Hundreds of protesters gathered on Monday afternoon at the Indiana Statehouse to oppose a plan by Republican lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map at President Donald Trump‘s urging.
“If your policies work, you don’t change the game,” Democratic state Rep. Earl Harris said to the riled-up crowd of about 400 people, who held up signs saying “Real Hoosiers don’t cheat!” and “Listen to Hoosiers, not Washington!” The crowd also broke out into “No means no!” and “No kings!” chants, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Inside the House chamber, state lawmakers gathered to begin a mid-decade redistricting process that Democrats tried to slow at every turn.
When Republican state House Speaker Todd Huston called the chamber to order, its 30 Democrats were not in their seats, a coordinated effort aimed at preventing the chamber from reaching the quorum needed to conduct business.
Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the state House, technically do not need Democrats to pass a bill or meet because only 67 GOP representatives are needed for a quorum, and it only takes a 51-person simple majority to pass legislation. There are 70 Republicans in the state House.
Democratic state House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta also tried to interrupt the roll call, arguing that the session was “improperly called” since lawmakers were supposed to meet in January and the special session was called without his consent.
Despite the attempts to stop the process, the redistricting bill was read. The state House Committee on Elections and Apportionment will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hear testimony on the bill.
Earlier on Monday, state House Republicans released a draft congressional map that would give their party the edge in all nine of the state’s congressional districts.
The proposed map would dilute Democrats’ strength in deep-blue Indianapolis, which is currently represented by Reps. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) and Andre Carson (D-IN). The new map would split it into four different districts — the 4th, 6th, 7th, and 9th— that stretch into rural Republican areas.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) held a conference call with Indiana Republicans on Saturday to speak about redistricting. He purportedly made a plea to pass the map, saying it was necessary to advance the GOP’s national agenda. He also fielded questions on broader matters and policies of the Trump administration, according to FOX59/CBS4.
While the House is expected to make easy work out of the vote, the bigger lift will be in the state Senate, which will meet on Dec. 8.
Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s nine House seats. Trump and his allies want to redraw the map to ensure that Republicans represent all of the state’s congressional districts. Democrats need to gain just three seats to win control of the House next year. If Democrats flip the House, they could render Trump a lame duck during his last two years in office by blocking his legislation and launching congressional investigations. That prospect has led to Trump strong-arming GOP-controlled states.
INDIANA GOP UNVEILS DRAFT OF CONGRESSIONAL MAP THAT CARVES UP INDIANAPOLIS
A coast-to-coast redistricting fight broke out after Trump first publicly called on Texas to redraw its map to give Republicans a five-seat boost heading into the 2026 midterm elections. California countered, passing a ballot measure in November that would redraw its map, giving Democrats the advantage in five GOP-held districts. Republicans in Florida, Ohio, and Missouri followed Texas’s lead and passed maps that favored the GOP.
In Indiana, Gov. Mike Braun (R-IN) has been a vocal advocate of mid-decade redistricting for the state. He announced in October that he was scheduling a special session to redraw the map after weeks of pressure from the president.
