Pierce reacts to the House passage of Republicans gerrymandered congressional map

Today, Dec. 5, Indiana House Republicans passed House Bill 1032, their gerrymandered congressional map, after months of pressure from Washington, D.C. The map carves up like-minded communities to give Republicans control of every congressional district in Indiana. HB 1032 now must be approved by the Senate to become law. 

State Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) released the following statement: 

“This is a sad day. It’s a sad day for the House, and it’s a sad day for democracy. We have a president who wants to cheat in the midterms to preserve his party's control of the U.S. House of Representatives. We have a governor who agrees and is pressuring members of his own party. We have an Indiana House that is rolling over and giving in. 

“This is a failure of our President, a failure of our Governor, and a failure of the House majority. There aren't enough Republicans standing up and saying, ‘This isn’t right, this is not our values.’ All because Washington demands they rig congressional elections in the Republicans' favor.

“I cannot state too strongly that this is not normal.  What has the Republican Party become? It’s hard to imagine Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, or Reagan demanding an unfair advantage or Governors Bowen, Orr, or Daniels eagerly going along with the scheme. This erasure of Democratic members of Congress and the voices of their constituents will delegitimize Congress. People are already frustrated with the state and federal governments' failure to address the real problems they face. Today's action will make them feel more cynical about their government and undermine their confidence in our democracy.

“This is the saddest day I have ever experienced in the Indiana House of Representatives.”