VP JD Vance once again descended on barn-red Indiana yesterday to make the case for mid-cycle redistricting to reluctant Hoosier lawmakers, his second trip to the state and third meeting with them in three months.
In a trip that was neither advised nor confirmed by his own office until Air Force Two appeared in the Indianapolis skies, Vance spent hours with Republican lawmakers amid a remarkable effort to ply two more congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterms from a state delegation that currently sees a 7-2 split already favoring Republicans.
Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana, a longtime Vance ally who traveled with the VP yesterday, has warned allies that the Hoosier State “could be ground zero for keeping the House of Representatives,” depending on whether state lawmakers act on President Donald Trump’s demand. Specifically, Republicans are targeting two additional seats — the 1st Congressional District in the northwest corner of the state currently represented by Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan, and the 7th Congressional District held by Democratic Rep. Andre Carson — which could result in Republicans holding control of the House.
Vance’s rescue mission came during a week that brought otherwise good news for national Republicans looking to bolster their map ahead of 2026. As my colleague Andrew Howard reported, when the Supreme Court on Wednesday re-hears Louisiana v. Callais — a case that has major implications for the Voting Rights Act — they could rule in a way that lets “Republicans redraw up to 19 House seats to favor the party and crush minority representation in Congress.”
In recent days, Hoosier Republicans sent word to the White House that the mid-cycle redistricting effort risked stalling, despite threats of legislative primaries against holdouts.
So, yesterday, amid the din of protesters, Vance met with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and members of the state House and Senate as Braun weighs whether to call a special session next month to force reopening the 2021 maps.
The meetings, described to Playbook as productive, had no immediate deliverable, according to four Republicans present and one later briefed on the proceedings, and granted anonymity to discuss sensitive talks.
“I feel like we made progress,” one of those Republicans allied with Trump’s efforts told Playbook. “I don’t feel like it’s a slam dunk yet, but I think we definitely made progress. I think they definitely get that we’re not going away.”…