Redistricting push dies in Indiana, what Sens. Deery, Alting are saying
Tippecanoe County’s two senators had been publicly on different sides before the Indiana Senate leader announced Friday that the votes weren’t there for a special session
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AS REDISTRICTING PUSH DIES IN INDIANA, WHAT SENS. DEERY, ALTING ARE SAYING
The prospects of redistricting Indiana’s nine congressional seats came to a screeching halt Friday, when state Senate leader Rod Bray said the votes weren’t there among the Republican caucus and that the Senate wouldn’t meet in special session on the matter.
Bray already was taking his lumps immediately after issuing this statement at the end of the day Friday:
“Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state’s congressional maps. Today, I’m announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December.”
That might have lined up with what Bray’s been saying from the start, as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance pumped the prospects of a mid-decade redo on Indiana’s congressional maps in hopes of picking up one or both of the Democratic seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
But Gov. Mike Braun, who has been carrying the issue for the White House, wasn’t happy Friday, after calling for a special session that already seems to have the votes in the Indiana House to get what Trump is asking for.
“I called for our legislators to convene to ensure Hoosiers’ voices in Washington, D.C., are not diluted by the Democrats’ gerrymandering,” Braun said in a statement. “Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps. Hoosiers deserve to know where their elected officials stand on important issues.”
Locally, the two Republican senators who represent parts of Tippecanoe County were among those on the record about the special session and their votes.
Here’s where they stood after Bray’s announcement Friday.
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. Deery advocated for sticking with the maps drawn after the 2020 census and keeping with the once-a-decade redistricting schedule.
Deery was among eight Republican senators from the 40-member caucus who had spoken publicly against redistricting.
“Through the enduring wisdom of the founders of our state and nation, Indiana was given a legislative branch divided in two with the Senate designed to deliberatively consider the long-term interests of our state,” Deery told BiL Saturday.
“I am immensely proud to serve in an institution that takes that duty seriously,” Deery said. “The power to draw election maps is a sacred responsibility directly tied to the people’s faith in the electoral process. Normalizing mid-cycle gerrymandering would create a culture in which a political party could select new voters not once a decade, but any time it feared the consequences of an approaching election. Any elected office — from the U.S. Congress to a school board — could fall prey to such a culture. Such a shift would make it harder for the people to hold their elected officials accountable, and it would erode trust in our elections. For me, this was about preserving the integrity of our elections, and I will never waver in my defense of this most basic right in our Constitution.”
Was Deery fielding any blowback Friday – or at least any more than he’d received from groups drumming up pressure to get senators against the idea or silent until now to flip?
“Same as it always has been,” Deery said. “Near universal praise from voters from across all parts of my district, and then nastiness from out of state, mostly from anonymous X accounts or hired D.C. political consultants. With my district, I am used to hearing differences of opinion depending on whether the person is from West Lafayette or one of my rural, more conservative counties, but on this issue, that mostly has not been the case with few exceptions.”
Sen. Ron Alting, a Lafayette Republican and the longest-serving member of the Indiana Senate, announced three weeks ago that he was in favor of a special session and would back redistricting. He was among 13 Senate Republicans on board, as of Friday. At the time, Alting said in social media posts that he’d based his support on redistricting due to the ongoing federal shutdown, saying that getting more Republicans in Congress to “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.”
Support for redistricting from Alting, who represents the eastern portion of Tippecanoe County and Carroll County, came as he faces a primary challenger in May 2026 in Richard Bagsby, who has positioned his campaign farther to the right and has come out in favor of the redistricting push.
On Saturday, Alting told BiL:
“I have great respect for President Pro Tem Rod Bray and for the institution of the Indiana Senate. Every member took this issue seriously and approached it with care. The strength of our chamber comes from listening to the communities we serve and honoring the process that guides our work.
“Over these past months I have heard from many constituents. Their concerns were clear, and I shared those views during our internal discussions. It has not been an easy period for anyone involved, but I appreciate that the Senate worked through this carefully and respectfully.
“I remain committed to serving the people of Tippecanoe and Carroll counties and to working with my colleagues as we move toward the important challenges ahead.”
More background …
Indiana Capital Chronicle’s Tom Davies, Leslie Bonilla Muñiz and Casey Smith had this with reaction throughout the Statehouse, including this bit: “If the decision by Senate Republicans stands, Indiana would become the first GOP-led state to outright turn down Trump’s wish to squeeze out more Republican-friendly congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.” Read the rest here: “Indiana Republican senators reject Trump’s redistricting push; won’t convene in December.”
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Poor Ron sold his soul for nothing.