Vice President JD Vance to Visit Indiana Amid GOP Redistricting Push

By Michael Katz | Wednesday, 08 October 2025 07:28 PM EDT

Vice President JD Vance is set to travel to Indiana on Friday to engage with state leaders as the White House urges Republican-led states to revise congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Multiple sources, including two Republican state senators, confirmed to the Indiana Capital Chronicle that Vance will meet with lawmakers in Indianapolis. The visit occurs amid internal debates within Indiana’s GOP legislature over a potential special session for midcycle redistricting, which has sparked divisions among party members.

President Donald Trump has been advocating for Republican-led states to redraw maps before the 2026 elections to secure the House majority for the remainder of his second term. Redistricting typically follows the decennial census. Currently, Republicans control seven of Indiana’s nine congressional districts, while Democrats hold seats in the northwest and central regions of the state.

Republican Gov. Mike Braun recently expressed concerns about the redistricting effort’s viability to the White House, according to Politico. A source cited Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, Senate president pro tempore, as failing to support the initiative, instead “hiding behind” members and allegedly undermining the proposal. State Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, noted that most lawmakers she has spoken with lack enthusiasm for redistricting, stating, “The general attitude all along has been that nobody has much of an appetite for it.”

The state Senate Republican caucus has remained largely silent on the issue, while House and Senate Republicans have held closed-door discussions. Vance’s visit marks his second trip to Indiana in two months. In August, he met with Braun, Bray, and House Speaker Todd Huston to advocate for redistricting. Braun described the meeting as “pretty good,” though no concrete commitments were made.

Later that month, dozens of GOP lawmakers from Indiana traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Vance and federal officials on topics including redistricting. Bray and Huston met with Trump during the visit, per the Chronicle. Braun has reiterated that he will not call lawmakers back to the Statehouse unless legislative leaders reach a consensus.