I asked a very plugged in Republican whether the Indiana General Assembly will actually redraw the Congressional maps. Their response: “For this not to happen, GOP state legislators would have to actually stand up to Trump. What are the odds of that?” politico.com/news/2025/08/0…

Sent to me by a GOP insider, in response to the story below about hesitation among some Indiana state lawmakers on Congressional redistricting: “Please. When Trump wants something, Republicans always fold. It’s just a matter of how long it takes.”

Sent to me: “Just a friendly shakedown — nothing new in today’s GOP.”

Is it possible for Indiana to redraw its Congressional maps to be 9-0? It will be very tough. This is a 9-0 Republican map that works, but 2 of the 9 seats only have a 51-49 advantage — tossups. Even if they carve Indy into 6 districts, the GOP will still have very close seats.

This 9-0 GOP map of IN has been making the rounds. We tried to replicate it using 2020 census data w/ each district as close to 753K as possible — the legal requirement — but were unable to make the boundaries work. The closest we came still had two tossup seats (51-49 GOP).

Sent to me: “A true profile in courage!”

Texted to me: “If Trump were as tough with Putin as he is with Indiana’s Congressional Republicans, the war in Ukraine would be over.” indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/08/18/ind…

Multiple sources have confirmed that Wendy Davis, who finished third in the 2024 GOP primary for the 3rd Congressional District, is considering a run for mayor of Fort Wayne in 2027. Davis declined to comment, citing her current role as an Indiana senior and special judge.

For a group that says they want everything to be based on merit, this redistricting push looks an awful lot like “DEI” for Republican politicians.

Twenty days ago:

Sent to me: “Braun’s response was probably, ‘Saw the tweet. Didn’t like it. Not amused. I’m an entrepreneur. Newsom? Never run a business. Doesn’t know business principles. Innovation. Very important. That’s how we’re going to turn this state around.’”

Latest rumor on redistricting: Gov. Braun will soon call a special session for Sept 22. It appears to be based on the fact that the Indiana Senate Majority Campaign Committee recently canceled a fundraiser that had been scheduled for that day.

UPDATE: Hi! I’m Nathan Gotsch, the real person who runs Fort Wayne Politics. I’m changing the name of my X account to reflect that but will still keep posting about politics in Indiana.

While Governor Mike Braun has been saying publicly he is leaving the decision on whether he calls a special session up to Todd Huston and Rod Bray, multiple sources have confirmed he has been lobbying legislators behind the scenes to support redistricting.

Need to correct this: Braun’s team lobbying legislators, not Braun himself.

Currently on I-69 north just past the Daleville /Chesterfield exit.

The response from a longtime GOP insider to Mike Braun’s current favorable: “Holy shit.” They shared that Mitch Daniels’ favorable hit 41%—his lowest as governor—after he pushed through Daylight Saving Time. That number caused a panic internally. Braun is 17 points LOWER.

Sent to me: “Apparently those spam emails the Secretary of State’s office sends out to Indiana business owners promoting Diego aren’t working.”

In 1966, a handful of young reformers took on the GOP establishment and won, transforming Indianapolis—and by extension, Indiana. Nearly 60 years later, we need that same kind of courage. Learn how they did it in my IBJ News column (no paywall): ibj.com/articles/natha…