The Indiana State Senate and House adjourned their separate Organization Day sessions Tuesday until Jan. 5, 2026, but House Speaker Todd Huston hinted at possibly calling the House back in early December as previously scheduled.
Huston, R-Fishers, said Governor Mike Braun called for a special session, which the legislature is currently within the time frame of, and told House members to keep the first two weeks of December open.
The Senate voted 29-19 to reconvene Jan. 5, 2025, which effectively cancels its possibility of meeting in early December to discuss mid-census redistricting, as previously planned, following immense pressure from the Trump administration to redraw Indiana’s Congressional maps.
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said after the session that he knows President Donald Trump is “passionate” about mid-census redistricting.
But, the Senate opposes redistricting because it won’t benefit the state and Republicans don’t have “prominent candidates in each district,” referring to the two Democratic Congressional districts Indiana currently has, Bray said.
“We won’t get the 9-0 ratio,” Bray said. “The House is its own entity. They will do what they want to do.”
For legislation to advance to the governor’s desk, both the House and the Senate have to discuss and vote on the legislation in committee and by the entire chamber.
Indiana was last redistricted in 2021, which left Indiana Republicans with seven seats and Democrats with two seats. The two Democratic seats are the First district, held by U.S. Rep Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, and the Seventh District, held by U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Indianapolis.
Braun issued a statement after the sessions concluded praising Huston and House Republicans who chose to “publicly endorse the need for fair maps.” Braun said he looks forward to seeing the House return in December.
“Unfortunately, Sen. Rod Bray was forced to partner with DEMOCRATS to block an effort by the growing number of America First Senators who wanted to have a vote on passing fair maps. Now I am left with no choice other than to explore all options at my disposal to compel the State Senate to show up and vote,” Braun said.
Braun said he would work toward making sure State Senators who oppose redistricting face primary challengers.
Senator Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, said he was disappointed the Senate voted not to come back until January. The chamber has “failed in our responsibility” to the governor, who called for a special session, Young said.
“We’ve never disappointed a governor like we have this time,” Young said. “I don’t know why we don’t want to fulfill our responsibility and our rules.”
Young said the potential redistricting in Illinois could give Democrats an advantage and the potential of a third impeachment of Trump under a Democratic-led U.S. House in 2026 are reasons to consider redistricting.
“He’ll never be impeached, but it is a distraction to our nation,” Young said. “I don’t want to cry that Wednesday, after the election, knowing there’s something we could’ve done.”
Huston opened the session stating he had an “interesting” fall. He listed Indiana’s strong qualities, from fiscal responsibility to low property taxes.
In the upcoming session, it’s likely the House will “hit a few speed bumps,” but its members want “a strong, thriving Indiana,” Huston said.
Braun talked to the media ahead of Tuesday’s Senate and House sessions, and reiterated that the House has publicly supported mid-census redistricting but the Senate has been the hold out.
Braun declined to share what Trump told him during a Monday phone call. But, Braun said he reiterated his support for mid-census redistricting to the president.
“President Trump knows I’m fully behind (him),” Braun said.
Braun said mid-census redistricting is about addressing “uneven” and “unbalanced” Congressional maps throughout the country.
“It’s a question of cleaning it up,” Braun said.
Secretary of State Diego Morales and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith held a brief presser in support of redistricting ahead of the sessions. About 40 people, most wearing Make America Great Again hats or shirts, stood around them with signs supporting a 9-0 Republican Congressional makeup for Indiana.
The Senate had been a hurdle for Indiana’s redistricting efforts after a spokeswoman for Bray told reporters last month that the Senate did not have the votes to pass new Congressional maps.
Braun called for a special legislative session to “consider altering the boundaries of Indiana’s congressional districts” and federal and state tax compliance beginning Nov. 3, according to a news release.
Indiana House and Senate leadership announced Nov. 3 the legislature will address “time sensitive issues” – including redistricting and taxes – during the first two weeks of December. That decision seemingly canceled the special session as the legislators would be meeting during the 2026 legislative session.
The Indiana Senate announced Friday it canceled a two-week session to discuss mid-census redistricting because of a lack of votes.
“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,” Bray said in a statement Friday.
President Donald Trump issued a statement on his social media site Truth Social Sunday morning calling out “RINO” Bray and Senator Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute, “for not wanting to redistrict their state, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats.”
Bray, Goode and other Republican Senators “should DO THEIR JOB, AND DO IT NOW! If not, let’s get them out of office ASAP,” Trump wrote.
Goode and his family were victims of a swatting incident Sunday night after a fake communication was sent to local police, according to a statement from the senator’s office.
Vigo County sheriff’s deputies responded to the house “under the impression of a domestic violence emergency,” according to the statement.
“While this entire incident is unfortunate and reflective of the volatile nature of our current political environment, I give thanks to God that my family and I are ok,” Goode said in a statement.
Goode was in attendance Tuesday, and he voted in favor of the Senate reconvening Jan. 5, 2026.
Bray said he condemned the swatting incident at Goode’s house.
“We need to make sure the dialogue we have is civil,” Goode said. “There’s no place for that.”
Senators Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, Mark Spencer, D-Gary and Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, all voted to reconvene in January.
Niemeyer said he voted in favor of the resolution because the Senate won’t be able to advance redistricting.
“They didn’t have the votes, and this is normal procedure when the session is going to start for 2026,” Niemeyer said.
Trump and national Republicans have been pressuring red states to change their congressional maps before the 2026 election to increase Republican control of the U.S. House.
In August, Texas lawmakers approved redistricted maps to include five new districts that would favor Republicans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed off on the new maps, but a federal judge blocked them on Tuesday, alleging they constitute a racial gerrymander.
After Texas began discussing redistricting, California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a special election to take place in November for residents to vote on a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more House seats next year. The California ballot measure passed, and the Trump Administration is suing the state to stop the efforts.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed other Republican-controlled states, including Missouri, to also revise their maps to add more winnable Republican seats. Ohio Republicans have also started the process of partisan redistricting.
Vice President JD Vance came to Indianapolis in early August to talk to Republican leadership about redistricting. More than 55 Republican state legislators went to the White House Aug. 27 to talk about redistricting, and then Vance returned to Indianapolis Oct. 10 to discuss redistricting.
During the White House visit, Politico reported Trump met privately with Bray and House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers.
It is unusual for redistricting to take place in the middle of the decade and typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade to coincide with the census.
