INDIANAPOLIS — Officials with Indiana Senate Republicans told FOX59/CBS4 that there aren’t enough votes at this time to move forward with redistricting.
According to a statement provided to FOX59/CBS4 on Wednesday with the Senate Majority’s Communications Office, officials said “the votes aren’t there for redistricting.”
On Wednesday, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun commented on the recent redistricting talks from Indiana Senate Republicans, stating that while the votes are not currently there, they are “getting very close.”
“It’s going to happen soon if we’re going to do it,” Braun said on Wednesday. “There’s been a lot of jawboning from the White House with senators, especially, so we’re getting close.”
Dr. Laura Brown, University of Indianapolis political science associate professor, said Wednesday’s news is far from a shock, even as there’s been mounting national pressure on the Hoosier State to draw new lines ahead of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
“What we’ve suspected is that there was a hard time getting the number of votes,” Wilson said. “If we had the votes, if we had the support in the state, we assume redistricting probably would have already happened.”
Right now, Indiana has nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives, seven of whom are affiliated with the Republican Party. However, some lawmakers, including some at the top of the party, believe that redistricting the state’s maps in the middle of the decade could eliminate the state’s two Democratic seats.
Republicans have stated that this redistricting push, if successful, would help give Republicans an easier path to a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to previous reports, Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Indianapolis twice for conversations surrounding redistricting. Indiana state Republican lawmakers also traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk about the topic with federal officials.
Last week, President Donald Trump joined the conversation, encouraging state Republicans over the phone to consider the redistricting conversation.
“I urge my colleagues to stand with me as we move ahead to protect our conservative values,” a social media post from Indiana State Senator Liz Brown read following the reported Trump conversation. “Let’s get this done.”
However, not everyone is sold on the redistricting push. Indiana Democrats at the state level and at the national level called on Republicans to “resist the power grab” and not redistrict mid-decade. Typically, redistricting is only done after a Census occurs, which happens every 10 years.
U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Ind. District 5 previously said that the attempts to redistrict are “unethical” and are an attempt to silence Democratic votes in the state of Indiana. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also spoke out against the efforts, stating that “Indiana Republicans are being pressured by Washington Republicans to do something they know in their hearts is wrong.”
At the state level, Indiana House Democrats joined Texas House Democrats in redistricting solidarity in early August, with one lawmaker calling the efforts “morally corrupt.”
“This behavior we are seeing today, we would not expect from this country,” Indiana State Rep. Cherrish Pryor, a Democrat from Indianapolis, said at the time. “We would expect that from a dictatorship, not from the United States of America. We have always taken pride in our constitution and what it stands for.”
A poll recently commissioned by Independent Indiana also shows that the majority of Hoosiers oppose the federal calls for redistricting. According to previous reports, 53% of Indiana voters who responded to the poll oppose the redistricting effort, while 34% support the idea.
While Wednesday’s news comes as a setback in the redistricting push, Wilson said she doubts the conversation will hold off until the 2030 census. As for the ongoing efforts by republicans in Indiana, though, she said the administration may have to focus its efforts elsewhere.
“For the administration trying to capture enough votes for the Republican party, trying to flip districts in their favor for the next congressional midterms, they’re going to have to look to another state because it’s less likely to happen here in Indiana now.”
Reactions
Micah Beckwith, Indiana’s lieutenant governor and president of the Indiana Senate, took to social media on Wednesday surrounding the ongoing redistricting conversation, calling on Republican members of the Indiana Senate to “find your backbone.”
“The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise or collapse at the very moment courage is required,” Beckwith said in the statement. “Yet, here we are again. The Indiana Republican-controlled Senate is failing to stand with President Trump, failing to defend the voice of Hoosier voters and failing to deliver the 9-0 conservative map our citizens overwhelmingly expect.
“I am calling on my Republican colleagues in the Indiana Senate to find your backbone, to remember who sent you here, and to reclaim Indiana’s rightful voice in Congress by drawing a 9-0 map,” Beckwith continued. “History will not remember those who stepped aside when action was necessary. Hoosiers are demanding warriors, so their voice is heard. If we will not fight now, for our state, our children, and our country, then what exactly are we here for? Indiana Senate, let’s get this done now.”
Indiana Conservation Voters weighed in on the announcement, saying it was “grateful” that the Indiana Senate listened to Hoosiers on mid-decade redistricting.
“Today’s news from the Indiana Senate is proof that Hoosiers are being heard. Lawmakers are standing strong against political pressure from Washington. It’s clear they care deeply about our state and are putting Hoosiers first. That’s something we can all be proud of. We are grateful to members of the Senate who have listened to what Hoosiers across the state are saying loud and clear: mid-decade redistricting is unnecessary, unpopular and unfair. We hope Governor Braun will embrace this opportunity to show the same kind of leadership, working with lawmakers to address real issues impacting families, like rising energy bills, property taxes and the cost of living.”
House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) praised the development, saying House Democrats received a significant amount of calls against redistricting.
“Nobody is asking for redistricting. Instead, Hoosiers are asking their elected leaders to fix their high utility bills, property taxes and absurd health care costs,” GiaQuinta said. “House Democrats have received massive amounts of calls against redistricting, and I’m sure the Senate Republicans have, too. I’ll continue to monitor the possibility of redistricting until we end the 2026 legislative session in March.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
