Trump’s midterm-rigging scheme hits another state

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has called a special session to redraw congressional districts—making Indiana the latest Republican-led state to act on pressure from the Trump administration to tighten the party’s control of the U.S. House ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

In a statement, Braun said the special session was meant to “protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington” and to make sure their congressional representation “is fair.”

Still, the political ramifications are obvious: A new map in Indiana could hand national Republicans as many as two more House seats, tightening the party’s grip on its slim majority and strengthening President Donald Trump’s hold on Congress.

The governor’s announcement follows weeks of resistance from state Democrats and even some Republicans who were wary of following Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri in redrawing maps before the midterms. Those states have already completed their redistricting, potentially giving Republicans up to seven additional House seats—a significant shift in a chamber with razor-thin margins.

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In Indiana, the process could be trickier. Although the GOP holds a supermajority in both chambers—meaning Democrats can’t block the session by walking out—it’s not yet clear whether enough Republican state senators will back the new maps.

State Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray’s office said on Wednesday that the Indiana Senate lacked the votes to pass a new congressional map, casting doubt on the success of the special session.

Braun, a staunch Trump ally who won office in a state the president carried by nearly 19 percentage points, had long insisted he wouldn’t call lawmakers back until legislative leaders were on board. That hesitation seems to have faded under mounting White House pressure.

Vice President JD Vance made two trips to Indiana this year to personally lobby Braun and legislative leaders, urging them to redraw the state’s nine districts to ensure a full Republican sweep. And Trump reportedly phoned GOP state senators this month to encourage them to back the plan. It marked a significant escalation in pressure from the White House.

Conservative groups piled on, too. According to The New York Times, lawmakers in Indiana were also bombarded with emails from organizations like Turning Point USA, which threatened primary challenges against Republicans who resisted the plan.

That pressure campaign seems to have worked. The special session will begin Nov. 3 and is expected to last about six days, though legislative rules could be suspended to speed things up. The fact that Braun called the session suggests Republicans already have the votes.

Now, attention turns to what the new map might look like.

While seven of Indiana’s nine congressional districts are already solidly Republican, Trump wants all nine for the party. It’s unclear whether a new map will target one or both of Indiana’s Democratic-held districts—the 1st, in northwest Indiana, or the 7th, covering much of Indianapolis.

“This is not democracy. This is desperation,” said Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder in a statement to the Associated Press, vowing to challenge any maps passed in court.

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Democrats in other states are pursuing their own countermeasures. California voters will weigh in next month on allowing the state legislature to pass a new map, which is expected to add five Democratic-leaning districts, and polling suggests the ballot measure will pass. Virginia lawmakers are also meeting in a special session this week to consider changes expected to benefit Democrats.

Earlier this year, Texas Republicans kicked off the redistricting wave, approving a map that could net their party five more U.S. House seats. 

In total, nearly a dozen states are now considering or have already completed mid-cycle redistricting—an extraordinary step in what’s usually a once-a-decade process.

For Braun, the move marks a sharp pivot from his earlier caution. In August, he said he would leave redistricting decisions to legislative leadership. But with Trump turning up the heat, Indiana Republicans now seem poised to fall in line.

The governor insists the session is about fairness, and that’s clearly not the case. In reality, it’s yet another state bending to Trump’s demand to tighten his grip on power—no matter the cost.

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