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Although Gov. Mike Braun called Monday morning for a special session for state legislators to consider altering Indiana’s congressional districts, Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray maintains that there isn’t enough support in the chamber for redistricting.
Contacted by IBJ on Monday morning, Molly Swigart, a spokesperson for Bray, said that “all I have to share is the votes still aren’t there for redistricting.”
The statement repeats the same evaluation last week from Bray’s office as the White House stepped up its pressure campaign on Indiana lawmakers, particularly Republican senators.
Vice President JD Vance twice visited Indianapolis to speak with state lawmakers about redistricting: once in August and again earlier this month.
On Friday, The New York Times reported that Trump held a call urging Indiana GOP senators to redraw the state’s district maps.
Discussions have centered on ways to strengthen the party’s position in the U.S. House — where Republicans hold a narrow majority — by encouraging states with GOP-strongholds to redraw districts before 2026.
Meanwhile in the Indiana House, Speaker Todd Huston said in a brief statement Monday morning that House Republicans had “received the Governor’s call for a special session and will continue having conversations within our caucus and with our counterparts in the Senate on our next steps.”
Braun’s order says the session will begin Monday, Nov. 3, and will focus primarily on revising the state’s congressional boundaries—lines that were last redrawn in 2021 following the U.S. Census.
Braun’s office said lawmakers will use the special session to “consider altering the boundaries of Indiana’s congressional districts,” but also to “consider resolving an important issue regarding federal and state tax compliance that must be addressed.”
Legislative leaders don’t have to convene the exact day that Braun suggested. By law, the only rule is it can’t last for more than 30 session days or 40 calendar days. That clock will begin Nov 3.
In 2022, then-Gov. Eric Holcomb’s order began the session on July 6, but lawmakers didn’t convene until July 25, and it ended Aug. 5.
It’s unclear how long the special session would last. Lawmakers could suspend rules to pass a map in just a day or two, but it’s unlikely there are enough votes to do that. A bill must be heard three times in each chamber, meaning a likely minimum of six days.
Legislative leaders are expected to outline their next steps for Braun’s special session in the coming days.
The last time Indiana redrew its congressional lines, the process stretched over several months and included statewide public hearings. This time, lawmakers will be under greater pressure to move quickly.
Candidate filing for the 2026 primary opens Jan. 7, leaving a narrow window for debate, map approval and potential legal challenges.
Democrats in the Statehouse, meanwhile, continue to rail against redistricting efforts. Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, emphasized that liberal voters are already underrepresented in congressional maps as Democrats hold just over 20% of Indiana’s Congressional seats, but garnered almost 40% of votes cast in the 2024 general election.
“They don’t want to say what they’re doing, which is basically trying to hijack a bunch of seats in the U.S. Congress and eliminate one of the two political parties from our congressional delegation,” DeLaney said. “The 40% of people who vote Democrat in the congressional races, even in bad years, will be told, ‘There’s no one to represent you, and no one should represent you.’”
In addition to redrawing Indiana’s Congressional maps, Braun said the special session will address recent changes to federal tax law that affect Indiana state tax filings.
“Addressing this discrepancy through a special session will provide taxpayers, accountants, and businesses the confidence and clarity ahead of filing season, avoid amended returns and filing delays, and continue the Indiana Department of Revenue’s strong record of fiscal management,” the announcement said.
Indiana last held a special legislative session in 2022 to pass a near-total abortion ban. That session cost taxpayers around $240,000.
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