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Indiana GOP Senator Breaks With Trump, Opposes Redistricting After President’s Slur

Sen. Mike Bohacek, a Republican from Indiana whose daughter has Down syndrome, said he will oppose Trump-backed redistricting after the former president used an offensive slur targeting Gov. Tim Walz. Bohacek posted on Facebook that "words have consequences" and will vote "NO" until Trump demonstrates his conduct warrants a congressional majority. His decision adds friction to GOP efforts to redraw Indiana's map ahead of the 2026 midterms, and multiple Republicans say the state Senate currently lacks the votes to advance a new plan.

02:58 AM, 11/29/2025Politics
Indiana GOP Senator Breaks With Trump, Opposes Redistricting After President’s Slur

Indiana state Sen. Mike Bohacek, a Republican from the Michiana region whose daughter has Down syndrome, announced he will vote against redistricting plans backed by former President Donald Trump after Trump used an offensive slur while attacking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Posting on Facebook, Bohacek wrote: "Words have consequences." He said he will vote "NO" on redistricting measures until Trump can demonstrate that his "policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority."

Bohacek took particular exception to the president’s use of the word "retard" during a late-night, anti-immigration tirade that described Gov. Walz as "seriously retarded." For Bohacek — a lawmaker with a child who has Down syndrome — the language crossed a personal line.

The timing complicates an already tense debate among Indiana Republicans over whether to redraw the state's congressional map just four years after the previous redistricting. Trump has been urging GOP-led states to reshape districts ahead of the 2026 midterms in an effort to secure a House majority.

National party figures have weighed in directly. House Speaker Mike Johnson scheduled a conference call with Indiana House Republicans and has spoken by phone with Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray as state leaders weigh how to respond. Multiple Republicans familiar with the vote count said the state Senate currently appears short of the votes needed to move a redistricting plan forward.

Bohacek’s defection highlights the political risk for leaders pushing for aggressive map changes: personal objections to rhetoric from national figures can erode support even within a party determined to maximize its electoral advantage.

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