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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