Indiana’s governor calls a special session to redraw US House maps as the redistricting battle expands

Indiana’s Republican governor said Monday he plans to hold a special session to redraw congressional boundaries after weeks of pressure to support President Donald Trump’s bid to add more winnable seats through mid-session redistricting.

Trump pressured Republicans to draw new maps that would give the party an easier path to maintaining control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections. But Democrats backed down in some states, including Virginia, where a special session on Monday marked a first step toward redistricting.

While Republicans in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have already activated new congressional districts, lawmakers in Indiana have been hesitant. Indiana Governor Mike Brown convened the General Assembly on November 3 for a special session. It is unclear whether enough Republican-majority senators will support the new maps.

Democrats only need to gain three seats to overturn their control of the US House of Representatives. Trump hopes redistricting will help avoid historical trends, in which the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections.

Federal pressure on Indiana

Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump have met separately with Indiana Republicans, including Senate President Pro Tem Roderick Bray, in recent months. Brown is a staunch ally of Trump in a state the president won by 19 percentage points in 2024, but he previously said he did not want to call a special session until he was sure lawmakers would support a new map.

Indiana Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.

“I am calling for a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states seeking to diminish their voice in Washington and to ensure their fair representation in Congress,” Brown said in a statement Monday.

Typically, states redraw congressional district boundaries every 10 years after the census ends. Opponents are expected to challenge any new maps in court.

Some Indiana state senators remain undecided

When Indiana Republicans adopted the current boundaries four years ago, Bray said they would “serve Hoosiers well over the next decade.”

A spokesman for Bray said last week that the Indiana state Senate lacks the votes needed to pass a new congressional map, and on Monday he said votes were still lacking, casting doubt on whether the special session could achieve Brown’s goals.

With only ten Democrats in the 50-member Senate, that means more than ten out of 40 Republicans oppose the idea. Some Republican state lawmakers have warned that mid-session redistricting could be costly and politically counterproductive.

Republicans who vote against redistricting could be forced out of office if their colleagues support primary opponents as punishment.

The GOP could target areas near Chicago and Indianapolis

Republicans outnumber Democrats in Indiana’s congressional delegation 7-2, limiting the odds of pushing for another seat. However, many in the Republican Party see redistricting as an opportunity for the party to represent all nine seats.

The GOP is likely to target Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, a longtime Democratic stronghold that includes Gary and other cities near Chicago in the state’s northwest corner.

“I believe representation should be done through ideas and service, not through political manipulation,” third-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Murvan, who holds the seat, said in a statement Monday.

Republicans could also focus on Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, which consists of Marion County and the Democratic stronghold of Indianapolis. But that option would be more controversial, potentially dismembering the state’s largest city and diluting the influence of black voters.

Virginia Democrats take a step toward redistricting

Changing congressional districts in Virginia requires more steps than it does in Indiana. The state is currently represented by six Democrats and five Republicans who ran in court-created districts in 2021 after a bipartisan commission failed to agree on a map.

Because the Virginia Redistricting Commission was created by a constitutional amendment approved by voters, voters must sign off on any changes to the redistricting process. The proposed constitutional amendment must be passed by the General Assembly in two separate sessions and then put on the statewide ballot. Democrats are striving to hold the first legislative vote this year, so they can hold a second vote after the start of the new legislative session on January 14.

Democrats are also hoping to make gains in California. Voters there will decide on Nov. 4 whether to eliminate districts drawn by an independent citizens’ commission in favor of those drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win up to five additional seats in next year’s elections. Democrats already hold 43 of the 52 seats.

The redistricting process could extend to more states

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries visited Illinois on Monday to meet with Democratic state lawmakers about the possibility of redrawing the state’s congressional districts more to favor Democrats. Democrats already hold 14 of the 17 seats.

The Democratic-led Illinois General Assembly was scheduled to convene this week.

Meanwhile, in Kansas, Republicans are one step closer to inviting themselves into a special session on redistricting through a legislative petition. Senate President Ty Masterson said Monday he has the necessary two-thirds in the Senate, but House Republicans have at least a few opponents. The petition drive is necessary because Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is unlikely to call a session to redraw the current map that sent three Republicans and one Democrat to the House.

Vollmert reported from Lansing, Michigan. Associated Press writers Joe Cappelletti in Washington; Olivia Diaz in Richmond, Virginia; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; David A. LEAP in Jefferson City, Missouri; John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, contributed to this report.