INDIANAPOLIS — Text messages are going out to Indiana residents in Republican Senate districts, urging support for mid-decade redistricting efforts as advocacy groups ramp up pressure on lawmakers.
Lawmakers will return to the statehouse on December 1 to discuss mid-decade redistricting.
WATCH BELOW: WHO IS BEHIND FAIR MAPS INDIANA
The messages, which reference countering "the left's plan to flip the House" and maintaining "our House majority," are being sent by Fair Maps Indiana, a 501(c)(4) issue advocacy nonprofit based in Indiana. The organization is targeting constituents in Senate Republican districts where senators haven't publicly endorsed redistricting efforts.
"What we've rolled out is an Indiana online petition. So what that does is give them an opportunity to sign that petition, deliver it directly to their senators," said Marty Obst, chairman of Fair Maps Indiana. "From the start so far, 48 hours into it, we anticipate thousands, if not tens of thousands of petitions delivered in short order."
Obst said the goal is to generate enough constituent support that senators receive feedback showing "there is real support for this."
The organization has already spent "mid six figures" on the effort and expects it could become "a seven-figure effort" depending on how it progresses.
"We feel like Indiana has a role to play in this national conversation, and Indiana has the opportunity to pick up two Republican seats and help maintain the majorities," Obst said. "The main thing we want is to make sure that Indiana has a voice and also to make sure the Democrats can't redraw Republicans out of the majority."
Meanwhile, the conservative economic advocacy group Club for Growth launched a new Indiana redistricting ad this week, airing on Indianapolis television stations.
"Our message is, to the Republicans, man up and get in the game," said David McIntosh, Club for Growth president.
According to a release on Club for Growth's website, this represents the latest ad in the organization's seven-figure investment into Republican redistricting efforts nationwide. Beyond the advertisements, Club for Growth has engaged in phone campaigns urging constituents to contact their representatives in support of redistricting efforts.
Lawmakers will return to the Statehouse on December 1 to discuss mid-decade redistricting.
WRTV has extensive coverage on redistricting, including arguments from both sides of the topic here.
