The 2026 election cycle is going to be an interesting one, as red and blue states start playing games by gerrymandering district maps.
This started with Texas redrawing its maps, reportedly at the request of Donald Trump, then California Democrats introduced Prop. 50 in hopes of doing the same, and now at least two more states have jumped on the bandwagon.
One such state is Indiana, with proposed maps threatening to flip a blue seat red, and a veteran recently jumping into the race to take advantage of the situation.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is the latest to play the gerrymandering game, getting in on the action after California announced Prop. 50.
Braun announced, “I am calling a special legislative session to protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair.”
The response among GOP officials has been mixed, with many of them pushing back against the idea. For instance, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith stated, “The people of Indiana did not elect a Republican supermajority so our Senate could cower, compromise, or collapse at the very moment courage is required.”
State Sen. Gregory Goode is also against gerrymandering, adding, “For those trying to bully me on redistricting, I love you. I pray to our Lord and Savior for wisdom and reflect on political heroes who stood up for the greater good above the politics of the day.”
We have covered the maps in California and Texas to exhaustion, so I won’t rehash them here.
In Indiana, if the new maps go into effect, it could wipe out every Democrat-held seat. Currently, Dems control two seats in a state that has about 31% Republicans, 24% Democrats, and nearly 44% who are unaffiliated with a political party, so draw whatever conclusion you want from those numbers regarding the state’s maps.
Missouri, North Carolina, and Utah have already presented new maps. Virginia, Louisiana, Ohio, and Kansas are moving in that direction. States considering redrawing their maps are Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Nebraska.
This, to me, is a dangerous game because of how big some of these blue states are and how quickly they can obliterate the GOP's advantage. Dems can easily offset the Texas and Florida advantages, and we are talking about one or two seats in most of these other states, so I don’t think the risk is worth it.
Furthermore, I just don’t support gerrymandering because I think all Americans need to be represented in Congress. This should not be a game about manipulating elections in terms of representation in Congress. The problem, of course, is that both sides are guilty of it, and this is always going to be a problem in true-red and true-blue states.
In terms of political aspirations, I don’t fault anyone for tossing their hat into the ring to take advantage of these new districts, and that is what U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and Iraq War veteran Jennifer-Ruth Green has done.
She will be running to represent IN-1, where Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) currently sits, having been elected to office for three consecutive terms.
In announcing her candidacy, she stated, "When we fire Frank Mrvan and take back northwest Indiana for the first time since 1928, Republicans will keep the House and stop radical Democrats from impeaching President Trump.” She further told Fox News, "I firmly believe that the control of the House might just come down to Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, and I want to be on the team to make sure we can have a credible agenda to support President Trump.”
Sadly, this election is a no-win situation for Trump and Republicans. If they lose, the president is likely to be impeached by Democrats. If they manage to hold the House, Democrats will say the election was rigged, and the media will ignore all of their gerrymandering and say that the manipulated maps by the GOP were the reason for the outcome. If you don’t believe me, bookmark this post and let’s revisit it after the election.
