2021 Congressional Map Author Now On Board For Mid-Cycle Redistricting
Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, laughs with a colleague in the Senate chamber on Thursday, Feb. 20. Photo by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle.
By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Indiana Capital Chronicle
INDIANAPOLIS — State Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, on Monday, Nov. 10 announced his support for redrawing Indiana’s congressional boundaries in a one-line statement.
“After careful consideration, researching the law and listening to my constituents, I have decided I will support mid-cycle congressional redistricting,” he said.
Koch is the 13th Senate Republican to signal support for new maps, with opposition from five senators in the 40-member GOP caucus. Others haven’t said their stance publicly.
He was the Senate sponsor of the 2021 bill that crafted new congressional and state legislative districts.
“The bill before you today is a result of a careful, collaborative effort and I believe it will serve our state well in the decade ahead,” Koch said during Senate debate on Oct. 1, 2021.
Pres. Donald Trump and national Republicans have pushed Indiana and other GOP-led states to create more Republican U.S. seats by redistricting early. The next census isn’t scheduled until 2030.
Lawmakers will return Monday, Dec. 1 – at the behest of Gov. Mike Braun – to redistrict and make possible tax policy changes. Senate Republican leadership has said the chamber has not yet reached enough votes to pass a redistricting bill. A bill will need a majority of 26 votes or 25 with Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith breaking a tie in support.
Republicans currently have a 7-2 advantage in the state’s U.S. House delegation, with Democrats holding the 1st District in northwest Indiana and the 7th in Indianapolis.
In 2021, Koch touted the strength of the 1st District boundaries.
“Communities of interest were kept in mind. We preserved the Lake Michigan shoreline as a community of interest, for example, and that shoreline is completely within Congressional District One. We’ve heard that public testimony loud and clear,” Koch said during a Senate Elections Committee meeting.