Kosciusko GOP chair endorses Trump’s Indiana redistricting request
This post was provided by News Now Warsaw
By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Kosciusko County’s Republican chairman has endorsed President Trump’s desire to redistrict Indiana’s congressional lines ahead of the next election.
Mike Ragan signaled his support on a Facebook page posted Friday.
“President Trump has boldly called for redrawing Indiana’s map, and I strongly support that call,” Ragan wrote.
In his post, Ragan claims, “For too long, Democrats across the country have abused every institutional advantage available to them — from gerrymandering to judicial activism — to cement power and silence the voices of conservative voters. Indiana must lead, not lag, in ensuring that Congressional districts truly reflect the will of Hoosier voters.”
Brian Smith, who chairs the Democratic Party’s 2nd District, disagreed with the overall sentiment of Ragan’s post, and said that suggesting that Democrats have benefited from activist judges was “laughable.”
“We’ve seen 28! – 28 emergency orders by this activist Supreme Court, and that’s more than the last four presidents combined,” Smith said Saturday.
Trump has openly urged Indiana and other Republican-controlled states to redraw maps to gain additional seats in Congress and increase their share of power.
Republicans hold seven of nine Indiana Congressional seats. Democrats have a seat in northwest Indiana and another in downtown Indianapolis.
Democrats contend that Trump is worried about the midterm elections.
State lawmakers have been slow to embrace Trump’s idea, but Gov. Mike Braun, who could call for a special legislative session to consider the idea, said recently that he thinks lawmakers could address the issue in November.
Ragan’s post came just days after one of the top Republican lawmakers in the state — State Sen. Ryan Mishler — questioned the need for redistricting while at a fish fry in Warsaw.
Mishler challenged those who support it to explain why it is necessary.
Ragan said he had not heard much about redistricting from area residents and did not consult with fellow members of his central committee before making the post.
He said he’s unaware of any other county GOP chairs in the state who have openly taken a stand on the issue.
He said he made the post after seeing how other Democratic-controlled states had gerrymandered their congressional lines, the results of which he described as ‘ridiculous.’
He said he was aware of Mishler’s comments and encouraged people with concerns to contact him.
Both Ragan and Smith said they have seen hypothetical maps circulating online. Ragan said he saw one that he found acceptable.
Smith said he saw one that would include Miami County, south of Kosciusko County, in a revamped district in the northwest Indiana.
“What does Peru have in common with East Chicago and Hammond?” Smith asked.
He said he worries that the needs of rural communities are going to be drowned out by the interests of the Chicagoland area, “and that’s not good for our farmers, especially at a time when China is refusing to buy our soybeans and we’re engaged in a trade war.”
“Rural Hoosiers are going to lose their representation in Congress, and that’s wrong,” Smith said.
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