Center: Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray speaks with a fiscal analyst and a colleague from his seat in the Senate chamber on Monday, April 7. Photo from Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Republican leaders in the Indiana Senate say they don’t currently have the votes needed to pursue a mid-decade redraw of the state’s congressional map – a setback for Gov. Mike Braun and national Republicans who have been pushing for new lines ahead of the 2026 midterm election cycle.

“The votes aren’t there for redistricting,” said Molly Swigart, spokeswoman for the Indiana Senate Republican caucus, in a statement Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The comment, first reported by Politico, underscores a weeks-long impasse that’s attracted national attention. Pres. Donald Trump and other top GOP officials have eyed Indiana as a potential opportunity to pick up one or two additional Republican seats in the U.S. House. They hope to maintain control after the midterms.

So far, just four Senate Republicans have come out in favor of a mid-cycle redistricting plan, while three have said they oppose it. The remaining members of the 40-strong caucus are either undecided or have not made definitive statements.

Braun, who has publicly supported redrawing the congressional map, countered Wednesday by saying he is still in talks with lawmakers.

The Republican governor spoke at a mental health summit Wednesday, Oct. 22 afternoon in Indianapolis but did not take questions from the media after his remarks.

Republicans Still Split

Calls for redistricting have divided the state GOP caucus in recent months.

Sen. Liz Brown, the Senate’s assistant majority floor leader and Judiciary Committee chair, reiterated her support on social media Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who also serves as president of the Senate, additionally issued a lengthy statement Wednesday, Oct. 22 sharply criticizing members of his own party for hesitating on the issue.

The development drew an immediate response from Indiana’s Democratic leaders, who reiterated their opposition to early redistricting.

House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, a Democrat from Fort Wayne, said Wednesday that lawmakers should focus on other priorities.

The Statehouse’s GOP supermajorities drew the current maps in 2021, using 2020 census data. District boundaries aren’t due for updates until after the 2030 census.

In the Indiana General Assembly, a constitutional majority is required to pass a bill. That means at least 26 votes in the Senate and at least 51 votes in the House. Republicans currently hold 40 seats in the Senate and 67 seats in the House.

Voting rights advocates praised holdout GOP senators.

“Hoosiers do not want mid-decade redistricting. Thank you to the state senators who are listening and refusing to vote for it,” Common Cause Indiana Executive Director Julia Vaughn said Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Pushback Continues

The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus earlier this week condemned the early redistricting effort as “diluting Black voting power” and “undermining the democratic process.”

The current map gives Republicans a 7-2 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation.

National Republican strategists have argued that shifting boundaries – particularly in the 7th District, held by Democratic U.S. Rep. André Carson, but also in northwest Indiana’s 1st District, represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan – could make those seats more competitive for the GOP heading into 2026.

Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, speaks against legislation making Indiana school boards partisan on Thursday, April 24. Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Several conservative commentators and social media influencers reacted negatively to the latest news on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

One national strategist – Rogan O’Handley – said “We want NAMES Who are the RINO holdouts in Indiana who don’t want to redistrict to save this country.”

He also speculated former Vice President and Indiana native Mike Pence is pulling strings against the redistricting.

The setback comes after weeks of speculation in the Statehouse, fueled by a series of meetings between Hoosier GOP leaders and top figures in Trump’s orbit, including Vice President JD Vance.

The president has been personally engaged in lobbying Indiana Senate Republicans, including joining a private call with members of the Senate GOP caucus as recently as Friday to push for the remap.

Discussions have centered on ways to strengthen the party’s position in the U.S. House – where Republicans hold a narrow majority – by encouraging  states with GOP strongholds to redraw districts before 2026.

House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, both Republicans, have refused to publicly say where they stand.

Indiana’s GOP legislative leaders have met at least three times with Vance in recent months. Bray described the latest conversation as “productive,” though he stopped short of confirming whether Senate Republicans were united behind an early redraw.

Braun has maintained that his goal is to “let the legislature lead.” He has repeatedly said that he’ll wait to call lawmakers back until they signal readiness.

But Braun also warned that “if we try to drag our feet … we’ll have consequences of not working with the Trump administration.”

If a special session is not called, the next regularly scheduled legislative session will kick off in January. Candidate filing for the 2026 primary opens Jan. 7.

Multiple polls – including one released in August and one earlier this month – have found that the majority of Hoosiers oppose early redistricting.

One statewide survey found that a majority of Hoosiers – about 53% – oppose early redistricting, compared to just 34% who support it. Another survey showed waning trust in both parties, with growing numbers of voters saying they feel disconnected from state political leadership.