Indiana Gov. Mike Braun called a special legislative session Monday to consider redrawing the state’s congressional map, although it’s unclear whether enough Republican lawmakers will support the redistricting effort.
“I am convening a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair,” Braun, a Republican, said in a statement.
Indiana is the fourth Republican-controlled state to undertake redistricting at the request of President Donald Trump, who wants to consolidate the party’s narrow majority in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. So far, Democrats in two states have also sought to counter their own redistricting efforts mid-decade, with Virginia expected to reconvene a special session later Monday.
Indiana’s session is scheduled to begin Nov. 3. Republicans currently control seven of Indiana’s nine congressional districts.
The White House applied extraordinary pressure to persuade state Republicans to draw a new congressional map. Trump spoke with Indiana Republicans earlier this month and Vice President JD Vance visited the state twice to discuss redistricting with lawmakers.
But even if Braun calls a special session, Indiana Republicans remain divided on the issue. Molly Swigart, a spokeswoman for the Republican majority in the Indiana state Senate, told NBC News Monday morning that “the votes are still not there for redistricting.”
The divide has become increasingly widespread in public opinion, with Indiana Republicans issuing op-eds, posts and statements on social media, talking about
“The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican majority so that our Senate could cower, compromise or collapse just when courage is needed,” Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said in a statement last week: calling for a map that could allow Republicans to control all nine congressional seats.
Indiana Republican state Sen. Ron Alting announced Friday evening that he would support the redistricting effort, citing the ongoing federal shutdown. But others maintained their position.
“To those who try to intimidate me during redistricting, I love you. I pray to our Lord and Savior for wisdom and reflect on the political heroes who stood for the greater good above the politics of the day,” Sen. Gregory Goode wrote on X last week.
States typically redraw their congressional maps every 10 years after the census. But mid-decade redistricting was particularly aggressive.
Texas Republicans were the first to redraw their maps, aiming to help the party win up to five additional seats in the House. California Democrats responded with new lines that could give their party five more seats, pending voter approval in a special election next week.
Missouri and North Carolina adopted new maps that were designed to yield two additional seats to the GOP. And Democratic leaders continued to pressure Maryland and Illinois to draw new district lines.
On Monday, lawmakers in Virginia and Louisiana are expected to take action related to redistricting. Virginia Democrats will begin a special legislative session Monday as part of an effort to repeal their bipartisan redistricting committee in favor of new maps before next year’s elections.
Louisiana Republicans, bracing for a possible Supreme Court ruling that would also allow them to redraw their congressional map before the 2026 elections, are considering a bill that would delay the state’s election schedule to give them more time for a redistricting effort.
And New York entered the fray through a side door. Four electors, represented in part by the Democratic-aligned firm Elias Law Group, sued New York lawmakers and election officials on Monday over the state’s congressional map, arguing that Black and Latino voting strength was diluted in Staten Island, an area represented by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.
