Indiana Republicans could win 2 more US House seats under a new proposed
map
[December 02, 2025]
By ISABELLA VOLMERT
Republicans in the Indiana House of Representatives unveiled a new
congressional map on Monday that aims to wipe out the state's two
Democrat-held U.S. House districts, increasing pressure on GOP holdouts
in the state Senate who have refused to heed President Donald Trump's
redistricting demands.
Although they're confident they can pass redistricting in the state
House, Republican lawmakers know that the fate of any proposal remains
uncertain in the Senate, where their counterparts have held out for
months despite threats from Trump to endorse primary opponents of
defecting senators.
Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. The president
and national Republicans have urged lawmakers there to pursue a 9-0 GOP
map ahead of the 2026 elections, when Democrats will need only a modest
number of gains nationally to overcome Republicans’ current House
margin.
Indiana Senate leadership recently backed off its previous intentions
not to meet at all, agreeing to convene next Monday. However, it's still
unclear whether enough senators will support a new map.
House Republicans in Indiana published a draft of a map Monday morning
still featuring nine congressional districts, but with new boundaries
designed to oust the state's two Democratic U.S. House members.
The city of Indianapolis, which reliably backs Democrats, would be split
among four congressional districts. It's a major change to the current
map where the city makes up the entirety of the 7th District.
“It’s clear these orders are coming from Washington, and they clearly
don’t know the first thing about our community,” longtime U.S. Rep.
André Carson, a Democrat who represents Indianapolis, said in a
statement.
Indiana’s other current Democratic district is in the state’s northwest
corner near Chicago. The new map would instead group a large portion of
Republican counties in northern Indiana with the cities of East Chicago
and Gary to make a new 1st Congressional District.
The redistricting bill filed Monday will be heard in committee Tuesday
morning, meaning it could see a final vote in the House on Friday,
according to chamber rules.
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Indiana lawmakers have been under mounting pressure from the White
House to redistrict, like Republicans in Texas, Missouri, Ohio and
North Carolina have done. To offset the GOP gains, Democrats in
California and Virginia have moved to do the same.
But some Indiana Republicans have been far more resistant.
Republicans in the state Senate rebelled against Republican Gov.
Mike Braun in November and said they would not attend a special
session he ordered on redistricting.
The chamber's top Republican, President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, at the
time said the Senate did not have the votes. A spokesperson for
Bray’s office did not respond Friday when asked if that is still the
case.
Meanwhile, Trump attacked Indiana senators on social media,
particularly Bray. Lawmakers endured a spree of threats and
swatting, in which hoax call attempted to bring law enforcement to
the homes of senators who either said they do not support
redistricting or have not taken a stance. At least one lawmaker in
favor of redistricting and Braun were also threatened.
The Indiana Senate, where several lawmakers objected to leadership's
refusal to hold a vote, then said members would reconvene Dec. 8.
“The issue of redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps mid-cycle has
received a lot of attention and is causing strife here in our
state,” Bray said in a statement Tuesday. He said the Senate will
finally decide the matter this month.
Mid-cycle redistricting so far has resulted in nine more
congressional seats that Republicans believe they can win and six
more congressional seats that Democrats think they can win, putting
the GOP up by three. However, redistricting is being litigated in
several states, and there’s no guarantee that the parties will win
the seats they’ve redrawn.
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Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan.
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