It’s 9 a.m., and Guthrie Beyer has already been awake for 18 hours.
The northside resident is tired after working the night shift at Whole Foods, but he wanted to show up to the Statehouse to make his voice heard.
Beyer was one of hundreds of people gathered Aug. 7 to protest Indiana Republicans who, under pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, are considering whether to redraw the state’s nine congressional districts to give the GOP an easier path to controlling the U.S. House after the 2026 midterm elections.
They were there for a chance to greet Vice President JD Vance, who was scheduled to meet privately with Gov. Mike Braun, Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray and House Speaker Todd Huston amid the administration’s redistricting push.
Beyer, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, said he heard about the event while he was working his late shift.
“I think the citizens ought to choose the government, and not the other way around,” Beyer said. “That’s a fundamental principle that’s being violated.”
‘He’s gonna run and hide’
Vance and his motorcade arrived at the Statehouse around 10:15 a.m. — but he managed to slip past the crowd without being seen.
Upon learning that Vance had quietly entered the building through the basement, the crowd on the floor above broke out into a minute-long chorus of ear-piercing boos that bounced off the thick limestone walls of the Statehouse.
“JD is here, and it sounds like he’s hearing all of our voices, which is great,” said Amy Courtney, executive director of MAD Voters, a progressive group that organized the morning rally. “He might be a little scared. He’s gonna run and hide after his meeting. He doesn’t want to talk to the press.”
Meanwhile, across the hall, a black curtain hung over the entrance of Braun’s office.
Courtney urged those in attendance to reach out to the governor’s office and their state legislators and let them know they oppose the “redistricting scheme.”
Holden Pasley, who leads the Students Demand Action club at Herron High School, arrived with their classmates to the event because they plan to vote in the next election.
“I want my vote to actually count in Indiana,” said Pasley, 17.
Bray and Huston released statements confirming they met with the vice president, though neither mentioned if redistricting was discussed. Braun told a reporter, however, that the topic was broached.
Vance’s visit comes after Texas Democrats successfully stalled a vote there this week on a redrawn congressional map, part of a bid to secure five more GOP-leaning congressional seats at the expense of Democrats before the midterms.
Indiana Democrats aren’t planning such a move, as doing so would have little effect: Republicans enjoy a supermajority in the state legislature, meaning they can still conduct business without Democrats in attendance.
Redistricting normally takes place every 10 years following the release of U.S. Census Bureau population counts.
Indiana lawmakers aren’t scheduled to reconvene until January. That means Braun would have to call a special session if he wants to start the redistricting process in time for the primary election on May 5.
The last time Indiana Republicans called a special session was in 2022, when they passed one of the country’s strictest abortion laws. That session cost taxpayers around $250,000.
After Vance’s brief meeting with Indiana Republicans, he attended a fundraiser at the Intercontinental Hotel across the street, which reportedly raised $1 million for the Republican National Committee, Politico reported.
What would redistricting look like?
The two Democratic members of Indiana’s congressional delegation — U.S. Rep. André Carson in Indianapolis and U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan in northwest Indiana — are at risk of losing their seats if Republicans redraw district boundaries.
Mrvan represents Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, a longtime Democratic stronghold that encompasses Gary and other cities near Chicago in the state’s northwest corner.
The seat has been seen as a possible pickup in recent years as manufacturing union jobs have left the area, said Laura Merrifield Wilson, a professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis.
The more dramatic option would be to zero in on Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, composed entirely of Marion County and the Democratic stronghold of Indianapolis.
Carson, who has represented the district since 2008, called the GOP’s plan to redraw districts “a power grab.”
“We will not accept our state being gut and sliced and maneuvered for a wannabe king in Donald Trump,” Carson told protesters.
Mrvan, though, didn’t offer his supporters much hope that Republicans would leave Indiana alone.
“I don’t have a lot of confidence. I believe humbly this is a done deal,” Mrvan told protesters. Still, he said he would continue to fight for his constituents, no matter how his district is carved up.
Beyer, the grocery store worker, also expressed some skepticism that Democrats can stop Republicans from pushing forward with their agenda. But he’s not giving up.
“I don’t know whether anything I do will be a success, but doing it makes me feel better,” said Beyer, “and then, at least, I could reconcile myself that I did something, that I opposed things that I didn’t like instead of just reading social media on my couch.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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