Indiana governor fights back after Gavin Newsom plots to deliver Congress to Democrats



Indiana Governor Mike Braun (R) announced on Monday that he was 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."

States across the country are set to redraw or at least reconsider their congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, where a Democratic gain of three seats would break the GOP's hold on the House of Representatives.

'The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise, or collapse at the very moment courage is required.'

After a great deal of hand-wringing about Texas Republicans' successful adoption in August of a new congressional map that could net the GOP five extra seats, California Democrats responded with a new map that would create five new majority-Democrat districts should voters cast ballots in support of Proposition 50 on Nov. 4.

Among the other states that have looked at their respective maps with minds to help fellow travelers keep or take Congress are:

  • Missouri, where Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe recently signed a new map into law;
  • Kansas, where GOP state Senate President Ty Masterson announced on Monday that a sufficient number of signatures had been collected from Senate Republicans for a special session on redistricting;
  • North Carolina, where last week the GOP-controlled legislature passed a new congressional map that could give Republicans an additional House seat; and
  • Virginia, where Democratic lawmakers are reportedly preparing to launch a redistricting push this week.

Governor Braun indicated that the special legislative session for the Indiana General Assembly will convene on Nov. 3.

The governor's announcement comes just days after a spokeswoman for Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray told Politico, "The votes aren't there for redistricting."

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Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Braun's decision to set a date may be a sign of newfound intestinal fortitude among those remaining holdouts who have been under intense pressure not only from the White House but by fellow Indianans to play to win.

Even Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk threatened prior to his assassination to "support primary opponents for Republicans in the Indiana State Legislature who refuse to support the team and redraw the maps," adding that "it's time for Republicans to be TOUGH" and not to "let California steal the 2026 house from us."

Indiana Sen. Jim Banks (R) noted in the wake of Kirk's passing, "They killed Charlie Kirk — the least that we can do is go through a legal process and redistrict Indiana into a nine-to-zero map."

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith (R) said in a statement on Wednesday, "The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise, or collapse at the very moment courage is required. Yet, here we are again. The Indiana Republican-controlled Senate is failing to stand with President Trump, failing to defend the voice of Hoosier voters, and failing to deliver the 9-0 conservative map our citizens overwhelmingly expect."

Beckwith suggested that his colleagues rediscover their backbones, remember who elected them to office, and "reclaim Indiana's rightful voice in Congress by drawing a 9-0 map."

Following Braun's announcement, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston (R) said in a statement obtained by WGN-TV, "We've 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."

Following Braun's announcement, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita indicated that he is ready to defend the new map in court once it "gets across the finish line."

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Illinois Democrats' extreme gerrymandering inadvertently helps Republicans in 2022 midterm elections



Democrats in Illinois may have inadvertently helped Republicans after redrawing the state's congressional districts.

What is the background?

Illinois Democrats unveiled last week their proposed congressional district map after congressional apportionment, based on the 2020 Census, resulted in Illinois losing one House seat.

The proposed map is heavily gerrymandered, and was designed to give Democrats 14 House seats and Republicans just three House seats.

BREAKING: See for yourself, new #Illinois 17-district congressional map drawn by state Democrats to yield 14D-3R… https://t.co/ACAMV8EGO2

— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) 1634314373.0

Ironically, prominent Democrats are known for condemning extreme gerrymandering.

Just this month, in fact, former Attorney General Eric Holder condemned "Republican gerrymandering" as a "real danger to our democracy." Notice that he did not say anything about Democratic gerrymandering because apparently gerrymandering is only a threat to democracy when Republicans do it.

How did it backfire?

According to congressional districting expert Dave Wasserman, Illinois Democrats — instead of bolstering Democratic control over Illinois' congressional seats — have actually made three seats currently held by Democrats potential toss-ups in the 2022 midterm elections.

"IL Dems appear to have gone out of their way to make their gerrymander *less* efficient. As proposed (left), #IL03, #IL14 and #IL17 would be close to toss ups in 2022. With a few slightly different choices (example, right), 14/17 districts would've been Biden +10 or more," Wasserman explained.

IL Dems appear to have gone out of their way to make their gerrymander *less* efficient. As proposed (left), #IL03,… https://t.co/5PwCdxGvtc

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) 1634343117.0

The extreme gerrymandering is so bad, according to Wasserman, that one Republican strategist joked that a GOP "mole" must have helped Democrats draw the map.

"One GOP strategist called this afternoon and joked to me that there 'must have been a Republican mole' in IL Dems' map-drawing room. A DC Dem consultant fuming over the map: 'if you're going to make it that ugly, at least make it more effective,'" Wasserman said. "Even in Downstate IL, where Dems face no incumbent constraints, they stranded a few hyper-blue precincts in ultra-red districts, costing #IL13 and #IL17 a few points of Biden margin."

Even in Downstate IL, where Dems face no incumbent constraints, they stranded a few hyper-blue precincts in ultra-r… https://t.co/yoareTZAqY

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) 1634343820.0

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), one of the few Republican lawmakers who supported impeaching former President Donald Trump earlier this year, released a statement condemning Illinois Democrats for redrawing him into a district that leans blue.

"This redistricting process has been anything but transparent, which comes as no surprise to anyone. I believe the people of Illinois deserve better," Kinzinger said.

Meanwhile, Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy called the proposed map "the Nancy Pelosi Protection Plan," owing to the motive of Illinois Democrats to intentionally hurt Republican lawmakers and help Democrats retain control of the U.S. House in the 2022 midterm elections.

"It's appalling that fair representation, keeping communities of interest together, and transparency in the mapmaking process in Illinois all had to take a back seat to the demands of national politics," Tracy said.

While the redrawn map is only a proposal, it may likely be what Illinois lawmakers approve. Democrats have firm control in the Illinois General Assembly, and Illinois' governor, J. B. Pritzker, is a Democrat.