The new map will probably pass the House, but many senators remain opposed–and many of them are right here in NW Indiana. We must keep up the pressure!
The rally begins at 8:30 central time.
Rally–& Call! Read below for great info and best messaging for yout senator.
The House began their session on Mon., Dec. 1. The Senate will convene Dec. 8 to reach a “final decision” on redrawing the state’s congressional map.
The announcement came after months of escalating pressure from President Donald Trump and his supporters demanding they gerrymander to help the GOP win more seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
(Democracy Docket)
The proposed map dismembers the 7th Congressional District—currently held by Democratic U.S. Representative André Carson and anchored entirely within Marion County—by splitting Indianapolis among four separate congressional districts. Each of those four districts extends deep into rural, heavily Republican counties, drowning Democratic votes in a sea of red. The 1st Congressional District, currently held by Democratic U.S. Representative Frank J. Mrvan of Highland, is redrawn to stretch from Lake County more than 100 miles southeast to Wabash County, submerging the Democratic-leaning Gary-Hammond-East Chicago corridor in Republican territory. Under current lines, President Trump lost the 1st District by less than one percentage point; under the proposed map, he would have won it by 12 points. (Brandon Dothager of Ballot Boxers)
Be sure to scroll down to Brandon’s terrific summary of each senator’s stance–and the best way to frame your message to your senator. Or click here. Then click in the white space of the box there to scroll down through the briefing to read it and find your senator.
Democrats need 16 Republican NO votes in the Indiana Senate to block the House’s mid-decade congressional gerrymander.
We already have 10 firm NO votes.
We therefore need 6 of the 15 remaining undeclared Republicans (or Sen. Alting) to hold the line.
This analysis identifies those 16 senators, ranks them by pressurability based on the info I have available to me, and provides district-specific suggestions on how unions, community leaders, candidates, and local Democratic organizations can most effectively frame the ask. You are welcome to forward this email or share this document with anyone who is organizing our efforts to save CD1.
Top 16 Persuadable Republican Senators
Ranked from most persuadable to least persuadable (based on vulnerability scores, constituent pressure, silence, swatting incidents, and political independence):
- Dan Dernulc – Highland, SD-1
- Aaron Freeman – Indianapolis, SD-32
- Cyndi Carrasco – Indianapolis, SD-36
- Greg Goode – Terre Haute, SD-38
- Linda Rogers – Granger, SD-11
- Brett Clark – Avon, SD-24
- Ed Charbonneau – Valparaiso, SD-5
- Michael Crider – Greenfield, SD-28
- Ron Alting – Lafayette, SD-22
- Blake Doriot – New Paris, SD-12
- Rick Niemeyer – Lowell, SD-6
- Brian Buchanan – Lebanon, SD-7
- Jeff Raatz – Richmond, SD-27
- Ryan Mishler – Bremen, SD-9
- Andy Zay – Huntington, SD-17
- Stacey Donato – Logansport, SD-18
These members constitute the deciding bloc.
Many have been targeted by swatting or bomb threats.
Several represent suburban seats where their voters oppose mid-decade redistricting.
Others—especially in Northwest Indiana, Marion County, Porter County, and Terre Haute—represent communities directly harmed by the dismantling of IN-01 and the splintering of Indianapolis.
Click on each member’s name for their contact information. Not sure who your senator is? Find them here.
High-Level Takeaways from the Briefing
• Only 6 of the 16 persuadables need to vote NO to block the map entirely.
• Vulnerability modeling shows Dernulc, Freeman, Carrasco, Rogers, Clark, and Goode as the highest-return persuasion targets.
• Swatting victims (Dernulc, Rogers, Goode, Zay, Niemeyer) may be uniquely open to rejecting a process paired with threats and coercion.
• Constituents overwhelmingly oppose the map in documented listening sessions (notably in Terre Haute).
• Regional identity arguments are extremely strong in Lake, Porter, and Marion Counties.
Why this matters for labor, local leaders, candidates & grassroots organizations
• Lake and Porter County unions lose their congressional anchor.
• Indianapolis gets carved into four rural-anchored districts with no unified representation.
• Higher-education communities (Terre Haute, Lafayette, South Bend) lose aligned representation.
• The precedent of mid-decade redistricting guarantees this fight will repeat every Congress unless stopped now.
This is a brief moment where pressure can matter.
Every senator above needs constituent contact, union engagement, clergy voices, local officials, and civic leaders speaking directly to them.
Read a great summary of where each senator stands–and the best messaging for each: ‘Indiana Republican State Senator Redistricting Briefing’ by Brandon Dothager of Ballot Boxers:
Find your state senator here: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/. Use the above document and scroll down to find your state senator for messaging advice. Then call and keep calling!
Keep writing, keep calling, keep vigilant!
- Send messages to your legislators and the governor:
- Email or call legislative leaders and your legislators to state your opposition:
- Find your legislator and call: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/
- Gov. Mike Braun: https://www.in.gov/gov/contact-mike/, 317-232-4567
- Speaker of the Indiana House: Todd Huston, H37@iga.in.gov, 317-232-9677
- President Pro Tempore: Rodric Bray, S37@iga.in.gov, 317-232-9400
And take action with MadVoters here
See sample scripts on our webpage and from the League of Women Voters.
