Vice President JD Vance is preparing to meet with Indiana Republicans in Indianapolis for a second time on Friday to try to convince state lawmakers to approve a new congressional map that would pave the way for two more House GOP seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The news comes as Indiana Senate Republicans are reportedly split on the White House’s mid-decade redistricting push.
Vance last visited Indiana in August to persuade Republican Gov. Mike Braun, Republican House Speaker Todd Huston, and Republican Senate President Rodric Bray to redraw the districts. State lawmakers expressed hesitation or outright opposition to the idea, leading to their trip to the White House later that month.
Their private meeting with President Donald Trump and Vance resulted in some fully supporting the GOP redistricting plan and others backtracking from their previous opposition. Over one month later, however, it appears there is no consensus among Indiana’s Republican-controlled legislature.
The redrawn map would add two more House GOP seats, effectively turning the state’s entire congressional delegation red. Of the nine Indiana representatives, seven are Republican.
If the plan is approved, Indiana would become the latest red state after Texas and Missouri to pass legislation that boosts the House GOP’s narrow majority. It would also counteract California’s redistricting agenda, which involves a special election next month for voters to decide whether the state map is redrawn in favor of Democrats.
In Indiana, lawmakers are weighing the prospect of a special session in November after the governor floated the idea last month.
White House deputy chief of staff James Blair and political director Matt Brasseaux will head to Indiana on Thursday ahead of Vance’s arrival, according to Politico. Republican National Committee chief of staff Michael Ambrosini will also attend the meeting.
UTAH DEMOCRATS SEE OPPORTUNITY WITH NEWLY PASSED CONGRESSIONAL MAP BUT EXPECT LEGAL HURDLES
Weeks earlier, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg headlined a rally at the Indiana Statehouse to oppose the Republican Party’s mid-decade redistricting efforts.
Buttigieg, who’s positioning himself to be a possible 2028 presidential candidate, claimed Indiana Republican leaders are “ashamed of what they’re doing” and “don’t want to have to stand up in front of Hoosiers” when it comes to redrawing congressional boundaries.
, 2025-10-08 20:33:00, , Washington Examiner, %%https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon.png?w=32, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, David Zimmermann
