Indiana Senate Republicans: ‘Votes aren’t there for redistricting’

INDIANAPOLIS — Officials with Indiana Senate Republicans told FOX59/CBS4 that there aren’t enough votes at this time to move forward with redistricting.

According to a statement provided to FOX59/CBS4 on Wednesday with the Senate Majority’s Communications Office, officials said “the votes aren’t there for redistricting.”

Right now, Indiana has nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives, seven of whom are affiliated with the Republican Party. However, some lawmakers, including some at the top of the party, believe that redistricting the state’s maps in the middle of the decade could eliminate the state’s two Democratic seats.

Republicans have stated that this redistricting push, if successful, would help give Republicans an easier path to a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to previous reports, Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Indianapolis twice for conversations surrounding redistricting. Indiana state Republican lawmakers also traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk about the topic with federal officials.

Last week, President Donald Trump joined the conversation, encouraging state Republicans over the phone to consider the redistricting conversation.

“I urge my colleagues to stand with me as we move ahead to protect our conservative values,” a social media post from Indiana State Senator Liz Brown read following the reported Trump conversation. “Let’s get this done.”

However, not everyone is sold on the redistricting push. Indiana Democrats at the state level and at the national level called on Republicans to “resist the power grab” and not redistrict mid-decade. Typically, redistricting is only done after a Census occurs, which happens every 10 years.

U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Ind. District 5 previously said that the attempts to redistrict are “unethical” and are an attempt to silence Democratic votes in the state of Indiana. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also spoke out against the efforts, stating that “Indiana Republicans are being pressured by Washington Republicans to do something they know in their hearts is wrong.”

At the state level, Indiana House Democrats joined Texas House Democrats in redistricting solidarity in early August, with one lawmaker calling the efforts “morally corrupt.”

“This behavior we are seeing today, we would not expect from this country,” Indiana State Rep. Cherrish Pryor, a Democrat from Indianapolis, said at the time. “We would expect that from a dictatorship, not from the United States of America. We have always taken pride in our constitution and what it stands for.”

A poll recently commissioned by Independent Indiana also shows that the majority of Hoosiers oppose the federal calls for redistricting. According to previous reports, 53% of Indiana voters who responded to the poll oppose the redistricting effort, while 34% support the idea.

Reactions

Indiana Conservation Voters weighed in on the announcement, saying it was “grateful” that the Indiana Senate listened to Hoosiers on mid-decade redistricting.

“Today’s news from the Indiana Senate is proof that Hoosiers are being heard. Lawmakers are standing strong against political pressure from Washington. It’s clear they care deeply about our state and are putting Hoosiers first. That’s something we can all be proud of. We are grateful to members of the Senate who have listened to what Hoosiers across the state are saying loud and clear: mid-decade redistricting is unnecessary, unpopular and unfair. We hope Governor Braun will embrace this opportunity to show the same kind of leadership, working with lawmakers to address real issues impacting families, like rising energy bills, property taxes and the cost of living.”

House Democratic Leader Phil GiaQuinta (D-Fort Wayne) praised the development, saying House Democrats received a significant amount of calls against redistricting.

“Nobody is asking for redistricting. Instead, Hoosiers are asking their elected leaders to fix their high utility bills, property taxes and absurd health care costs,” GiaQuinta said. “House Democrats have received massive amounts of calls against redistricting, and I’m sure the Senate Republicans have, too. I’ll continue to monitor the possibility of redistricting until we end the 2026 legislative session in March.”

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.