3 days ago
Top Indiana Republicans met with VP on redistricting. Only Democrats are talking about it
Like reluctant cast members in a show they're not directing, Gov. Mike Braun and Indiana's Republican legislative leaders didn't exactly embrace the spotlight during their high-profile meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the Statehouse to discuss the possibility of redrawing Indiana's congressional districts.
Braun told reporters as he left the meeting that it went "pretty good" and "covered a wide array of topics." He said redistricting was a topic of conversation, but when asked if any agreement had been reached, he only said, "We listened."
House Speaker Todd Huston of Fishers and Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray of Martinsville said even less after the meeting. They ignored shouted questions from reporters and later issued statements that didn't even mention redistricting.
Only Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who was not in the meeting, mentioned redistricting in a post on his campaign X account saying he "fully supports" the effort.
Braun and his legislative colleagues kept a low profile throughout the visit, at times with help from Indiana State Police. Vance entered the Statehouse through the basement using the building's tunnel system, and officers shut the door of a media office when a reporter tried to film Vance walking through the Statehouse. Police chastised another journalist for shouting questions at Vance, saying reporters were not "allowed to engage" with the vice president.
The meeting itself took place behind closed doors in the governor's office, where staffers draped a large black curtain in front of the doorway, prompting Wizard of Oz jokes and ridicule on social media. There was no press conference before or after, and members of the media weren't invited to watch Air Force Two land in Indianapolis.
The effort to avoid interaction with the public highlights the tough spot in which Indiana's Republican leaders find themselves. The unprecedented step of redrawing the state's congressional maps mid-decade for purely political purposes could be viewed unfavorably by many Hoosiers, but there is also great political risk for any Republican politician who draws the ire of President Donald Trump.
Mike McDaniel, a former Indiana Republican Party chairman, said he thinks the silence from Republicans merely shows that they have a lot to think about and discuss. Redistricting is a major undertaking and it's a topic that came up fairly suddenly.
'I'll be surprised if they do that,' he said. 'But who knows in this day and age.'
How Democrats approached Vance's visit
Trump is pushing red states to redraw congressional boundaries to help Republicans ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections. Redistricting typically occurs only after the decennial U.S. Census. To carry out the president's desires in Indiana, Braun would have to call a special legislative session and lawmakers would have to approve new maps.
Unlike their Republican counterparts, Indiana Democrats took a far more public approach to Vance's visit. They hold little power at the Statehouse, where Republicans hold so many seats in the General Assembly that they could conduct business even if Democrats walkout. That leaves them with few options outside of the megaphone.
They used Vance's visit to stage a raucous public rally in the Statehouse atrium, where they blasted Trump's effort to redraw congressional maps in favor of Republicans.
'It's not strategy, it's sabotage,' said State Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder of Bloomington. 'It's not leadership, it's cowardice. It's not democracy, it's corruption.'
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Supporters chanted, 'we are the firewall.' They also booed for about a minute when they heard Vance had entered the Statehouse.
Later in the day, U.S. Reps. Frank Mrvan and André Carson, the only two Democats in Indiana's nine-member U.S. House delegation, decried the potential redistricting effort.
Mrvan, whose more competitive northwest Indiana district would most likely be targeted, said Trump doesn't want to be held accountable by voters for unpopular policies, such as the scaling back of Medicaid and the enactment of import tariffs. "They are afraid of checks and balances," he said.
When Carson took the stage, he said: 'We will not accept our state being cut and sliced and maneuvered for wannabe king, Donald Trump.'
Mike Murphy, a former Republican lawmaker, said Trump's request presents Indiana legislative leaders with a conundrum.
'You have Trump's interest, which is grab every seat you can,' he said. 'Then you have Indiana's interests, which are different.'
For now, Braun, whose political career has befitted heavily from Trump's support, seems content to cede the spotlight to Democrats and abide by the old movie theater adage: Silence is golden.
Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or Follow him on X: @IndyStarTony.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Republicans are quiet after meeting with VP on redistricting
