political scheme this state has seen in a generation.'
'This is not democracy, this is cheating. Donald Trump is losing, and he knows it,' said Yoder, who is the Senate Minority Leader.
Vance came to Indianapolis 'to rig Indiana,' Yoder said, because the Trump administration is afraid of facing the voters.
'They are not drawing new lines, they are erasing people. This is political fraud, a premeditated attack on your vote, on your voice, on our futures,' Yoder said. 'They may try to erase districts, but they cannot erase us.'
State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said Trump 'is running scared' from voters because 'it's pretty clear that the people are not happy with his policies.'
'The voters are going to make that clear in 2026, and that's what scares President Trump,' Pierce said.
Braun has 'to stand up for democracy' by not calling a special session to address redistricting, Pierce said.
'If the only way the Republicans can maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives is to run across the country stealing seats out from underneath members of Congress, they don't deserve to have that power,' Pierce said. 'We are in a fight to save our very institutions of government.'
Indiana Black Legislative Caucus Chair State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, said in a statement that the two Democratic congressional districts represent areas with some of the largest minority populations in the state.
'This GOP rush to redistrict congressional maps is not just a pathetic attempt to strip voters of their right to a free and fair election; it's a direct attack on Black and minority voters in Indiana,' Harris said.
Holding a special session to address redistricting would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money, Harris said. When the legislature held a special session in 2022, during which the legislature passed a near-total abortion ban, it cost the taxpayers $240,000, he said.
The Voting Rights Act has been drastically stripped down over the last 10 years, which has presented minority voters with challenges in casting their ballots, Harris said.
'I have little confidence in our governor and our Republican supermajority's will to consider the voices and circumstances of minority and disenfranchised Hoosiers in their rush to appease Donald Trump,' Harris said.
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