INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith predicts Gov. Mike Braun will call a special legislative session in early November to redraw congressional district lines, following pressure from President Donald Trump to act five years ahead of schedule.
"Redistricting really has to do with how our voice has been watered down due to the nefarious actions of other states around the country," Beckwith said.
Trump called Indiana State Senate Republicans on Friday, urging them to redraw district lines early. Beckwith described the meeting as the president putting pressure on Senate leaders.
"I think the president is watching Indiana say, 'Okay, who can I trust? Who are my allies in this battle?'" Beckwith said.
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However, not all Hoosier Republicans support the early redistricting push.
Republican State Rep. Daniel Lopez expressed opposition to changing established procedures.
"I mean, we have rules of the game that we've established that have worked well for us," Lopez said. "I support a lot of what the President and the Vice President have done since taking office. I mean, they've done a lot of good things. This is just not something I can get behind."
Lopez said his Hamilton County constituents are focused on other priorities.
"We don't want to go down this road— people right now in Hamilton County— are concerned about public safety issues that seem to be cropping up and school issues, education issues, healthcare costs, mental health for our kids," Lopez said.
"All this other stuff to me is nothing but just sort of noise and a distraction."
Opposition groups are also mobilizing against the redistricting effort. Indiana Conservation Voters is running advertisements during the weekend's football games to raise awareness.
"We're really just trying to get the word out there and remind the governor that he works for Hoosiers, and Hoosiers have been pretty clear they don't want this," said Megan Robertson, executive director of Indiana Conservation Voters.
Robertson said the organization has heard from residents statewide that redistricting is not a priority issue.
"They want us to kind of change the rules of the game in the middle of it so they can win," Robertson said. "Hoosiers don't like that."
Despite the opposition, Beckwith remains confident that redistricting will move forward.
"I know the governor is passionate about it — I think this is going to get called probably early November if I had to guess," Beckwith said.
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Griffin Gonzalez is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in January 2024. Griffin loves to tell stories about people overcoming their biggest obstacles and share the good news that his community has to offer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Griffin by emailing him at griffin.gonzalez@wrtv.com.
