Gov. Braun Still Unsure on Calling Special Session for Redistricting
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Governor Mike Braun said he will continue to take his time before deciding on whether to call a special session so lawmakers can discuss redistricting.
“This needs to be a slower process, rather than rush into,” Gov. Braun said as a guest on WIBC’s “The Hammer and Nigel Show” Wednesday.
This comes after Vice President JD Vance flew in to Indiana in early August to meet with Governor Braun and other state leaders to talk about redrawing the state’s congressional maps to give the GOP more seats before the 2026 midterm elections. A group of about 50 Indiana Republicans also visited the White House earlier this week to meet with members of the Trump administration to discuss a few things with redistricting believed to be one of them.
Braun compared Indiana’s situation to the Democrat-heavy state of Massachusetts, who also has nine congressional districts and has been gerrymandered to give all nine seats to Democrats.
“They were unabashed about gerrymandering and did it,” said Gov. Braun. “In Massachusetts, 36 percent voted for Trump and 39 percent voted for Harris in our state.”
Of Indiana’s nine seats, seven of them are controlled by Republicans. The GOP believes they can pick up at least one more seat if the maps are redrawn.
Indiana Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith has already come out and said that Governor Braun should “absolutely” call a special session solely for redistricting purposes.
Gov. Braun was then asked why he’d be willing to call a special session to address redistricting in Indiana and not to further discuss property taxes. Starting next year, Senate Enrolled Act 1 will create a new property tax credit of 10 percent of a homeowner’s bill, up to $300.
“Now that most people have read the bill thoroughly and see that two thirds, if not more, will have lower property tax bills every year going forward and more of your home is exempted, it wasn’t something worth walking away from,” Gov. Braun explained.
The governor also didn’t seem so sure that they would have the votes in a special session to pass legislation relating to property tax relief.
“It would be the worst case scenario if we called a session and didn’t have the votes,” he said.
