'Never' to 'join our fight:' Local delegation's reaction as Gov. Braun calls for redistricting special session
From ‘never’ to calls to ‘join our fight,’ how Greater Lafayette’s delegation greeted Braun’s call to consider Trump-backed redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections.
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GOV. BRAUN CALLS FOR REDISTRICTING SPECIAL SESSION. LOCAL LAWMAKERS’ REACTIONS
Gov. Mike Braun made good on hints that he would call a special session to have the General Assembly consider redistricting U.S. House districts ahead the 2026 midterm elections, which has been requested – even demanded – by the Trump administration.
Braun on Monday said he would convene a special session Nov. 3 to consider redistricting, as well look at Indiana tax code issues stemming from a federal tax-and-spend measure known as the “one big beautiful bill.”
“I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair,” Braun said in a statement Monday morning.
The move came after a weekend when additional state senators – including Lafayette Republican Ron Alting – announced they were in favor of redistricting efforts.
Democrats blasted the move, even as it was expected: “This is not democracy. This is desperation,” Shelli Yoder, a Bloomington Democrat and Senate minority leader, said in a statement Monday.
As of Monday, though, reporters for several media outlets, including Politico and the Indianapolis Star, were reporting that a statement from Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray that: “The votes still aren’t there for redistricting.”
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.
Here are a few reads with the initial announcement, the stakes and the reaction:
From Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Casey Smith: “Governor summons lawmakers for redistricting session amid national GOP pressure. Braun’s move follows weeks of behind-the-scenes lobbying from the president, vice president and other top officials.”
From the Indianapolis Star: “Gov. Mike Braun calls special session to redraw Indiana’s congressional maps.”
The local delegation in the Indiana Senate
Senators with portions of their districts in Tippecanoe County are split on redistricting.
Friday evening, Sen. Ron Alting, a Lafayette Republican whose district also includes Carroll County, was among several state senators to jump on board. Alting, long considered a moderate Republican in the Indiana Senate, cited the ongoing federal shutdown as his rationale, posting on social media, “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.”
Here’s more on Alting’s comments:
Sen. Spencer Deery, a West Lafayette Republican whose district also includes portions of several counties to the west and south of Tippecanoe County, was an early “no” in the conversation, saying: “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.”
On Monday, Deery said he stood by those earlier comments. He also noted the statements coming from Bray’s office that redistricting didn’t have the votes to pass the Senate at this point.
“As you know the General Assembly sets our schedule, not the governor,” Deery said. “We will meet as a caucus to decide next steps. In my view, it doesn’t make much sense to have a drawn out debate if it’s destined to fail, because that costs the state money and distracts us from preparing to tackle important issues in the next session that I would rather be focused on, such as reforming the IEDC and improving the property tax legislation from last year.”
As an early “no,” Deery said it’s been quiet from lobbyists or federal officials looking to find votes.
“When people know where you stand — and that you stand on principle — they understand that lobbying you is a waste of time,” Deery said. “From out-of-state or anonymous social media accounts, it’s been nasty, including at least one threat of violence. These are just intimidation tactics that come from Washington-style politics that fortunately are not normally a part of our state politics. I’m smart enough to recognize it as the work of foreign bots or the echo chambers of online trolls and for the most part, not my constituents.”
As for constituents, Deery said, “it’s been fairly quiet in terms of people calling for redistricting. I still get a few messages now and then, but the vast majority of the authentic outreach I receive is from people encouraging me to stay strong and to lean into my constitutional conservative principles that the people should be in charge, not the mapmakers.”
The local delegation in the Indiana House
In the Indiana House, the delegation with districts that include Tippecanoe County shapes up this way:
Yes: Rep. Matt Commons, a Williamsport Republican.
No: Reps. Mark Genda, a Frankfort Republican; Sheila Klinker, a Lafayette Democrat; and Chris Campbell, a West Lafayette Democrat.
Rep. Heath VanNatter, a Kokomo Republican, did not immediately respond.
Commons said Monday he was still on board.
“As one of the first representatives to support redistricting, my stance has not changed,” Commons said. “I stand by Gov. Braun and encourage my Republican colleagues to join our fight.”
On Monday, Genda said he respected the governor’s call for a special session. But Genda said his stance hasn’t moved on what he called “the No. 1 talking point right now” among his constituents.
“It’s overwhelmingly, ‘I’m not in support of this,’” Genda said. “I’ve always been a constituent candidate, or always tried to be, anyway. I cannot ignore this in good conscience. … At first, I was a ‘no.’ Now, I’m a ‘never.’”
Campbell and Klinker continued to stand with Democrats in the Indiana House against the idea.
“Redrawing Indiana’s maps and drawing elected officials from their seats is a massive disservice to Hoosiers,” Campbell said in a statement Monday. “It feeds further into political division at a time when many are tired of watching our country split down party lines. We should do what’s best for our communities – not what’s best for Washington, D.C., or for a political party. This is an effort to rig future elections and cheat voters out of their electoral power. There’s no rationalizing this decision. Instead of voters choosing their representative, the people in power are choosing for them.”
Klinker said in a statement Monday that “many voters in Tippecanoe County, on both sides of the aisle, have rallied, called or emailed against this effort.”
“I’m devastated that Gov. Braun has called a special session to redraw Indiana’s maps,” Klinker said Monday. “This effort is unnecessary and a waste of Hoosiers’ hard-earned tax dollars. … Redistricting erodes our commitment to fair elections, and it puts the votes of thousands of Hoosiers at risk.”
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"“I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair,” Braun said in a statement Monday morning."
Oh no. That's an out-and-out lie. All he wants to "protect" is his status with president felon. If it weren't for that man messing with the legal redistricting process, we wouldn't even be talking about this. What Braun wants to do is disenfranchise even more Democrats.
Thanks for covering this with links to other resources. Gov Braun has repeatedly shown a lack of transparency, lies and corruption for power to be his MO. He is still bitter Bernie Sanders filled an outdoor Amphitheater while Braun could barely fill an air conditioned room on campus one August day when running for US Senate. Braun's actions to quell and control student journalists at IU and Purdue completely exemplifies what he is about.