Indiana GOP may redraw congressional map to gain more Republican seats

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Four years ago, Indiana lawmakers hosted a series of public meetings across the state and held hours of debate in both chambers of the Statehouse before finalizing the current congressional district map.

Now, despite Republicans already controlling seven of Indiana's nine congressional seats, there's growing concern among Democrats that Vice President JD Vance will ask Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and state GOP lawmakers to redraw the map to gain an even stronger grip on the state's representation in Washington.

"I mean, it is not enough, apparently, for seven of nine in Indiana to be Republican — I guess they want them all," said Indiana State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington.

Currently, just two congressional districts in Indiana are held by Democrats. District 7, which includes downtown Indianapolis, is represented by Rep. André Carson. His grandmother, Julia Carson, held the seat before him, and only one Republican has won that district in the last 50 years. The other Democratic stronghold is District 1 in northwest Indiana, represented by Rep. Frank Mrvan.

"I think it is harder for them to mess with Indianapolis," Pierce said. "But I suspect their No. 1 target is the First District up there in Lake County."

Redistricting is often a powerful political tool wielded by the party in power. With a supermajority in the Indiana General Assembly, Republicans currently don't need any Democratic votes to pass new maps — or even to convene a legislative session.

"Unlike Texas, where they need Democrats to have a session, there is no need in Indiana to include Democrats to have a quorum," said former Republican State Sen. Jim Merritt.

Still, redrawing maps isn't as simple as it sounds. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled congressional districts must be equal in population and size, ensuring fair voter representation. Merritt cautions against moving too far toward partisan extremes.

"I think we should not be like California. We should not be like Illinois," he said. "We should hold to the fact that we need a census and we should continue what we've done in the past — redraw the districts every ten years."

But before any of that can happen, Braun would need to call a special session — something that hasn't happened since 2022.

Democrats warn that, if Indiana proceeds with an off-cycle redistricting aimed at maximizing GOP power, it could provoke similar moves in blue states.

"If they actually go through with this, I think you're gonna trigger states like California, Illinois, New York — going in and redrawing their districts to maximize Democrats," Pierce said.

For now, all eyes are on the governor's office — and whether he'll take the first step in what could become a national redistricting domino effect.

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