House Speaker Mike Johnson has privately called Indiana state senators ahead of a tight Senate vote on a House-passed congressional map that would reshape the state's 7-2 delegation and could yield two Republican pickups. Johnson's outreach — which followed a post-Thanksgiving call with House Republicans — marks increased national involvement after he initially said redistricting decisions should be left to states. The map needs 26 votes to pass in the 40-member Senate; if the chamber splits 25-25 and Democrats uniformly oppose it, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith could cast the tie-breaking vote.
Johnson Predicts Close Indiana Vote After Private Calls to State Senators
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects Indiana Senate Republicans to "do the right thing" as they prepared for a pivotal Thursday vote on a congressional map passed by the state House at the urging of former President Donald Trump. The proposed map would alter Indiana’s current 7-2 congressional split and could create up to two Republican pickup opportunities — part of a broader, nationwide redistricting push ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Johnson’s Direct Outreach
For the first time, Johnson acknowledged making individual phone calls to several Indiana state senators in recent days, a tactic first reported by POLITICO. Those calls followed a larger post-Thanksgiving conference with state House Republicans and came as lawmakers entered the final stages of the decision.
"I was told that there was some Indiana state senators who would like to talk to me and ask questions about the national perspective on it. And I shared that with them and told them I was encouraging them. I want everybody to make the decision that, you know, comports with their conscience, that they feel good about," Johnson told POLITICO.
What’s At Stake
The vote in the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate was expected to be close. The map requires 26 votes to pass in the 40-member chamber. Observers noted uncertainty about how many GOP senators had shifted since a 19-19 stalemate last month on a procedural determination that served as a proxy for the larger gerrymandering dispute. If all 10 Democrats oppose the map and the Senate splits 25-25, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith — a long-time advocate of mid-decade redistricting — could cast the tie-breaking vote.
Pressure and Security Concerns
Johnson’s outreach represents a notable escalation in national involvement after he initially argued that redistricting decisions should be left to states. His activity has paralleled Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ efforts to influence state maps nationwide. At the same time, the White House has taken a more forceful public stance toward reluctant Republicans, and some Indiana Republicans reported receiving threats, including "swattings" (false emergency reports intended to provoke an aggressive law-enforcement response) and pipe-bomb threats.
When asked about those intimidations, Johnson said he did not place blame on President Trump for the incidents, even though Trump publicly criticized some holdout Indiana Republicans and has not visibly worked to tamp down the threats.
Bottom Line
The Indiana vote is a microcosm of a larger, nationwide redistricting battle that both parties are treating as consequential for next year’s midterms. Johnson's direct conversations with state senators underscore how national leaders on both sides are increasingly engaged in state-level map battles.
