Vice PresidentJD Vanceis visiting Indianapolis on Aug. 7 to speak with Gov. Mike Braun and Republican legislative leaders about the possibility of redistricting the state's congressional districts amid the Trump administration's push to increase the GOP majority in the House. Vance plans to meet with Braun, House Speaker Todd Huston of Fishers and Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray of Martinsville. The group expects to discuss several topics, Braun said, but any discussion about redistricting would be "exploratory" and no commitments have been made at this point. But Braun didn't rule out calling a special session to redraw the Hoosier State's congressional districts in an attempt to squeeze in another Republican seat ahead of the 2026 midterms. "I'm going to listen and see where they're coming from," Braun told reporters at the Statehouse. "And again, I'm going to be listening along with the other two leaders in the legislature and everybody's going to probably have a little different point of view." Republicans already hold seven of Indiana's nine U.S. House seats, but Braun's comments come as the Trump administration has encouraged other states to take up mid-decade redistricting to help maintain a GOP majority in the House after next year's elections.Punchbowl News reported thatthe White House has been exploring the possibility of also encouraging state leaders to redistrict in Indiana. The redistricting process is already underwayin Republican-led Texaswhere new congressional maps would give the GOP in that state five additional U.S. House seats. The effort resulted in Texas Democrats fleeing to Illinois on Aug. 3 to disrupt legislative procedures. Indiana Democrats quickly condemned the idea of a special session to draw new congressional maps. Karen Tallian, theIndiana Democratic Party chairwoman, in a statement said any redistricting in the Hoosier State shows Republicans are "afraid of the voters." "Sending the Vice President here to beg for another congressional seat is beyond absurd," Tallian said. "Hoosiers need to stand up against this blatant undermining of democracy." State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, told reporters that the redistricting push is a sign of Trump's "sinking" popularity. "President Trump and Vice President Vance are so desperate they're scraping for every seat they can get through gerrymandering," Pierce said. "You have to be pretty desperate to decide having seven of the nine seats in Indiana held by Republicans is not enough." But Pierce also noted that Statehouse Democrats would not have the same ability to break quorum during a special session that Texas Democrats took over the weekend by fleeing to Illinois. Democrats are in the superminority in both chambers at the Statehouse with 30 seats in the House and 10 seats in the Senate. "We do not yet have enough seats to be able to do that, and maybe that's something the voters will keep in mind when they decide who they're going to support in the upcoming election," he said. Braun would have to call a special session for the Indiana General Assembly if Republicans decide they want to redraw Hoosier congressional maps. Huston and Bray, both Republicans, have not responded to IndyStar questions through spokespeople about whether PresidentDonald Trumphas contacted them or if they have an appetite to draft new maps. Republicans have a supermajority, so new maps could be approved by the legislature despite resistance from Democrats. It's likelyU.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan's 1st District seat in Northwest Indiana would be a signature focus of any redistricting efforts at the Statehouse, although some national outlets have reported longtime IndianapolisU.S. Rep. Andre Carson's 7th District seat could be targeted as well. National Republicans have targeted Mrvan's seat as a flip opportunity for the last two election cycles and are poised to again in 2026, especially as Northwest Indiana's rust belt communities have voted more Republican over the years. "I think this seat is one that belongs in the Republican column," House SpeakerMike Johnsontold IndyStar in 2024. But Mrvan has still defeated his Republican challengers, winning reelectionin 2022 by nearly six percentage pointsandin 2024 by eight percentage points. A press contact for Mrvan's office did not immediately respond to questions from IndyStar. State lawmakerslast went through redistricting in 2021following the 2020 U.S. Census when theymade changes to both Statehouse and congressional maps. At that time, Republicans left Mrvan's seat alone. Instead, theyfurther cemented GOP grip on the 5th Congressional Districtafter now-U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz defeated Democrat Christina Hale by four points ina nationally-watched race in 2020. Since then, Spartz has won general election contestsin 2022and2024by double-digit percentage points over her Democratic opponents. The 2021 congressional maps also adjusted the boundaries of the 6th Congressional District, now represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve, to include the southern portion of Indianapolis. Some Republicans at the timecriticized the moveas potentially minimizing the voices of more rural communities in that district. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter,Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar politics and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star:JD Vance to visit Indiana amid push for redistricting
