Beckwith calls on Indiana Senate to go through with redistricting

Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith issued a statement Wednesday in support of redistricting, calling the Indiana Senate a place “where conservative ideas from the House go to die.”

Northwest Indiana Democrats told the Post-Tribune Wednesday that they’re not supportive of the lieutenant governor’s comments and redistricting.

“The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise, or collapse at the very moment courage is (required),” Beckwith said in his statement. “Yet, here we are again. The Indiana Republican-controlled Senate is failing to stand with President Trump, failing to defend the voice of Hoosier voters, and failing to deliver the 9-0 conservative map our citizens overwhelmingly expect.”

Beckwith’s statement seemingly comes in response to a Politico report saying Indiana Senate Republicans do not have the votes to pass mid-census redistricting of Indiana’s Congressional maps. A spokesperson for Senate President Pro Tempore Rodic Bray told Politico that “the votes aren’t there for redistricting,” according to the Wednesday report.

“Gov. (Mike) Braun is still having positive conversations with members of the legislature and is confident the majority of Indiana statehouse Republicans will support efforts to ensure fair representation in congress for every Hoosier,” a spokesperson for Braun responded to the redistricting claims, according to an X post.

President Donald Trump has pressured Republican-led states to redraw their Congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to secure a Republican majority in Congress, even though redistricting occurs after each 10-year census data is released. Indiana last redrew Congressional maps in 2021, which left Republicans with seven seats and Democrats with two seats, according to Post-Tribune archives.

In his statement, Beckwith said Indiana should “be leading the nation, not apologizing for being a strong conservative state.”

“I am calling on my Republican colleagues in the Indiana Senate to find your backbone, to remember who sent you here, and to reclaim Indiana’s rightful voice in Congress by drawing a 9-0 map,” Beckwith said. “History will not remember those who stepped aside when action was necessary. Hoosiers are demanding warriors, so their voice is heard. If we will not fight now, for our state, our children, and our country, then what exactly are we here for?”

State Senators Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, were both unable to immediately comment on Beckwith’s statement Wednesday afternoon. State Senator Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, said in a text that he hadn’t seen Beckwith’s statement but didn’t comment after being sent the statement.

Indiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Tallian expressed her displeasure with Beckwith’s comments in a Wednesday phone call, adding that she’s not surprised by the pressure from the Trump administration.

“I do not take Micah Beckwith’s posturing seriously,” Tallian said. “What does surprise me is that the governor has stated numerous times that he was going to leave this up to the legislature and let the legislature call it, and frankly, the legislature is not all that keen about calling it.”

Beckwith’s claims make it seem that constituents are pushing for redistricting, Tallian said, but she doesn’t believe the public is clamoring for the action.

If the Indiana Senate goes forth with redistricting, Tallian believes litigation will follow, especially as filing for congressional districts starts in January.

“Before people can file, these maps would have to be approved, and all the precinct lines would have to be drawn,” she said. “I mean, there’s a huge amount of work that would have to be done. How are we going to have filings in January if people don’t know where the districts are?”

Instead of redistricting, Tallian said she’d like to see state senators focus on issues that are important to Hoosiers, including advocating for workers and their wages.

State Senator Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, responded to Beckwith’s comments in a Wednesday phone call. Pol believes the district maps need to “be drawn in a fair and balanced way that represents everybody.”

“This is not how we do redistricting — we do it every 10 years,” Pol said. “They could call us in for a special session and draw maps that give Democrats two more seats, and I would still vote against it. It’s not the process, it’s not right, and it’s not how we do things.”

Pol is also concerned to see pressure from Braun, Beckwith and members of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance.

“The polls have shown that the majority of Hoosiers do not want this, and I think the Senate is reflecting that right now,” Pol said. “They want answers to real-life problems. They want fixes to (Senate Enrolled Act 1), they want prices for their groceries to go down, they want prices for their utilities to go down, and they want housing to be fixed. Nobody wants to spend time on something that’s an illegitimate process.”

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com