redistricting battle heads to Indiana as the state Senate is set to vote tomorrow on a plan to redraw its congressional districts.

The proposed 3 map which has already passed the Indiana House would likely give Republicans control of all 9 of Indiana's congressional seats.

The controversial plan is dividing Indiana.

Senate Republicans were facing mounting pressure from the Trump administration.

Joining us now with more are Kathy Cortez, vice president of the League of Women, Voters of Illinois and on Zoom, Mike Murphy, a former Republican state representative in Indiana who now works in corporate communications.

We also invited a number of Republican members of the Indiana legislature, but they declined.

We think the 2 of you for joining us first.

Just what is your reaction to this national re map effort that is getting closer to home?

Kathy Cortez?

You know, I think it's a really unfortunate downward spiral of actions that are >> working against voting American public.

I think that that stands regardless of how this plays out to the advantage or disadvantage of of either the Democrats or the Republicans doing midterm redistricting in order to manipulate the outcome of election.

Can't possibly be a good thing for democracy.

Mcmurphy can question to you.

>> Well, I think you have to understand what the general purpose of this is this really this redistricting has nothing to do with President Trump's policy year's agenda?

In my opinion, it has everything to do with him trying to avoid a 3rd impeachment.

In potentially saying that the groundwork for a potential 3rd term and in exchange for that.

The Republicans in the Indiana Senate, we're on the verge throwing out everything they did just 4 years ago.

And we're so proud which was a very balanced, very fair.

District congressional district Maps that had a 72 advantage.

>> So Mike, Indiana, as you said, already, Republican majority state with 7 GOP congressional seats and 2 Democratic seats.

Now this rematch, this proposed dream app would likely give Republicans control of all 9 seats.

Of course, that depends on the voters.

But how much of a difference does that make for Indiana residents, but then also in Congress?

>> I think what it does, we don't know who those 2 additional Congress persons would be.

But I think what it does to voters is that likely helps suppress the vote.

You know, off often mid-year elections are generally low turnout, Indiana, anyhow, maybe 19% or so.

So you're dealing you can win a primary with 10 or 11% of the vote, literally.

And and the people who generally would come out be less motivated than ever because they have a new district.

It may have a new congressman.

Some of these districts stretch all the way from Lake County up near you.

Any Indiana all the way over to the east side of the stadium, get stories, communities of interest to just raise any kind of.

>> Cultural similarities.

We have one district goes all the way from northern Marion County to the southeast corner of Indiana where right near next to Cincinnati.

So it took its taking.

It could take what weaves we thought were very fair districts past in the 2021 legislative session.

And it looks like a bowl of noodles that somebody is dropped on the floor and forgot to pick >> Cathy, if the re map becomes law in Indiana, what could that mean for Illinois?

Governor Pritzker has said that Illinois would respond whatever that means.

You know, it's it's it's an interesting situation because we already in the in Illinois, as you know, have a a pretty unbalanced congressional representation.

That's a slanted toward the Democratic Party.

But to be honest, there may be a lot of party voters and the Democrat side that are saying we need to do something right in order to counteract the manipulation that's happening in Indiana.

So I think it's it's really tough spot because I think most people are most of our representatives in Illinois are probably not largely in favor of it.

But there is a chance that boating public could incur some strongly to do it.

I mean, much like Indiana, right?

We're trying to squeeze out just a couple of more seats.

Can Illinois do that?

Because currently only 3 of the congressional seat in Illinois are Republican.

Well, you've seen the maps for Illinois today, right?

It would make for some awfully interesting maps.

Were they able to do it?

I don't know if it's possible.

Not certainly not something that you know, that that I've looked at early cause looked at, but it would make for some very interesting maps if they had to to further manipulation of like bowl of noodles that Mike Murphy referenced it in us probably getting.

my other Republicans are arguing that they're pursuing this route to counteract other Democratic states and that voters would benefit from more conservative representation in a red state and already RedState like Indiana.

Is it reasonable for states to say that they're only responding in kind?

Well, a Democratic state did it to now.

Republican state has to do it.

And vice versa.

>> Well, it depends what your values are.

Brandis.

I mean, in Indiana, we like to think both parties, frankly, like to try to do what's right.

My mom taught me that 2 wrongs don't make a right.

So we would suggest that what they do in California in New Jersey.

really don't influence In fact, in Indiana where we were kind of stubborn people.

And, you know, if you tell us to vote for something because California did it or New Jersey, we say that's the biggest reason.

We shouldn't do anything with.

We tend to focus and solve our own problems.

And it's it's disappointing that were senators that I know are being swatted by unknown persons.

The FBI's investigating.

But they're getting.

Terrible threats from people in California and South Dakota.

And people have no business getting involved in Indiana politics.

>> Well, into that point, there is intense pressure on the state right now, both from the from the Trump administration.

But some lawmakers who are opposed to this rematch are getting threats.

As you said, they're being swatted or receiving other sorts of threats.

That said if the state should go through with this, could this backfire for Republicans down the road?

>> Absolutely.

I say in politics, greed kills enough.

I could.

We don't have time to talk about all the details now.

But it's happened before in Indiana when the Republican Party and because of the humorous has hurt themselves in the long term.

And, you know, there's no guarantees, especially the low voter turnout.

They are going to get the 9, You know, results that you're hoping for.

They could be could go backwards.

It could be 6 Republicans and 3 Democrats for all we know it's just a very risky thing.

And, you know, one thing about politics, the best laid plans almost always go wrong.

And that's what afraid may happen in this case.

>> Kathy, what do you make of the way elections in this rematch battle have gotten to be so hyper partisan leading to even some of the violence and the threats that we just mentioned.

You know, it's really unfortunate because of the end of the day, it's the American voter whose voice should matter the most, not someone from the Democratic Party, not someone from the Republican Party.

It's damaging the voice of people It's also damaging, by the way, the amount of moderation that we have in our in state legislatures and in Congress right?

If you have more equal, there should be a way to listen better to people on the other side have a better exchange.

even if it's heated, at least an exchange in a debate and that is what I think is really being harmed is the additional polarization that the sort of stuff causes.

And you know, what people don't recognize is that it's not your next door neighbor might be someone who is from a different party, right?

It's not hurting someone over here or over there.

It's dividing neighbors and it's dividing boaters in there.

Just is not good for where America needs to be going, that's where we'll have to leave it over.

America is right now.

Cathy