Indiana lawmakers defy Trump, won't join redistricting war
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Indiana won't pursue a new congressional map after all.
Why it matters: President Trump and the White House had put Indiana lawmakers under intense pressure to join the national mid-cycle redistricting war and give the GOP two additional seats in Congress.
Driving the news: Despite the national pressure and call from Gov. Mike Braun to hold a special session to pass a new map, the Republican supermajority doesn't have the votes, Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, announced Friday.
What they're saying: "Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state's congressional maps. Today, I'm announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December."
The intrigue: After Bray's announcement, Braun called on lawmakers to hold the session anyway.
- "Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps," Braun said in a statement. "Hoosiers deserve to know where their elected officials stand on important issues."
- Braun may be attempting to exert political pressure on Republicans blocking his agenda, earmarking lawmakers for primary challenges.
Catch up quick: Republican leaders of both chambers had planned to hold a two-week redistricting session in early December, ahead of the state's regular legislative session in January.
- Their plan was to draw a new congressional map that flipped Indiana's two Democratic seats — the 1st and 7th districts — from blue to red.
- House Republicans have said they have the votes to pass a new map.
Yes, but: At least eight members of the Senate GOP caucus have publicly said they'd vote against redistricting.
Between the lines: Republicans would need at least 25 of their 40 members to vote in favor of the measure.
- Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith told reporters last month that he'd vote in favor of redistricting if his tie-breaking vote was needed.
The other side: Democrats celebrated the announcement Friday as a win for Hoosiers.
- "This should have never been considered," Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said in a statement.
- "Now that this reckless idea has collapsed, our focus can return to where it should have been all along. Hoosiers."