Indiana’s political landscape was shaken this week as Republican state Senator Mike Bohacek announced his opposition to a key redistricting effort, citing President Donald Trump’s use of a derogatory slur against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the breaking point. The move, which could influence the balance of power ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, has exposed deep rifts within the Republican Party and ignited a broader debate about language, leadership, and the future of electoral politics in the state.
Bohacek, who represents a northern Indiana district between Gary and South Bend, posted his decision on Facebook on November 29, 2025, just days after Trump’s comments. The president, in a Truth Social tirade following a shooting that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured in Washington, D.C., referred to Governor Walz as “seriously retarded” because of Walz’s stance on immigration. Trump’s post also included incendiary claims about Somali refugees in Minnesota, alleging they were “roving the streets looking for ‘prey’” and pledging to crack down on immigrants from what he called “Third-World Countries,” according to Politico and The Independent.
Bohacek’s response was swift and personal. “Many of you have asked my position on redistricting,” he wrote. “I have been an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities since the birth of my second daughter. Those of you that don’t know me or my family might not know that my daughter has Down Syndrome. This is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences.” He went on to declare, “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.”
His stance marks a rare public break within the party at a time when national and state Republicans are aggressively pursuing redistricting initiatives to secure more seats in Congress. As The Independent reported, Republican leaders—including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)—have been pressuring state legislatures in GOP-controlled states like Indiana to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Such efforts have already played out in Texas and Missouri, though with mixed legal results: a lower court ruled against Texas’s new map, only for the Supreme Court to temporarily block that order.
Indiana Republicans, who control both the legislature and the governor’s mansion, have been deeply divided over whether to proceed with a redistricting push. The stakes are high: gerrymandering could cement GOP dominance for another decade. Yet, as of late November, the party lacked the votes needed to move forward, and Bohacek’s announcement could tip the scales. House Speaker Mike Johnson was expected to join a conference call with Indiana lawmakers on November 29 to discuss the issue, as reported by Politico.
Bohacek’s decision is rooted not only in political calculation but also in lived experience. His advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities is personal—his second daughter was born with Down Syndrome. “I have been an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities since the birth of my second daughter,” he reiterated in his statement. For Bohacek, Trump’s language crossed a line, echoing a pattern of ableist remarks that have dogged the former president since his first campaign. As The Independent noted, Trump famously mocked Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Serge Kovaleski, who has a disability, during the 2016 campaign, and has repeatedly used terms like “low I.Q.” to deride political opponents.
The timing of Bohacek’s announcement, coming just as the Indiana legislature prepares to reconvene, adds to its significance. The House of Representatives is scheduled to meet on December 1, 2025, with the Senate following on December 8. With redistricting expected to be a central agenda item, Bohacek’s vote—and the message it sends—could influence other lawmakers wrestling with the decision.
Trump’s outburst against Governor Walz was itself a reaction to tragedy. On November 27, two National Guard troops were shot in Washington, D.C.; one died and the other remains in critical condition. Authorities say the suspect, an Afghan national who aided the CIA during the war in Afghanistan, drove across the country to carry out the attack. Trump seized on the incident to renew his hardline immigration rhetoric, blaming Somali refugees in Minnesota and launching personal attacks on Walz. Walz, in turn, questioned Trump’s cognitive health, quipping, “Release the MRI results.” (The White House has declined to provide details about a recent MRI Trump underwent, though the president insisted he got “the best result.”)
Nationally, the Republican push for redistricting has produced mixed outcomes. In Texas and Missouri, GOP-controlled legislatures have pushed through new maps, but legal challenges persist. Meanwhile, in California, Democrats responded with their own aggressive tactics: voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which could add five Democratic seats through nonpartisan redistricting. Governor Gavin Newsom championed the measure, arguing that Democrats needed to “meet fire with fire.” The Department of Justice, however, has since sued California over the proposition.
Within the GOP, Trump’s polarizing style is increasingly seen as a double-edged sword. Polls indicate that the former president’s popularity is waning, and history suggests that the president’s party often loses congressional seats during midterm elections. Some Republican strategists worry that Trump’s abrasive rhetoric and repeated use of slurs could alienate swing voters and undermine the party’s efforts to maintain control of the House and Senate in 2026.
Bohacek’s stand reflects those anxieties—and a growing sense among some Republicans that the party must reckon with the broader consequences of its leader’s words. “His choices of words have consequences,” Bohacek emphasized, making clear that his vote was not just about electoral maps, but about the values the party projects to the public.
As the Indiana legislature prepares to take up the redistricting debate in December, all eyes will be on whether other lawmakers follow Bohacek’s lead. The outcome could shape not only the state’s political future, but also signal whether the Republican Party is willing to challenge its standard-bearer when the stakes—and the language—are this high.
For now, Bohacek’s decision stands as a rare act of dissent in an era when party loyalty often trumps personal conviction. Whether it sparks a broader reckoning within the GOP remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the words of leaders matter, and sometimes, they can change the course of a state’s politics.
