Gov. Mike Braun calls special redistricting session
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Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has called state lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special legislative session to redraw its congressional districts.
Why it matters: A new congressional map in Indiana could give Republicans two additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, helping cement the GOP's control and paving the way for President Trump's agenda over the next two years.
Driving the news: Braun announced the special session Monday after months of speculation, two vice presidential visits and White House meeting for Republican lawmakers.
- The session will start Nov. 3 and is expected to last about six days, though lawmakers could suspend legislative rules to move the process along more quickly.
The intrigue: It was just last week that Molly Swigart, a spokesperson for Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, told reporters that Republicans in that chamber didn't have the votes.
- And they still don't, Swigart told Axios Monday.
- Braun had previously said he wouldn't call lawmakers back unless redistricting was something they decided they wanted to do, and he would wait for leadership to make that call.
- When asked about why his position changed, Braun's office pointed Axios to the statement he made in a news release Monday morning.
What they're saying: "I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair," Braun said in the statement. "I am also asking the legislature to conform Indiana's tax code with new federal tax provisions to ensure stability and certainty for taxpayers and tax preparers for 2026 filings."
- The tax issues relate to changes in federal tax law made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Between the lines: House Republicans do have the votes to pass a redistricting bill, Molly Gillaspie, spokesperson for House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, told Axios.
- Yes, but: The bill will need to pass both chambers before Braun can sign it into law.
The other side: Senate Democrats said they will fight the mid-cycle redistricting effort, though Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers.
- "Let's call it what it is. An orchestrated attack on democracy itself," Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said in a statement. "There is no new census, no court order and no support from the public. There is only political greed and fear."
The big picture: Texas kicked off the redistricting fight earlier this year, redrawing its congressional map to give the GOP five more seats.
- It's one of a dozen states now considering mid-cycle redistricting.
Zoom in: Seven of Indiana's nine congressional districts are already safe for Republicans.
Yes, but: Trump wants all nine.
- That means redrawing the 1st district, in northwest Indiana, and the 7th district, which covers most of Indianapolis.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a comment from Indiana Democrats and from House Republicans.