Why Does Indiana Give Dems More Reps Than Mass. Gives GOP?

Since August, I have publicly supported redistricting Indiana’s congressional seats, but time is of the essence. Gov. Mike Braun needs to call the Indiana legislature into session quickly so we can move ahead and fulfill our constitutional duty at the state level as provided by our Founders at the birth of our nation.

The great American experiment has resulted in the strongest nation our world has ever known. America’s founders designed our form of government to be dependent on federalism—that is, giving great voice to individual citizens through their elected officials at various levels of government.

In the Constitution, our founders gave state legislatures immense authority to represent the will of their citizens in three ways: 1) opportunities to amend the Constitution, 2) selecting the state’s federal senators (this was changed through the 17th Amendment but should be repealed), and 3) determining the lines for representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Some states have chosen to outsource this third method to commissions independent of their legislatures. I think our Founders would be surprised by that.

Apparently Democrat-run states are having second thoughts. For example, we see California trying to undo its commission so Democrats can send more progressives to Washington, and they have been public about their strategy. We have not taken that same path here in Indiana, so state legislators are the voice closest to those whom they represent and thus in a position to ensure their values are fairly represented in Congress.

Blue states have effectively seized on drawing congressional lines in such a way that conservative candidates never seem to be able to mount a competitive congressional race. And this has been happening for decades.

A state like Massachusetts, with nine U.S. House seats, has a similar balance of voters to Indiana, meaning our Republican majority of voters is similar to their Democratic majority of voters. However, all of Massachusetts’ U.S. House members have been Democrats since 1996! 

In 2024, President Trump won Indiana with 59 percent of the vote. In Massachusetts, Kamala Harris won the state with 61 percent of the vote. Yet here in Indiana, we have two congressional districts considered Democratic strongholds. Why?

Our state legislature did the best job it could with the data it had in the previous redistricting cycle. But as the Trump administration has begun to bring light to the full picture of illegal immigration and its effects on our nation, we see serious issues with how the 2020 census was conducted and the subsequent effects of litigation on the census. Because of litigation, the Biden administration provided the numbers that we were forced to work with.

The U.S. Census Bureau operates with far less oversight than one would assume given its massive responsibilities. I urge the Department of Commerce to release the raw data requested by Indiana’s U.S. Sen. Jim Banks and bring transparency to us at the state level tasked with making sure our constituents are fairly represented in Washington.

I believe Indiana could produce new maps that would even out our congressional maps even more. Why wouldn’t Democrats be ready and able to compete in all nine congressional districts if they believe their ideas are effective and have merit with Indiana voters?

It may actually be that Indiana voters are tired of a leftist minority thrusting their will on a more conservative majority. A tiny number of voters refuse to accept male biology and think it’s okay for men to be in women’s locker rooms. A tiny number of voters think babies should lose their lives up until the moment of birth in the name of reproductive choice.

A tiny number of voters think another round of impeachment hearings for President Trump would be best for the nation. Hoosiers are fed up with these woke fantasies by Democrat-run states including California, New York and Illinois.

Sen. Liz Brown (IN-15) represents portions of Fort Wayne in the Indiana Senate. Brown was first elected in 2014 and serves as the Senate Judiciary Chairman and Assistant Majority Floor Leader – Communications. She is a graduate of Notre Dame University and received her J.D. from the University of Iowa. She has been married for more than four decades to Dr. Steve Brown and together they raised seven children.