Indiana legislative leaders met privately with Trump to discuss
redistricting
[August 28, 2025]
By ISABELLA VOLMERT
Indiana's Republican legislative leaders met privately with President
Donald Trump in the Oval Office to discuss redistricting, an Indiana
House spokesperson confirmed, although it remains unclear if they'll
join other states in trying to change congressional maps mid-cycle ahead
of next year's midterms.
Many Indiana lawmakers have expressed hesitation to Trump's push to give
his party an advantage in the 2026 race for control of the U.S. House of
Representatives. Vice President JD Vance also spoke about the subject to
numerous Indiana lawmakers, who were in Washington D.C. to meet with
administration officials.
Several Indiana legislators came out in support of a mid-cycle map
change following the meetings, which were held as pressure mounts
nationwide now that California Democrats enabled voters to decide
whether to counter Republicans in Texas, whose redrawn map now awaits
the governor's signature.
“I spent the day at the White House because Hoosiers deserve to be
fairly represented in DC,” Indiana Sen. Liz Brown posted on social
media. “President Trump knows what’s at stake if liberal strongholds
like CA bend, break and bust the rules to gerrymander their maps.”
Spokespeople for the offices of Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston and
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray provided no details on the Tuesday
meeting with Trump.
The lawmakers were in Washington for White House State Leadership
Conference meetings between the administration and state GOP leaders.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“While redistricting did come up and members were able to ask questions,
we spent the bulk of our afternoon discussing issues like energy,
immigration and preventing waste and fraud in government,” Bray's
official statement about the conference said. Bray did not comment on
the meeting with Trump.
Typically, states redraw boundaries of congressional districts every 10
years to adjust to population changes. Instead, Trump encouraged Texas
Republicans to change them to send five more Republicans to Congress.
In response, California will hold a special election in November so
voters can decide whether to counter the Texas advantage with a map that
could help Democrats win more seats. Lawmakers in other states also are
mulling the possibility.
Vance already met privately with Gov. Mike Braun and legislative leaders
in Indianapolis on Aug. 7 to discuss redistricting. Braun, a staunch
Trump ally, can call a special session, but suggested Indiana’s next
move would depend on lawmakers' appetites.
Republican state Rep. Craig Haggard said in an interview after the White
House meeting that Vance's argument wasn't “strong-armed" and there's
still no broad consensus.
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Members of the Indiana state legislation prepare to pose for a photo
as they exit the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White
House complex Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex
Brandon)
“I don't think we'll really know until we get into a session and see
some actual maps,” Haggard said.
Haggard said that in a “perfect world,” Indiana's maps would stay as
they are, but he believes the Republican party needs to maintain
House control to continue its platform.
“I think we’re going the right direction in this country,” said
Haggard, who is challenging a longtime GOP congressman in western
Indiana. “I agree with the vice president that we should use all
legal and constitutional methods given us to make sure we win.”
Other Indiana Republicans have expressed opposition, saying
mid-cycle redistricting is costly and could backfire politically.
“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,” state Sen. Spencer Deery said in a statement Aug. 13.
Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers in Indiana,
meaning Democrats could not stop or delay a special session by
refusing to attend, like their peers in Texas did. Republicans also
outnumber Democrats in Indiana’s congressional delegation 7-2. Some
Republicans see an opportunity to gain all nine seats in the state,
which Trump won by 19 percentage points in 2024.
The GOP would likely target Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, a
Democratic stronghold encompassing Gary and other cities near
Chicago. Three-term Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan won reelection in
2022 and easily retained the seat in 2024 even after Republicans
redrew the district to be slightly more favorable to the GOP.
Republicans could also zero in on the 7th Congressional District,
composed entirely of Marion County and the Democratic stronghold of
Indianapolis, but they would invite more controversy by slicing up
Indiana's largest city and diluting Black voters’ influence.
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