Republican Indiana State Senator Mike Bohacek signaled he would vote “No” on the state GOP’s redistricting effort due to President Donald Trump’s use of a slur.
“I have been an unapologetic advocate for people with intellectual disabilities since the birth of my second daughter,” Bohacek wrote on Facebook.
“Those of you that don’t know me or my family might not know that my daughter has Down Syndrome,” he said before referring to Trump calling Minnesota Governor Tim Walz “r—-ded.”
“This is not the first time our president has used these insulting and derogatory references and his choices of words have consequences. I will be voting NO on redistricting,” he said. “Perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority.”
Bohacek did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
Trump used the slur while criticizing Walz for encouraging Somali immigration in Minnesota in a rambling Thanksgiving Truth Social post.
Indiana is one of several states mulling gerrymandering ahead of the 2026 midterms to gift House Republicans more seats in Congress and protect their slim House majority. President Trump urged GOP-centric redistricting of the Hoosier state to give Republicans a 9-0 map and two more congressional representatives from Indiana.
The effort has not been met with universal approval from the Indiana GOP. In November, Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said the effort didn’t have “enough votes to move that idea forward,” and that the Indiana Senate would not reconvene in December to vote on the effort.
After the announcement, Trump raged at Bray, calling him a “RINO” who would be primaried for his “stupidity,” along with any other Republican who didn’t support the redistricting effort.
House Speaker Mike Johnson got involved, and two weeks later, Indiana’s congress reversed its decision and decided to take up the redistricting question, which will be settled in December. One Indiana Republican lawmaker told The Atlantic that he opposed the effort but didn’t want to say so publicly for fear of getting his house “firebombed.” Indiana State Sen. Andy Zay confirmed a bomb threat was called in to his business.
Trump’s redistricting efforts have led to Democrat retribution, legal challenges and political repercussions. After Texas added red seats in a redistricting effort, California passed Prop 50, which gave the state five blue seats. A federal judge slapped down Texas’ map, and the case has gone to the Supreme Court.
North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio have added one, one and two red seats, respectively. Utah added a blue seat.
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