Indiana lawmakers are poised to consider a congressional map that could flip two Democrat-held U.S. House seats, escalating a partisan battle that has drawn in national GOP figures ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The proposed map targets the districts represented by Democrat Reps. Frank Mrvan in the 1st District and André Carson in the 7th District. According to Dave’s Redistricting, Mrvan’s northwest Indiana seat—previously split evenly between former President Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024—would be reshaped into a constituency that Trump would have carried by 12 points. Carson’s Indianapolis-based district, which Harris won by roughly 42 points, would be redrawn as a seat that Trump would have won last year by 19 points.
Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston (R) said in a statement last week that “All legislative business will be considered beginning next week, including redrawing the state’s congressional map,” and has indicated his caucus has the votes to advance the proposal.
The House is scheduled to gavel in on Monday afternoon to begin the 2026 legislative session.
Pressure from national Republicans regarding the new map has mounted in recent weeks. Trump and his allies have urged Indiana lawmakers to pursue an aggressive 9–0 Republican map, arguing that the party should maximize its offensive opportunities heading into what many expect to be a difficult election cycle. As part of that effort, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) virtually addressed Indiana House Republicans over the weekend, Politico reported.
However, the proposal faces resistance in the upper chamber. Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) said late last month that the Senate would reconvene in December to make a “final decision” on any redistricting plan sent over by the House. But several Republican senators have spoken out in recent days against revisiting the maps, with one lawmaker saying he declined an invitation to visit the White House and another stating he was not in favor of adopting new lines.
The debate places Indiana within a broader national struggle over congressional district maps.
Since the 2020 census, redistricting has become an ongoing and unusually volatile process, with court challenges, legislative revisions, and special sessions reshaping congressional boundaries in states including Alabama, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Florida. Republicans and Democrats alike are seeking to lock in structural advantages wherever possible, particularly as narrow House majorities have raised the stakes for even small changes in a handful of districts.
Several states are still operating under interim maps pending court rulings, and both parties are bracing for additional legal and legislative fights that could continue into 2025.
Indiana’s move—if successful—would represent one of the most sweeping mid-cycle redraws yet, signaling how aggressively national forces are working to influence state-level decisions as control of the U.S. House hangs in the balance.
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