Indiana leaders on Friday met with Vice President JD Vance for the third time as they work to secure support for mid-cycle, partisan redistricting. They remained tight-lipped about the meeting’s contents as protesters rallied in opposition. 

Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, called it a “productive” and “fruitful” discussion. He said his caucus hadn’t yet made a choice, but hinted an answer to the redistricting question could come soon. 

“Obviously, the conversation was about redistricting,” he told reporters. “We talked a lot about that — pros and cons — and so, no decisions were made. But we’re going to work on that and hopefully have a decision very soon.”

President Donald Trump is pushing GOP-led states like Indiana to redraw maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to ensure a Republican majority in the U.S. House for the rest of his second term. Redistricting is typically only done after the decennial census. 

Indiana’s current map, drawn in 2021, is 7-2 Republicans. Democrats hold seats in northwest and central Indiana

House Speaker Todd Huston declined to talk to reporters but released a statement thanking Vance “for again talking with our caucus members and facilitating an open dialogue on this important topic. It means a lot to us that he is willing to spend time in our state, personally communicating with and answering questions from Hoosier lawmakers. We had another productive conversation today and we’ll keep discussing this within our caucus and with the Hoosiers we represent as we come to a decision soon.”

Upon leaving the Statehouse, Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, shared that he was fully in support of new maps, regardless of consequences or constituent opposition. 

“I would rather be courageous and take a stand and do something that I know a fair amount of voters are going to say, ‘You know what? We’re not going to vote for you.’ I would rather lose my seat than my grandkids lose their country,” he said.

Gaskill said he doesn’t feel pressure from higher-ups. He knew the debate was coming when Texas and California moved to change their maps.

“We ought to do our part … if one side’s fighting the other side can’t be doing ‘rock paper scissors,'” Gaskill said. “You’re going to get run over.”

When asked about the Senate Republican caucus’ delay, Bray said his members like to be “thoughtful and contemplative and understand the issue very well” before coming to a decision. 

He declined to share meeting specifics and didn’t say whether there were enough votes to support new maps. 

“We’ve been working on this for a while, so we’d like to come to a resolution fairly shortly,” he concluded.

Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, offered a more blunt analysis. 

“They don’t have the votes, currently,” she said during a joint news conference with House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta.

“There’s something happening here because (otherwise) the vice president wouldn’t have to come here — twice now — in order to twist some arms,” said GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne. 

Protesters bring props to VP’s visit

The Democratic leaders spoke following another energetic rally at the Indiana Statehouse.

Protesters lined the dual marble staircases and filled the space in between, raising anti-redistricting signs and following speakers’ chants. One protester — in drag as Trump — puppeteered drag versions of Vance and Braun, who writhed upon the marble floors.

Some assembled earlier at the library, jeering as Vance’s motorcade rolled in. Law enforcement officers urged them away from the security perimeter.

Other protesters arrived even sooner. 

A quartet of Hoosiers set up a reclining couch early Friday morning on the sidewalk in front of the Indiana Statehouse as a “gift” to the vice president, who was subject to a false claim involving couches based on a passage from his memoir.

Indiana resident Cassie Jackson said she hoped the prop would stop Vance from pressuring state lawmakers further on the topic of redistricting.

“You can have the couch as a gift,” Jackson said. “But please, don’t come back.” 

She said the group transported the couch on a car roof and set it up before lawmakers arrived. The group recounted how one Republican senator, on his way in, privately told them that he wouldn’t be voting in favor of new maps. 

Jackson’s friend was unconvinced, saying, “These guys lie to us all the time.”

“They’re here to be persuaded so they can go back to their constituents and say, ‘Oh, we were going to say we’re Indiana boys and we’re tough. But then JD came in and he told us what’s what,’” Charlie Spears said. “… I can’t believe a guy from Ohio is going to come in here and tell Indiana how to vote.”

It was Vance’s second trip to Indiana in about two months, as the map-drawing push stalled.

At least two Hoosier congressmen joined: U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, who flew with Vance on Air Force Two, and 3rd District Rep. Marlin Stutzman. 

Vance also met with Braun, who thanked the vice president for taking the time to visit Indiana in a statement posted to X.

“I appreciated the thoughtful discussion about how our state is serving Hoosiers through common-sense and strong leadership,” he wrote. “We discussed redistricting and the importance of ensuring fair representation for every Hoosier. I look forward to continuing our partnership to keep Indiana — and America — moving in the right direction.”

The meeting was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the nearby Indiana State Library. Lawmakers began streaming into the underground tunnels of the government campus center — and underwent security scans by Secret Service agents — just after 9 a.m. 

Members of the Braun administration exited the tunnels at 11 a.m. Indiana Senate Republicans began filtering out from their gathering at 12:20, while the House GOP caucus left at 1:40 p.m.

Some exiting lawmakers were enthusiastic about the visit, including Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, who extolled Vance’s virtues and called him an “absolutely wonderful family man.”

The vice president last visited Indiana in August to meet with Braun, Bray and Huston and rally support for early redistricting. Neither the governor nor legislative leadership signaled any firm commitment to the proposal at the time.

Later that month, dozens of GOP lawmakers from Indiana’s House and Senate traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Vance and other federal officials about a variety of topics, including redistricting. Bray and Huston met in person with Trump during that visit.

Braun has since repeatedly floated the idea of a November special session for early redistricting. The next regularly scheduled legislative session will kick off in January, around the same time that Indiana’s window to file congressional bids opens.

Multiple polls — including one released in August and one this week — have found that the majority of Hoosiers oppose early redistricting.

Editor Niki Kelly contributed. 

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