By GREGG MONTGOMERY
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray announced Friday afternoon, Nov. 14, that the Senate will not move forward with redrawing the state’s congressional maps mid-cycle due to a lack of votes.
Gov. Mike Braun on Oct. 27 had scheduled a special session, which was going to convene in early December. When the Republican governor called for a special session, he said in a statement, “I am calling 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 on Friday expressed his displeasure in a statement on the X social media platform: “I called for our legislators to convene to ensure Hoosiers’ voices in Washington, DC are not diluted by the democrats’ gerrymandering. Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps. Hoosiers deserve to know where their elected officials stand on important issues.”
Over the past several months, Indiana Republicans have been considering the possibility of redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps. However, Bray said in a statement issued Friday afternoon that there are not enough votes to advance the proposal, and as a result, the Senate will not reconvene in December to address this issue.
“Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state’s congressional maps,” Bray said in his statement.
Indiana Capital Chronicle earlier Friday had reported at least eight state senators opposed the mid-cycle redrawing of congressional maps.
Indiana has nine seats in the House, seven Republicans and two Democrats.
The decision not to proceed with redistricting comes after extensive discussions among Senate Republicans, and visits from Vice President JD Vance to lobby for the effort.
President Donald Trump has asked several states to redistrict mid-cycle.
According to Ballotpedia, five states – California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas – had passed a new congressional map between the 2024 and 2026 elections, and litigation had led to a new map in Utah. Four states – Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee – had congressional or state legislative maps that were subject to change due to ongoing litigation. Five states Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, and Virginia – had taken official action toward voluntary redistricting.
Indiana legislators are scheduled to return to the Statehouse for Organization Day on Nov. 18 ahead of the 2026 session that begins Jan. 13.
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/politics/indiana-wont-redraw-congressional-maps-due-to-lack-of-votes-in-senate.
