Lafayette's Sen. Ron Alting joins Trump’s call for Indiana redistricting
Longtime state senator had declined over the past few months to answer whether he was for or against the redistricting push. On Friday, he cited the ongoing federal shutdown as the reason why.
State Sen. Ron Alting, a Lafayette Republican, on Friday evening announced that he was backing a move to redistrict Indiana’s nine congressional seats ahead the 2026 midterm elections, just as President Donald Trump upped the pressure on state legislators who have been on the fences.
Alting had declined over the past few months to answer whether he was for or against the redistricting push.
In a series of social media posts coming at 7 p.m. Friday, Alting pinned his decision on the federal government shutdown, now well into a third week.
“The ongoing federal government shutdown has convinced me I must support efforts to redraw Indiana’s congressional maps,” Alting wrote in a post on X. “I’ve worked alongside many of our current Indiana delegation in the State Legislature before they were elected to Congress.”
He continued with this social media thread:
“Working together with Congresswomen (Victoria) Spartz and (Erin) Houchin and Congressmen (Marlin) Stutzman, (Mark) Messmer and (Jim) Baird as well as Senator Jim Banks, we ensured strong fiscal discipline by passing balanced budgets, paying down state debt and cutting multiple taxes.
“Given the current situation in Washington, D.C., I feel an obligation to help ensure my former colleagues are working with a strong Republican majority in the US House of Representatives.
“Therefore, they can get federal spending under control, balance the federal budget, and address the out-of-control national debt. I support President Trump, and I support plans to redistrict our maps.
“This will help to ensure the President also has the support he needs in Congress to continue passing his bold agenda that is making a positive difference in the lives of Hoosiers.”
Attempts to reach Alting for more about his decision were not immediately successful Friday evening.
Indiana’s nine congressional districts have seven Republicans and two Democrats. The blue districts include an Indianapolis-based district represented by Rep. Andre Carson and the 1st District in Northwest Indiana represented by Rep. Frank Mrvan.
The White House has been pushing for Indiana Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the General Assembly, to demand a redistricting process in hopes to picking up one or two of the Democratic seats to give the Indiana delegation an 8-1 or 9-0 GOP advantage.
Alting, who represents the eastern portion of Tippecanoe County and Carroll County, faces a primary challenger in May 2026 in Richard Bagsby, who has built a campaign that is to the right of the longest-serving member of the Indiana Senate, saying that Alting is not conservative enough.
Here’s more on Bagsby’s campaign, announced in spring 2025:
A statewide look
Earlier this week, word was coming from Indiana Senate leadership that it didn’t appear the votes were there to back the redistricting question. Here’s a look at where things stood this week on the redistricting front, via reporting by Indiana Capital Chronicle’s Casey Smith: “Indiana Senate GOP says redistricting votes ‘aren’t there,’ stalling mid-decade push. Trump and Braun have urged Indiana lawmakers to act — but Senate Republicans say they still lack consensus.”
On Thursday, IndyStar reporters Hayleigh Colombo and Kayla Dwyer had this count in the Indiana Senate on the redistricting question: “As pressure mounts, here’s where every Indiana senator stands on Trump’s redistricting push.”
Mitch Daniels, former Indiana governor and Purdue president, joined those calling on Indiana Republicans in the General Assembly to stand against President Trump-led pressure campaign for a mid-decade redistricting process ahead of the 2026 midterm elections in an op-ed that appeared in The Washington Post. Read Daniels’ full column here: “I want the GOP to keep control of the House. But not this way. My fellow Indiana Republicans shouldn’t cave to White House pressure to redistrict.”
Local legislators on redistricting: A recap
Locally, here’s a replay of where things stood with senators and representatives who have portions of Tippecanoe County in their districts, after Oct. 10 meetings Vice President JD Vance held with Republican caucuses in Indianapolis:
State Sen. Spencer Deery, a West Lafayette Republican who has been outspoken about his concerns about a mid-decade redistricting process, said Friday he stands by those earlier statements after the Oct. 10 meetings at the Statehouse. “I spent much of the day meeting with colleagues discussing the issue, including one meeting attended by the vice president and other White House officials,” Deery said. “While my concerns about the long-term consequences of normalizing off-schedule redistricting are well known, I felt I had a duty to participate in the dialogue.” In August, Deery said he was against a plan that “would clearly violate the concept of popular sovereignty.” “Rationalizing a mid-cycle redistricting by saying, ‘Democrats gerrymander too’ is an empty and irrelevant excuse,” Deery said at the time. “Instead, we are being asked to create a new culture in which it would be normal for a political party to select new voters, not once a decade — but any time it fears the consequences of an approaching election. That would clearly violate the concept of popular sovereignty by making it harder for the people to hold their elected officials accountable and the country would be an uglier place for it.”
State Rep. Matt Commons, a Williamsport Republican whose District 13 includes southern and western Tippecanoe County, said he continued to back the idea after the Oct. 11 meeting with Vance. Commons issued a statement in August that he believed Indiana had to defend against Democrats in California and other states looking to redistrict and shift policies in Congress. “I’ve promised to fight for rural Hoosier values,” Commons said at the time. “Redistricting is one way we can ensure our rural conservative Hoosier values are fairly represented in Congress.” Ahead of the Oct. 10 meetings with Vance, Commons posted a redrawn map that featured the potential for an all-red Indiana. “For too long, Democrats have taken advantage of the redistricting process to protect their own power while burdening Hoosiers with higher utility and healthcare costs. It’s time for a fair 9-0 map that truly reflects Indiana,” Commons posted on X. On Oct. 10, Commons said, “I thought the meeting was constructive with the vice president. He answered a lot of questions for people.”
State Rep. Mark Genda, a Frankfort Republican whose District 41 includes southern and eastern parts of Tippecanoe County, said Oct. 10: “No change on my position.” Genda told Based in Lafayette in August that “most, if not all” people he’d spoken with at that time thought redistricting was a bad idea. “To which I completely agree,” Genda said.
State Rep. Chris Campbell, a West Lafayette Democrat, sent a letter via her Substack telling constituents that “JD Vance returned to Indiana to strong-arm Senate Republicans into gerrymandering our congressional maps.” She encouraged them to continue to let Indiana House and Senate members know their feelings: “It can’t be overstated that a prime reason Indiana Republicans haven’t caved to Washington’s demands is that you’ve been loud and clear: Indiana doesn’t want new maps. … To my Republican colleagues in the Indiana General Assembly: I urge you to put the will of the Hoosiers above the will of Washington, D.C.”
Among others, Rep. Sheila Klinker, a Lafayette Democrat, has been against the idea. Rep. Heath VanNatter, a Kokomo Republican, has not committed publicly about it.
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
Thanks for this reporting, Dave.
There have been numerous times in Ron’s political career where he has bucked the in-party political pressures to take a principled stand on a matter. This apparently isn’t one of those times.
Ron , Republicans have control of every branch of government using the shut down and blaming Democrats is a cop out you are letting Trump and Vance tell you what to do instead of the people of Ind.