Campbell's Catch Up: September Update
Redistricting, Protecting our International Students, Statehouse Internships and more.
I’m Strongly Opposed to Redistricting
On August 26, Statehouse Republicans visited the White House to discuss redistricting and other policies. This trip follows an early August visit from Vice President Vance, where he asked Indiana’s leaders to redraw our congressional maps.
President Trump has made it clear he wants to rig the 2026 midterm elections. He said he was “entitled" to more Republican congressional seats in Texas to secure his control, and now he wants more seats in Missouri, Ohio and potentially Indiana. Will Indiana Republicans cave to his demands and call a special session? They’ve danced around an answer.
I’m strongly opposed to mid-decade redistricting. It’s unconstitutional, costly and flat-out wrong. As a legislator, I never imagined the sitting Vice President of our nation would visit Indiana’s leadership and outright ask for more Republican seats.
Redistricting without a census is highly unusual, and it would disenfranchise Hoosier communities. It’s a power grab that puts politics before people. Voters have the right to tell Trump what they think of his policies in the 2026 midterms. It’s telling that national Republicans are afraid they'll lose seats in the next election.
Certain beliefs and opinions are no less important simply because they’re in the minority in Indiana. Unfortunately, we've come to a standoff between states, with blue states trying to protect democracy by fighting fire with fire.
Democrats need to fight back against this move to consolidate power, but I hope our nation can return to the ideal of one voter, one vote. Gov. Braun promised to listen to legislators about this issue, and we’ve been a resounding ‘no.’
Catch up on the news around redistricting:
'Absolutely foolish': Local lawmakers oppose potential remapping of Indiana districts
Indiana House Democrats join Texas lawmakers, call redistricting push 'congressional shoplifting
Republicans go to Washington D.C., critics rebuff redistricting push ft. Rep. Pryor
Potential map shows 9 heavily Republican congressional districts
You can also watch my colleague, State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington), discuss the topic on MSNBC :
Our Reading Scores Improved
Some good news! Our third-grade students saw a huge 5% increase in their IREAD scores this year, the biggest single-year jump since the test was created. Around 87% of students exhibited positive reading skills. This is great news for our state, especially for our students and teachers, as we work to improve our literacy crisis.
COVID-19 had a lasting impact on our students, with 1 in 5 third graders struggling to read at grade level in 2023. But our teachers, administrators and parents have been working hard to improve reading proficiency. Thank you for your hard work! I hope our students continue to improve as they start the new school year.
A Win Against Rising Electric Bills
Year after year, it seems like our electric bills rise from yet another rate increase. Last year, Hoosiers saw a 17.5% spike in their monthly electric bills. Duke Energy customers, which include portions of our community, saw a $26 increase in their monthly bills.
Thankfully, Hoosiers had a recent win against rising utility bills. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that Duke Energy cannot pass the cost of coal ash cleanup onto its ratepayers. Customers would have paid close to $320 million for the expenses the company incurred from 2019 to 2030. This is a big win for Hoosiers.
Various state laws allow utility companies to add charges to your monthly bill to pay for their construction projects. This case could impact other legislation affecting your utility bill.
You can find a full list of legislation impacting your utility bill at this link. You can read more about this utility ruling in this article.
Protecting Our International Students
On Aug. 21, some of my House Democratic Colleagues and I sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Gov. Mike Braun. The letter questions the wrongful arrest and five-day detainment of Purdue Pharmacy student Yeonsoo Go, who was in the country legally on a religious dependent visa. It also requests that federal and state agencies take steps to protect Indiana’s international students.
Now more than ever, we need to protect Indiana’s international students. The viciousness of our government toward immigrants is truly frightening. Arresting people without due process and sending them to a detention center is not policy – it’s heartlessness. The wrongful detention of Yeonsoo Go is evidence of ICE’s carelessness.
I want answers. I want ICE to tell me how they made this mistake, and I want them to ensure this never happens again. Our international students deserve to be free from the fear that they’ll be detained simply because they are coming to the U.S. to learn from our great institutions. This letter requests that both the federal and state governments take immediate steps to protect students’ legal rights and safety.
Braun insists that his policy is the ‘worst first,’ so I hope he stands up for our international students who have committed no crime.
A copy of the letter is below:
As always, please reach out to my office at h26@iga.in.gov with any comments, questions or concerns.
Intern with the Indiana House Democratic Caucus
The Indiana House Democratic Caucus is now accepting applications for the 2026 Legislative Internship Program through October 31, 2025. This program allows college students and recent graduates to work at the Indiana Statehouse during the legislative session.
Interns will get experience working with elected officials and the legislative process. They may also get a chance to work on issues that they care about deeply. Throughout the program, interns will meet with a variety of people from around the state. This is a great chance to build a network of professional relationships and to explore career opportunities.
The partisan internship is a full-time, paid opportunity offered in the policy, communications, fiscal analysis, publications, Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), and member services divisions of the Indiana House Democratic Caucus.
How do I learn more and apply?
For more information about the internship and to apply, click here. Please note that applications received by Oct. 15, 2025, will receive priority consideration by the House Democratic Caucus.
Given the partisan nature of this internship, students should apply to the caucus they most strongly align personally. The Indiana House Republican Caucus internship application is available here.
GOP legislative leaders break redistricting silence as opponents deliver signature-backed petition
New FAFSA form to be ready by Oct. 1, Education Secretary says
Braun under fire as watchdog group labels Indiana utility rates a ‘crisis of affordability’
Braun names next top utility customer advocate, tees up regulator overhaul
State leaders brace for ‘heavy lift’ from Medicaid, food stamp changes
Indiana slashing rates for child care providers
Democrats confront limited options to block GOP's spreading redistricting efforts
In service,
Chris Campbell
I really get tired of the Democrats complaining about redistricting a.k.a. gerrymandering. I remember one district that was designed by the Democrat leadership here in Indiana. It ran from West Lafayette to Bloomington for obvious reasons. Don’t complain when the Republicans wanna do the same thing.
When it comes to ILLEGAL immigrants. They came here and depended on our welfare system. It’s about time they leave. This is not the same as the European immigration of the days of Alice Island. Those people came here LEGALLY and had real sponsors help them integrate into society. My point is that there’s a big difference between illegal immigration and legal immigration.
Thanks Chris for standing up for all of us and especially the immigrants!