Republican Indiana state Sen. Michael Bohacek said Friday that he will vote against a redistricting plan supported by President Donald Trump, citing what he described as Trump’s “insulting and derogatory references.”
Trump called Gov. Tim Walz (MN-D) “seriously r*******” in a Truth Social post on Thursday, accusing Walz of allowing Somali migrants to take over his “once great state.”
Following Trump’s post about Walz, Bohacek shared he would oppose redistricting because of Trump’s use of the slur and shared that he has a daughter with Down syndrome.
“Many of you have asked my position on redistricting,” Bohacek began. “I have been an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities since the birth of my second daughter.”
In the post, Bohacek included a photo of an article about Trump’s comments about Walz. “Tim Walz Responds to Donald Trump Calling Him ‘Seriously R——-,’” the headline read.
Walz responded to Trump’s Thanksgiving post, writing on X “release the MRI results.” Trump shared that he underwent an MRI last month as part of his visit to Walter Reed Military Center and that it was “perfect.”
“This is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences,” he said on Facebook. “I will be voting NO on redistricting, perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority.
WHERE REDISTRICTING STANDS A YEAR OUT FROM THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Trump has been pushing several states, including Indiana and Texas, to redraw their congressional maps to create more Republican stronghold districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Earlier this month, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said that the Senate would not reconvene in December and that there were “not enough votes” to support redrawing the state’s congressional maps.
Trump threatened to support a primary challenge against Bray and “any other politician who supports him in this stupidity” for not reconvening a vote over redistricting.
Bray reversed course on Tuesday and announced that the Senate would vote on the proposal the House sent their way because it was creating tension in the state from all the national “attention.”
“The issue of redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps mid-cycle has received a lot of attention and is causing strife here in our state,” Bray said in a statement. “To resolve this issue, the Senate intends to reconvene as part of the regular 2026 session on Dec. 8 and make a final decision that week on any redistricting proposal sent from the House.”
DEMOCRATS NEED TO TEMPER THEIR EXPECTATIONS OF A 2026 BLUE WAVE, DATA SHOW
Trump praised the Indiana state Senate for deciding to take up a vote on redistricting, saying he hopes the Senate “finds the votes” and that he will “make sure” they win their primaries if they support him in the effort.
“It looks like the Indiana Senate Republicans will be coming back in two weeks to take up Redistricting, a very important initiative to balance out the Democrats’ endless “Sue to Blue” and Census rigging strategy that has stolen seats from Republicans, and given them to Democrats who would not have them if they played fairly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.