State Senator earned ire of President over redistricting

This article is brought to you by Moore’s Home Health and Medical Supply. For more than 70 years, Moore’s Home Health has been Howard County’s leading provider of assistive and adaptive ​home medical equipment and supplies. Call 765-454-5210 or visit Moore’s at 608 W. Markland Ave. to let them help meet your healthcare needs!

Political blog Politico is reporting that Indiana Sen. Jim Buck has earned the wrath of President Donald Trump. According to Politico correspondent Adam Wren, the President is expected to endorse Buck’s expected 2026 primary opponent, Tipton County Commissioner Tracey Powell, as early as today, Nov. 17.

Trump promised retribution against Indiana legislators who oppose redistricting the state’s congressional representative lines outside of the traditional sequence taking place at the beginning of each decade. The President is seeking to gerrymander conservative states in order to eliminate representation for broad swathes of the electorate and in favor of the Republican Party.

Late last week, Indiana Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray announced that the Senate would not convene in December to consider redistricting, despite the demand from Gov. Mike Braun to do so.

“Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state’s congressional maps,” said Bray. “I’m announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December.”

Braun came up for air following the announcement and futilely repeated his demand to further tilt the scales against nearly half the state’s voting population.

“I called for our legislators to convene to ensure Hoosiers’ voices in Washington, D.C., are not diluted by the Democrats’ gerrymandering,” said Braun, ironically ignoring the fact that Democrats haven’t had control of redistricting in Indiana this century. “Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps. Hoosiers deserve to know where their elected officials stand on important issues.”

Trump entered the fray on Monday morning, pledging to visit his wrath upon the Republicans who have dared defy him.

“I will be strongly endorsing against any State Senator or House member from the Great State of Indiana that votes against the Republican Party, and our Nation, by not allowing for Redistricting for Congressional seats in the United States House of Representatives as every other State in our Nation is doing, Republican or Democrat,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Democrats are trying to steal our seats everywhere, and we’re not going to let this happen! This all began with the Rigged Census. We must keep the Majority at all costs. Republicans must fight back!”

It should be noted that the last census, conducted in 2020, took place under Trump’s authority. It also should be noted that very few states, to date, have entered the redistricting rodeo.

Seven states have prevailed in the effort to further disenfranchise voters through aggressive redistricting. Republican-led states Texas, Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina are redrawing their maps, while Democratic-led California, Illinois, and Virginia retaliated by passing similar legislative measures. Indiana and Kansas, both currently Republican-led, have declined to pursue redistricting at present.

Recent polling conducted by Indiana Conservation Voters on the issue of redistricting in Indiana has shown that Hoosier voters opposed further gerrymandering by a 51-39 margin. The poll also indicated that those strongly opposed to the act outnumber those strongly in favor by a 2-to-1 margin.