Roughly 50 Indiana GOP lawmakers meet with Vice President JD Vance at the White House amid redistricting debate

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As state lawmakers debate whether to redraw Indiana’s congressional districts mid-decade, roughly 50 Indiana GOP lawmakers met with Vice President JD Vance and other White House senior officials for policy talks on Tuesday.

“I thought it was great,” State Rep. Craig Haggard (R-Indianapolis) said. “They really talked a lot about policy — everything from Medicaid, Medicare, immigration, education, energy, where we are, where we need to go.”

Haggard confirmed that Vice President Vance did make an innocuous case to lawmakers to redistrict congressional maps mid-decade.

“A lot of folks after were asking each other, ‘Hey, what do you think now? What do you think about this?’” Haggard said. “There were no threats … It was not a ‘Hey, do this or else.’ It was ‘Hey, this is why we believe and hopefully you’ll believe the way we do,’ but (Vance) left it up to us.”

Indiana is not required to redistrict until after the next census comes out in 2030. The Trump Administration, however, has called on multiple states, including Indiana, to redraw lines ahead of the 2026 midterms. Earlier this month, the vice president flew to Indianapolis to discuss redistricting with Gov. Mike Braun and state Republican lawmakers.

“This is an ugly game, but I believe the fate of the country is holding on to the House and going the direction we are going, especially in the first few months of this administration,” Haggard said. “I think that is very important to keep that momentum going.”

Currently, seven of Indiana’s nine congressional districts are controlled by Republicans. If the Trump administration succeeds in its efforts, Republicans would control all nine. Indiana Democrats — and some Republicans — have condemned the move, calling it “gerrymandering” and a distraction from the issues Hoosiers care about most.

“This is throwing Hoosier voters into the garbage,” State Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-Indiana Senate Minority Leader) said during a protest outside the Indiana Statehouse following the White House meeting. “They went to help Donald Trump cheat to win.”

“Our congressional districts are already gerrymandered,” Rep. Andre Carson (D-Indiana) said.

Earlier this month, Gov. Braun said he’d only call a special session if lawmakers agreed to redraw lines.

“I’m making the assumption we’ll go into special session,” Haggard said. “I don’t know that. I’ve not been told that, but I think that before — as lawmakers — before we make a decision, yes or no, we should meet and see what is presented to us and see if that makes sense.”

FOX59/CBS4 did reach out to state Republican leadership for comment. As of this article’s publication, FOX59/CBS4 had not received a response to its inquiry.