Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said at a rally Thursday that Indiana Republicans are likely considering mid-census redistricting because they are ashamed of their policies, which drew loud chants of “shame” from the crowds gathered inside the state capitol.
“It is time for all of us to encourage our Republican friends in this statehouse to show some backbone before it’s too late,” Buttigieg said. “They could still do the right thing. If they do, we should give them some credit for it. I mean, it’s a low bar. Refraining from cheating is a low bar. But you’ve got to start somewhere.”
Thinking back to his days as mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg said local politicians can’t draw voting maps in their favor. Mayors and local officials have to face the voters on Election Day, he said.
“When you’re mayor, you got to go in, get work done and stand before everybody in an election and be judged on your results. That is how every election is supposed to work in the United States of America,” Buttigieg said. “That isn’t just some academic principle. It is the idea that got our whole country started. It is what makes America, America.”
As the Trump Administration pressures Republican states, including Indiana, to redistrict mid-census, Buttigieg spoke at an Indiana Democratic Party rally and news conference Thursday to stress that the foundation of U.S. Democracy “is in danger.”
“Indiana Republicans are being pressured by Washington Republicans to do something that they know in their hearts is wrong,” Buttigieg said. “They are being pressured to change the rules so that voters don’t have a say anymore. They know that that is wrong, and we know why they’re doing it.”
The federal government’s agenda “is so unpopular” that they are fearful of running on fair maps, Buttigieg said. He referenced cutting Medicaid and food stamps, passing tax cuts for the wealthy and hurting farmers and union workers because of trade wars.
“Those policies and those results are not a winning message,” Buttigieg said. “Where I grew up, which happens to be here in Indiana, if what you’re doing isn’t working, you rethink what you’re doing. Instead of changing their policies or trying to get better results, they decided to try to change the map instead.”
All voters should rally behind mid-census redistricting because if it occurs, it will cut them out of the electoral process, Buttigieg said. Republicans at the national level “want the outcome of the election to be decided before you even get to go vote,” Buttigieg said.
“They want this to be one of those countries where you don’t even have to wait for the results to know how the vote is going to turn out,” Buttigieg said.
President Donald Trump and national Republicans have been pressuring red states to change their congressional maps before the 2026 election to increase Republican control of the U.S. House.
Vice President JD Vance came to Indianapolis in August to talk to Republican leaders about redistricting. Republican legislators were also invited to the White House after Vance’s visit, where redistricting was also discussed, said House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers.
Texas lawmakers recently approved redistricted maps to include five new districts that would favor Republicans. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the new maps into law, but a lawsuit has already been filed against Abbott and the Secretary of State for the maps.
After Texas started its redistricting process, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved a special election to take place in November for residents to vote on a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more House seats next year.
Meanwhile, Trump has pushed other Republican-controlled states, including Indiana and Missouri, to also revise their maps to add more winnable Republican seats. Ohio Republicans were also already scheduled to revise their maps to make them more partisan.
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It is unusual for redistricting to take place in the middle of the decade and typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade to coincide with the census.
Indiana was last redistricted in 2021, which left Congressional Republicans with seven seats and Democrats with two seats. The two Democratic seats are the First District, held by U.S. Rep Frank Mrvan, and the Seventh District, held by U.S. Rep. André Carson.
State. Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, said at Thursday’s rally that the two districts Republicans would consider for redistricting, the First and Seventh districts, have a lot of Black voters.
“We’re going to call this out for what it is: This is a racist power grab to silence voters that look like me,” Hunley, a Black woman, said. “I also know that things feel really tough right now. But, we stand on the shoulders of ancestors and freedom fighters who have been here before and have done the work before.”
Hoosiers need to stand against mid-census redistricting because “too many people in our state are prioritizing proximity to power over public service.”
“They want to set up a power grab. They want to set up a cheating scandal,” Hunley said.
Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun said at the rally that Hoosier workers are underpaid, high school students don’t have “a direct pipeline” to employment and utility costs are rising, but state Republicans are considering a special session to address redistricting.
“I ask our fellow elected officials … to speak with moral clarity, to understand what the people of Indiana truly need, to listen to constituents, to have a dialogue and to deliver for the Hoosier people,” Sakbun said.