An Indiana lawmaker warned his GOP colleagues that they should reject demands from President Donald Trump to redistrict the deep red state, according to reports Wednesday.
Republican Sen. Greg Walker, who said he and several other lawmakers were recently targeted in a swatting incident after saying he would reject the redistricting bill, gave a nearly 20-minute-long address Monday and said that political intimidation should not be allowed in the state, The Republic reported.
Senate Republicans have pushed a bill that would redraw congressional maps in the Hoosier State ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has called for redistricting in the state and several others, reportedly seeking to reshape congressional districts in ways that would benefit Republican candidates and consolidate conservative political power in the state.
“I refuse to be intimidated,” Walker said. “…I will not let Indiana or any state become subject to the threat of political violence in order to influence legislative product. I honestly don’t feel fear for my safety. …I fear for this institution, I fear for the state of Indiana, and I fear for all states if we allow intimidation and threats to become the norm.”
Walker held up the state Senate's rule book and argued that the threats and "argued that threats, whether direct or implied, should be treated like any other attempt to influence a legislator’s independent judgment," according to The Republic.
Trump has aimed to influence Republican-controlled states and maximize GOP advantages in future elections. Walker has argued that this could set a bad precedent and violate the ethics that lawmakers are expected to maintain.
“We’re seeing the influence from outside of the state of Indiana that is motivating this to become a thing in the state of Indiana,” Walker said. “But I, as a legislator, and you as legislators, are required to think about your own moral standards and your ethics as you deal with an untenable question before you. …The (Senate) rules did not anticipate the environment in which we’re operating. I’m not going to call out by name the people in this room that I know have been threatened or an attempt to threaten was made against their personal safety. I can say that I was one of those myself.”
The Indiana Senate has a third and final reading of the bill slated for Thursday afternoon, FOX59 reported.