By GARRETT BERGQUIST
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Beckwith
Braun
Gov. Mike Braun and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith on Tuesday said they were not concerned by reports Senate Republicans don’t have the votes to support redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps.
For the second day in a row, Braun would not answer questions about the special session he has called for Nov. 3. He did not answer reporters’ questions as he left the National FFA Convention & Expo kickoff luncheon other than briefly saying “I think so” when asked if Senate Republicans will have enough votes to approve the maps.
Senate Republican leaders have said more than once “the votes aren’t there for redistricting,” most recently on Monday morning within an hour of the governor’s announcement. This contrasts with the House, where House Speaker Todd Huston’s office on Monday said enough of that chamber’s Republicans support new maps.
Beckwith, who is the ceremonial president of the Senate by virtue of his position as lieutenant governor, said he and Braun are both trying to move senators into the “yes” column.
“We’re not strong-arming anybody,” Beckwith said. “I think the president’s done a great job of calling especially the Senate and saying, we’re not forcing you to do anything, senators, but this is why we think this is so important to take back some of the voice that we’ve unfairly lost in Washington from gerrymandering and poor census data from other states that have done nefarious things in their census data.”
Several Republican state senators have publicly stated they support redrawing the maps. They include Senate Majority Leader Chris Garten along with Sens. Ron Alting, Mike Gaskill, Daryl Schmitt, Liz Brown, Tyler Johnson, and Justin Busch.
West Lafayette’s Spencer Deery notably is still a public “no” vote. In a video posted to social media Monday, the senator again said he does not believe it’s right to redraw the maps mid-decade.
At least one senator is publicly encouraging their constituents to weigh in. Terre Haute’s Sen. Greg Goode has called a listening session for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Terre Haute City Hall.
On Tuesday morning, voting rights groups opposed to redistricting, including Common Cause Indiana and the League of Women Voters, brought care packages to the Senate offices. Each one contained energy drinks, snacks and a map showing the geographic distribution of signatures on petitions against redistricting.
Julia Vaughn, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, said she wants senators to “stay strong” amid pressure from Braun and Beckwith and from the Trump administration.
“Obviously, the bullying is working for some folks and that’s why we want to continue to lift up the voices of the majority of Hoosiers that oppose this,” she said. “We think that, in the end, we can win this and we’ve just got to continue to lift up those voices and remind our legislators that they represent us, not folks in Washington, D.C., with purely political motivations.”
The lieutenant governor can vote to break a tie in the 50-member Senate but has no vote at any other time. Beckwith said he’s ready to fulfill the tiebreaker role if needed but he doesn’t expect to. He said he expects new maps would receive “27 or 28” votes in favor from Senate Republicans. Asked if he believes new maps would be worth the cost of a lawsuit, especially if the courts strike down the maps, Beckwith replied he hopes a lawsuit does happen so courts can rule once and for all how states should approach redistricting.
“Indiana is basically saying, if [blue states] get to play by their rules, then we’re forced to play by our rules,” he said. “I don’t particularly like that. In a perfect world, I would be against redistricting if I could count on that the other states were playing by the same rules we were playing by. I hope the courts get involved.”
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/politics/indiana-redistricting-senate-republicans.
The following statements were released on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and were not a part of WISH-TV’s coverage above.
Speaker Huston outlines timeframe for special session
Submitted
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) issues the following statement regarding the upcoming special session to discuss redistricting.
Huston
House Republicans are working on scheduling and have been in communication with our colleagues in the Senate about the logistics of convening the General Assembly following the Governor’s call for a special session.
Per Indiana code, the General Assembly has up to 40 days to conduct legislative business in a special session. Given the calendar and member availability, we will not be convening on Nov. 3 but are working within this general time frame as we consider the schedule.
During the 2022 special session, the Governor called the General Assembly into session on July 6, the Legislature convened on July 25 and session ended on Aug. 5.
Additionally, the General Assembly is statutorily required to convene for Organization Day on Tuesday, Nov. 18, which is the official start of the 2026 regular session.
As always, our goal is to accomplish our work in a way that is most efficient and cost effective for Hoosier taxpayers. Our plan is to have a legislative schedule out as soon as possible.
Hamilton County Democrats condemn special session on redistricting
Submitted
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, the Hamilton County Democratic Party announced its condemnation of Governor Mike Braun’s decision to call lawmakers back to the Statehouse on Nov. 3 for a special session on redistricting, a move they say is widely seen as a partisan and costly attempt to manipulate Indiana’s elections under pressure from the Trump Administration.
After weeks of claiming he would “listen to lawmakers,” Gov. Braun announced the session despite reports that the Indiana Senate still lacks the votes necessary to proceed.
Lowry
“This has nothing to do with helping Hoosiers. It’s about Braun’s loyalty to Trump,” said Josh Lowry, Chair of the Hamilton County Democratic Party. “Even Hamilton County Republican Representatives Hunter Smith and Danny Lopez have also voiced their opposition to the redistricting plan, and we hope they don’t cave under the pressure because Hoosiers’ lives are more important than appeasing Washington.”
The session comes as thousands of Hoosiers relying on SNAP benefits are set to receive no assistance for November.
Ford
State Senator J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis) underscored the ethical concerns.
“If President Donald Trump is pressuring lawmakers directly, we cannot ignore a blatant conflict of interest when it comes to making decisions on future congressional maps,” Ford said. “If there were genuine concerns with our current maps, we should move forward with an independent redistricting commission to address them.”
State Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Hamilton County) called for unity and focus on real priorities.
Garcia Wilburn
“In Indiana, our tradition has always been clear: we redraw district maps after the national census,” Garcia Wilburn said. “That predictable process is what Hoosiers expect and deserve. Now, as working families struggle to pay their bills and afford healthcare, this is no time to play political games with an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting. I urge Hamilton County legislators to stand united and reject this costly special session. We can be patriots – loyal not to partisanship, but to the people we represent.”
Hamilton County Democrats urge citizens to call their State Senators at (317) 232-9400 every day leading up to Nov. 3 and oppose any effort to redraw Indiana’s maps mid-decade.
To learn more about how to get involved with the Hamilton County Democratic Party, visit hamcodemsin.org.
I’m not confident. This is changing laws. No lawswerechanged before this action was supposed to happen and I am a Republican!