The Hoosier congressional delegation — in a push led by U.S. Senator Todd Young — is urging the Federal Aviation Administration to name Indiana as one of two new national drone test sites.

In a Monday letter to the federal agency, all nine of Indiana’s representatives and both senators expressed support for a bid from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the Applied Research Institute as the FAA expands its Unmanned Aircraft System Test Site program.

If selected, Indiana supporters say the designation would open opportunities for universities and manufacturers in the state to develop cutting-edge drone technologies.

“Indiana is uniquely situated to best assist the FAA in integrating UAS into the national airspace system as well as advance the United States’ capacities for manufacturing and deploying drone technologies,” the delegation told FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, who previously served as the chief executive of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings until he was tapped by President Donald Trump earlier this year to serve as FAA administrator.

Lawmakers added that, “between the geographical location in the heart of the Midwest, the already numerous testing assets for a variety of missions, and state and federal representatives who are committed to supporting advancement of these critical technologies, our state is poised to provide the best outcomes for American leadership in drone manufacturing and deployment.”

The FAA is adding two sites to its national network, which supports research, safety evaluation and integration of unmanned aircraft, according to the federal agency.

Young’s office said Indiana stakeholders submitted their application to the agency Monday, and the delegation letter was sent the same day.

Indiana’s manufacturing strength is a central part of the pitch.

Lawmakers wrote that while developing advanced drone technologies is vital, “it will be even more critical that we can take these newly developed technologies and scale them at a level in which we can deploy them to industries across the country.”

“From applications in defense, agriculture, public safety, and beyond, there is a demand and need for U.S.-developed and produced technologies that address the national security and privacy concerns posed by their foreign-made counterparts,” they said. “Indiana is also well-positioned to meet the influx of workforce needs that will accompany this growing ecosystem.”

Universities and military assets were also highlighted.

The letter pointed to Purdue University, which lawmakers noted has “the first university-owned airport in the country, the largest indoor motion capture facility in the world, and a faculty dedicated to addressing the challenges of safely integrating UAS into the national airspace.”

Highlighted, too, was Indiana’s Technology Readiness and Experimentation initiative at Camp Atterbury, which in August “demonstrated the ability to neutralize a 49-drone swarm with a single electromagnetic pulse,” as well as testing space at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center and counter-UAS work at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane.

The delegation also underscored ARI’s role as a coordinator of state and federal research efforts, saying its experience “managing the Silicon Crossroads Hub, Heartland Bioworks tech hub, and the Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Program” positions the institute well to support the test-site designation.

State-level coordination is additionally part of the argument.

The letter referenced Gov. Mike Braun’s Oct. 29 executive order establishing a statewide drone task force.

The new “Indiana Initiative for Drone Dominance Task Force” will coordinate work across government, universities and private industry to support federal efforts to strengthen U.S. leadership in drone technology and airspace security.

The task force must deliver its strategic plan and recommendations to the governor by July 31, 2026.

Young, who serves on the Senate Commerce Committee and has worked on drone policy at the federal level, helped Braun craft the executive order.

The FAA has not announced a timeline for selecting the new testing sites.

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“Optically horrible.” A “hard no.” In “bad form.”

Hoosier leaders might be busy taking behind-the-scenes feedback on the prospect of early redistricting, but rank-and-file Republicans are increasingly going public with their opposition.

Statehouse lawmakers redraw districts after each decennial census. They last did so in 2021, and population data shows little change since then.

Indiana Democrats, meanwhile, are joining forces with their Texan counterparts to protest the move, just days after they led hundreds of Hoosiers in a rally to oppose early redistricting.

President Donald Trump is pushing Texas and other GOP-led states like Indiana to redistrict ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to ensure a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the rest of his second term.

“On one hand, we feel unlikely as a candidate to approach redistricting. We’ve got seven out of our nine congressional districts (that) are solidly Republican,” said Laura Merrifield Wilson, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis. “… You would think you would go after states where you get more than one.”

Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan holds the state’s most competitive congressional district, located in northwest Indiana. The heavily Democratic, Indianapolis district held by Rep. André Carson would be a tougher flip.

But, Wilson said, that GOP strength is also what makes Indiana an “appealing” target from the federal perspective: a “very amenable, very friendly” executive in Gov. Mike Braun and legislative supermajorities in both of the Statehouse’s chambers.

[caption id="attachment_116044" align="alignright" width="400"] ndiana’s existing congressional district boundaries.[/caption]

“You’re looking at a state where you could reasonably get the support you need,” she added.

That’s if lawmakers actually want to do it.

Rank-and-file Republicans speak out

Gov. Mike Braun has stayed noncommittal on the possibility he’d call a special session for early redistricting. The next legislative session is set to organize for only one day in late November before coming back in January — possibly too late to finalize maps by February candidate filing deadlines. He’s looking to Texas — and Indiana’s own lawmakers.

The Indiana General Assembly has complete control in redrawing district lines. There’s no nonpartisan commission. A gubernatorial veto can be overturned with a simple majority votes.

House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, who lead Republican supermajorities in the state’s House and Senate, haven’t yet made their stances clear. But members are.

Multiple have described themselves as a “hard no,” including Reps. Danny Lopez of Carmel and Jim Lucas of Seymour.

“Just a few years ago, our General Assembly undertook the complex redistricting process based on up-to-date census data, drawing fair maps that ensure every Hoosier vote counts,” Lopez, who took office last year, wrote on X. “We should stand by that work.”

Lucas called the possibility “highly unusual and politically optically horrible.”

“I don’t believe Republicans should stoop to the level of Democrats on this issue. Republicans hold about 90% of all local offices statewide and once the voter rolls get purged of illegals, we will hold an even more commanding lead,” he wrote on Facebook. “Democrats can’t compete with their Socialist policies and ideology and if there are seats that need targeted, we should do it the old-fashioned way and campaign harder in those districts.”

Mooresville Rep. Craig Haggard emphasized that Indiana is a “solid Republican state” that has gone for Trump three times in a statement to the Capital Chronicle on Monday. He added that he’s been “hearing from constituents and I do not believe at this time there is an appetite for redistricting in our communities.”

WEHT reported that Wadesville Sen. Jim Tomes doesn’t think redistricting is needed right now because the lines are fairly drawn. He similarly noted the GOP is in good shape for the midterms.

Wilson believes the risks are more severe for GOP legislators as opposed to Braun.

They “don’t want to be seen as anti-Trump,” but are “maybe most vulnerable (to) the criticism” since they’d be handling any redistricting legislation — and attaching their names to it.

Former GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma said he’s “glad” lawmakers are speaking up.

He oversaw the 2011 redistricting that involved hearing from constituents in nine different cities before crafting new maps, and was in the General Assembly through three redistricting cycles in all. He recalled how, as a brand-new floor leader in 1995, he resisted efforts to redraw Statehouse districts early.

“I think it’s bad form, I think it’s inadvisable. It’s probably contrary to Indiana law, and I’ve expressed my reservation about it to some of our elected leadership,” Bosma said. “The leaders I’ve talked to, and I’ve talked to the top down, are not thrilled about this prospect but because other states are expressing support for this, there’s pressure to do it.”

Democrats push to prevent

Across the aisle, meanwhile, Democrats hope to sway public opinion against early redistricting.

Members of the Indiana House Democratic Caucus are joining forces with their Texan counterparts to host a news conference in Illinois on Wednesday. Texas House Democrats fled the Lone Star State to block redistricting legislation there.

“Together, the two House Caucuses will explain the serious danger mid-term redistricting plans pose to the legitimacy of our democracy,” a news release said. “Democrats in Texas and Indiana will continue to stand up and reject Trump’s demands to rig an election.”

The Indiana Democratic Party has also been active.

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas drew hundreds to an Indianapolis town hall last Sunday, while hundreds more attended a Statehouse protest on Thursday that was headlined by Mrvan, Carson, and an array of state-level Democratic lawmakers.

Indiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Tallian noted both events were organized with “a couple days notice.” She hopes to keep that momentum going, and didn’t rule out the possibility of more rallies.

“We need public outrage and pressure before they ever make the decision that they’re going to call a special session,” she told the Capital Chronicle. “If you could prevent them from calling a special session, … that’s the best possible solution.”

Tallian, who served more than 15 years in Indiana’s Senate, maintains the current districts already offer Republicans outsized benefits, arguing the seven-two congressional split doesn’t reflect the Indiana electorate.

Voters generally went about 60%-40% in favor of statewide Republicans in the 2024 election.

“How greedy can you get? ‘Oh, they’ve got two. We want all of them,'” she said of the GOP.

Tallian said Democrats considered suing over redistricting in 2011 and 2021.

“Frankly, I’m still hoping that we can bring a gerrymandering lawsuit based on their current maps,” she said. “And now they want to come and do it again? It’s just, it’s outrageous.”

The Indiana Republican Party didn’t reply to multiple requests for comment on early redistricting.

Demographic change a factor

Some are open to the idea.

“Northwest Indiana, there’s a lot of people migrating there from the state of Illinois. It’s kind of the first stop over the border from Chicago, (a) good conservative state like Indiana,” Fort Wayne Rep. Bob Morris told WOWO last week.

“If we have an issue there, we’re going to have to get another, you know, essentially a census done in the state of Indiana by an independent source to see where the numbers are at,” he continued.

Mrvan’s 1st Congressional District includes Lake and Porter counties, as well as some of LaPorte County. The trio collectively grew by an estimated 5,824 people — less than 1% — between April 2020 and July 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Indiana, as a whole, added an estimated 137,688 people — almost 2%.

“There’s nothing to lead … me to believe, at least, that things would have changed so dramatically that the congressional districts are not adequately representing their constituents, and at the end of the day, that’s why redistricting matters,” Wilson said.

Wilson said any changes should be recorded and addressed via data from the next census.

“Every 10 years we do this — whether it’s going to be good for you or bad for you, whether you want to or you don’t,” she added. “… Changing that mechanism means in the future, there’s no precedent. You can say, ‘Well … we want to redraw this right this moment.”

Some fear an effort to flip seats could backfire.

“You can spread out your Republican vote a little too thin so that every few cycles, seats are going back and forth,” U.S. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana told Punchbowl News last month. “And that can sort of cut both ways.”

Others predict squigglier lines.

Bosma said efforts to capture blue districts could undo progress the GOP made in other cycles to make the districts more compact and keep political subdivisions — counties, towns, cities, school districts, fire districts and more — intact when possible.

Map-drawers could “divvy up” northwest Indiana and put Mrvan at risk, he said. They could “run fingers into the center of the city” of Indianapolis to take aim at Carson.

“But … it would not look right, and you’d have to do some pretty serious tap dancing to make it even remotely reasonable,” he said of the 7th District.

Marjorie Hershey, an emeritus political science professor at Indiana University, said it’s “tempting” to look at the early redistricting fight as a “strategic matter of who’s winning and who’s losing.”

She encouraged a broader view.

“Democracy is not self-enforcing. It never has been,” Hershey said. “Democracies do fail, they do die, and we have to take seriously the possibility that that could happen here. Each step has a tendency to make the next step not look quite so bad or quite so distant.”

Senior Reporter Casey Smith contributed to this story.

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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Former state senator and President Donald Trump’s state director Carlin Yoder is considering a primary challenge to fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young.

Young’s term isn’t up until 2028 but Yoder is exploring his options.

“As you know, in this day and age and culture of politics, starting early is better than starting late. So if you’re going to take on an incumbent, you have to lay the groundwork, and you have to work really hard to get your name out and show the differences,” said Yoder. “So, while it’s a little early to declare a candidacy, it’s not too early to start laying the groundwork to do that. So that’s what I’m doing.”

He spoke this weekend to a group called Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate, a grassroots group looking to oust Young.

Yoder served in the state Senate from 2008-2016, representing northern Indiana. But now he lives in Fortville and has his own lobbying firm, Cardinal Consulting.

Young has been criticized for previously refusing to endorse Donald Trump for president; supporting several large spending bills, voting for the Respect for Marriage Act and working with Democrats to pass the CHIPS Act.

Cam Savage, a key advisor for Young’s campaign apparatus,  pushed back, saying “Todd Young is one of the most effective conservative leaders in the country and no one has done more to deliver wins for Hoosiers, support our troops and veterans, or fight back against the Chinese Communist Party. He will win again because no one works harder for Hoosiers and already has $5 million on hand for his campaign to beat back any challengers.”

He won reelection in 2022 by more than 20 percentage points, and didn’t have a primary that year.

Young has supported all of Trump’s cabinet nominees, But Yoder said he had to be pressured into that support.

“I have a very strong conservative voting record. (Young’s) voting record has gotten very spotty over the last four to six years as a U.S. senator,” Yoder said. “I would be a reliable vote for the MAGA community and for the America First community. And you know, we’re always sweating it out with Todd Young. We just never can rely on him to be a solid vote for the agenda that the President is pushing forward.”

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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WINONA LAKE — Rudy Yakym steered clear of talk about former president Donald Trump's apparent attempts to sabotage US Senate efforts on border security.

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CARMEL — Protesters interrupted the inauguration ceremony for Carmel Mayor Sue Finkham on Thursday.

The ceremony at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel was interrupted as U.S. Sen. Todd Young introduced Finkham.

The protesters were calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and supporting Palestinians.

Young was telling a story about broadcaster Sage Steele who attended Carmel High School and graduated from there in 1990 when the group interrupted him. At first, he was quiet, but then he pumped his fist toward the podium and yelled, “Carmel! Carmel! Carmel!” as the protests continued.

Eventually the group was escorted out by police officers.

“Did I mention that Carmel has great police officers?” said Young as he was waving his arms upward to encourage applause.

Meanwhile, Jewish Voice for Peace-Indiana and the Middle Eastern Students Association at IUPUI will gather at Monument Circle in Indianapolis for a rally for ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Monday at 8 a.m. That group also wants an end to all US military help to Israel.

As for Sue Finkham’s tenure as mayor, she says crime prevention and public safety will be her top priority. Finkham also wants collaboration from the community to be a big part of what she does.

“We will create avenues for community engagement where diverse voices are heard and valued. We will have a city where every resident feels secure, informed, and contributes to our shared success,” said Finkham.

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By Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — The soon-to-come Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons Hub, led by the Indiana-based Applied Research Institute, was one of eight regional innovation hubs funded by the Department of Defense on Wednesday to help increase the production of semiconductor technologies and microelectronics.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said the $32.9 million award will support microelectronics production and development in Indiana and across the Midwest.

He said, too, that the Naval Surface Warfare Center — located at Crane, Indiana — already plays a “significant role” in the Department of Defense’s microelectronics strategy to boost the country’s microelectronics production and development and will administer the program.

“Located in America’s heartland, Silicone Crossroads builds on the Midwest’s strengths in research and development as well as workforce training at all levels, to build a domestic semiconductor industry, a national security imperative to keep our nation ahead of our adversaries,” Holcomb said.

He added that Illinois and Michigan joined Indiana in the effort, “along with stakeholders including academia, small business, federal labs, and prime defense contractors.”

The awards announced on Wednesday totaled $240 million and were the first to be distributed by the federal government.

Funds come from the recently-enacted CHIPS and Science Act, championed by Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young. The $52 billion incentive package seeks to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research in the United States.

Young and the Indiana congressional delegation previously sent a letter of support for Indiana’s Applied Research Institute’s submission.

“Today’s announcement is the first major CHIPS and Science Act funding decision for our country, and the selection of the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons Hub shows that Hoosiers are leading the way,” Young said in a statement Wednesday.

“As we collectively work to grow the nation’s microelectronics base, Indiana will play a key role in the development of these critical national security technologies and capabilities. More broadly, this announcement shows how the CHIPS and Science Act will connect more of America, including the industrial Midwest, to the innovation economy. This is an exciting day for all who partnered on this effort across Indiana.”

Wednesday’s awards will help to build eight regional innovation hubs through a new Microelectronics Commons initiative.

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said hubs will receive between $15 million and $40 million. Each location will focus on areas like electromagnetic warfare, secure computing, artificial intelligence hardware, 5G and 6G wireless, and other technologies.

Other hubs to be launched are located in New York, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, California and Massachusetts.

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Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Wednesday to critique three of Indiana’s most high-profile lawmakers, touting Third District Congressman Jim Banks while taking a shot at one of Indiana’s two US Senators, Todd Young.

(See the full post at the bottom of this story)

The post was widely shared Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Banks, the post read, “has no choice but to be great, because Indiana’s other Senator, Todd Young, has been weak & ineffective!”

“Jim will be replacing a very good and effective Senator in Mike Braun who is running for governor!” the post read.

Banks announced plans to run for the US Senate and appears to have little opposition so far in the 2024 race.

Braun has chosen to run for governor and recently endorsed Banks. Braun is facing challenges from a handful of Republicans in the 2024 race.

Young was elected to a second term in 2022 for a six-year term.

Trump has previously endorsed Banks.

While Trump often takes to social media to attack and support candidates, today's post is unique in that he's attacking three elected Republicans within the same state in one fell swoop.

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WARSAW — U.S. Sen. Todd Young visited Warsaw to sit down with local leaders to discuss the city’s sustainable future.

The event was hosted at Zimmer Biomet headquarters, where the senator and other local government officials met with Zimmer Biomet Chairman, President and CEO Bryan Hanson to tour various parts of the manufacturing facility and the recently opened Zimmer Biomet Omni Suite at the Lutheran Orthopedic Surgery Center, before closing the day with a roundtable discussion downtown, according to a news release from Zimmer Biomet.

The key takeaway in Young’s words: “There are 49 other states that would be envious of a community like Warsaw. Medical technologies are advancing at a rapid pace, and the jobs being created and services being provided in Northern Indiana are impressive.”

Spending time learning more about Zimmer Biomet was just one aspect of the senator’s visit. The broader goal included highlighting the partnership local leaders have to equip and implement projects and programs to elevate the quality of life for everyone in the community, the release states. The roundtable discussion focused on how leaders are investing in ways to drive diversification in different industry sectors and sustainable job creation, while building off the orthopedic foundation.

OrthoWorx, a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 and largely funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., helped coordinate the visit, which happened on July 25.

During his nearly five hours on the ground in Warsaw, Young was provided with an upfront and personal lens into the changes underway to advance the orthopedic industry.

“At OrthoWorx, we consider our first priority to be in support of our industry, education and community partners from a talent perspective,” explained Bob Vitoux, Orthoworx president and CEO. “This includes attracting, developing and retaining the talent needed currently and into the future. We believe hosting roundtable discussions, such as what occurred during Senator Young’s visit, are a vital part of us fulfilling the role we are expected to play. It was a true honor and a privilege to have someone of his stature, responsibility, and influence devote the time and energy he did by making this visit to the Orthopedic Capital of the World.”

Zimmer Biomet Recon President Jim Lancaster explained how Hanson has encouraged ZB’s leadership team to work on local engagement.

“Our future includes engagement in the local community – we take pride in educating the local community on ZB and our mission to giving back,” he said. “This is about defining what we want the future of this community to be for our children, and their children, and beyond. We are taking a stewardship mindset in making sure we have solidified the foundation that giants like Rerva DePuy, J.O. Zimmer and Dane Miller did for all of us.”

State Rep. Craig Snow (R.-Warsaw) was also pleased with the event.

“We're seeing change all around us that can help people in ways we've never imagined,” he said. “Maintaining close relationships with our industry partners like Zimmer Biomet helps ensure our momentum continues well into the future. Warsaw is the Orthopedics Capital of the World, and simply put, we want to keep it that way.”

Young closed out his visit saying, “I visited Zimmer Biomet to discuss the state of med tech and the exciting future ahead in Warsaw. Medical technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and the jobs being created and services being provided in Northern Indiana are impressive.”

Included in the day were Young, Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, Hanson, Snow, Vitoux, Lancaster, Zimmer Biomet Warsaw Operations Vice President Shawn Fergison, Warsaw Councilman Jeff Grose, Grace College President Dr. Drew Flamm, Ignite Orthopedics President and CEO Brian Hodorek and KEDCO CEO Alan Tio.

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WARSAW -- A state proposal to establish a driving card program that would allow driving privileges for undocumented residents appears to be dead in Indianapolis but still has support at the grassroots level.

The bill, authored by Republican State Sen. Blake Doriot, is apparently stalled in committee, but generated a lot of support in various cities, including Warsaw where more than 100 people attended a city council meeting to show support.

Council eventually passed a resolution supporting the state legislation.

Mayor Joe Thallemer, a strong advocate of the proposal, brought up the issue during a meeting last week with Sen. Todd Young.

Police contend that undocumented motorists who can't get a driver's license for lack of documentation worry about being pulled over and that such activities keep them busy.

Many contend that the lack of a license makes it difficult to run basic errands and get to work.

One Warsaw police officer offered his opinion during a law enforcement roundtable last week with Young.

"We can't deal with the immigration issue -- that's not us," said Warsaw Police Officer Brad Kellar. "But we do have to deal with these people as part of our community -- and if there is a way to bridge that gap, I think this is probably one of the best ways to do it."

Young replied, "Thank you ... that makes great sense to me."

The driving card proposal initially gained bipartisan support. Warsaw City Council voted 6-0 and Kosciusko County Republican Chair Mike Ragan said he liked the idea.

"It's not like Blake's a liberal," Young said, drawing laughs.

Young added that he thinks it remains a state-level issue.

A state Senate committee had endorsed the bill in early February. But it failed to advance through another committee before a deadline this week for action.

The bill aimed to establish driver privilege cards that are already issued in several other states. The proposal would have had the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles issue the cards to immigrants who pass the state’s driving test, have paid Indiana taxes in the past year, submitted to a fingerprint background check and provide proof of auto insurance.

Immigrant advocates cheered the Homeland Security and Transportation Committee’s support for the bill after similar proposals introduced over the past decade were never taken up in the Republican-dominated Legislature. The bill, however, didn’t gain Senate Appropriations Committee approval, which was needed because of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ estimated $1.4 million cost to develop the new license.

Editor's note: Associated Press contributed to this report.

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