() Vice President JD Vance met with Republican leaders in Indiana on Thursday to discuss redistricting plans as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape congressional maps in GOP-led states ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has so far been hesitant to express overt interest in redistricting plans.
“We listened,” Braun told reporters when asked about what transpired in the meeting with Vance.
Seven out of nine congressional districts in Indiana are Republican-controlled, so it is unclear why the Trump administration is making an effort to target the state.
Texas lawmakers go back and forth over redistricting efforts
Texas started off the redistricting conflict among states after a redistricted map was introduced that would secure five more Republican seats in the U.S. House.
Following Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s proposed redistricting maps being put to a vote, many House Democrats fled the state to stall the process.
Abbott and other Republican leaders have expressed disdain for the Democrats leaving the state and have even threatened legal action.
“Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” Sen. John Cornyn said in a statement Thursday.
Tensions reached a boiling point earlier this week, as a bomb threat was reported at a hotel where two Texas lawmakers who fled were staying.
“This morning, a threat was made against the safety of the members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. We are safe, we are secure, and we are undeterred,” Texas Democratic caucus leaders said in a statement responding to the incident.
Redistricting battles around the country
In response to the proposed gerrymandering efforts, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to counteract the Texas redistricting plan with a redistricted map of his own.
Other Democratic states have followed suit with threats to redistrict if Republicans take action.
According to The New York Times, Illinois, Maryland, New York and New Jersey are all states that could follow California’s lead in redistricting.
In addition to Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, South Carolina and Nebraska are Republican states that could follow Texas’ lead in redistricting efforts to increase seats in the House.
With all of the proposed redistricting, it appears many of the changes could ultimately cancel each other out.
Indiana Democrats respond
Many gathered at the state capital in Indianapolis on Thursday to voice their opposition to the redistricting.
Though Indiana Democrats do not possess the power to walk out and stop a vote from occurring due to Republicans holding a supermajority in the state house and senate, Democratic leaders are urging constituents and allies around the country to fight back.
“President Trump and the Congressional Republicans are so arrogant that they don’t feel any need to hide their political power grab. They are up front about the fact that they are willing to cheat to win the midterm elections,” State Rep. Matt Pierce said in a statement.
“The question is, will Gov. Braun and the leaders of the General Assembly go along with it?” Pierce concluded.
