Mike Wolanin | The Republic State Sen. Greg Walker talks about legislation making its way through Indiana Senate during a community forum at Columbus City Hall in Columbus, Ind., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025.
Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, said he will not seek another term representing Indiana Senate District 41, ending a two-decade run holding the seat.
Walker, who is currently in his fifth term, declined to elaborate on his decision, telling The Republic that his “only comment” was to confirm that he will not be running for reelection next year.
Walker is currently chair of the Standing Committee on Family and Children Services, the Senate chair of the Interim Study Committee on Child Services and Senate majority member of the Interim Study Committee on Elections.
He also serves on the Senate Elections, Ethics, Pensions and Labor and Public Policy committees.
Senate District 41 includes all of Bartholomew County and part of Johnson County.
Walker launched his career in state politics in 2006 with an upset victory in the Republican primary over former Indiana Senate President Pro-Tem Robert Garton, who had held the seat for over three decades and had been the Senate’s leader for a record 26 years.
Walker’s victory surprised Republicans, with people watching election night results in Columbus being “stunned” after Garton conceded to Walker, according to coverage in The Republic at the time.
In the 2006 primary, GOP party leaders clashed with Walker over his campaign’s handling of endorsements, The Republic reported at the time.
Ted Ogle, then chair of the Bartholomew County Republican Party, accused Walker of sowing confusion over endorsements from the Indiana Republican Assembly and the National Gun Owners Alliance — groups unaffiliated with the Indiana Republican Party or the National Rifle Association. Walker denied the claims.
During the campaign, Walker also faced scrutiny for a 2003 letter to the editor in The Republic in which he proposed public floggings as a possible alternative to incarceration. He later said the letter was meant to spark debate and was not proposed legislation.
Walker would go on to win reelection four times. He most recently defeated Democratic nominee Bryan Muñoz in the 2022 general election with 67.8% of the vote after running unopposed in the Republican primary.
Walker’s departure could a lead to a crowded GOP primary next year. Filing for the 2026 primary starts on Jan. 7.
Former Indiana Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, who represented Indiana House District 59 from 2006 to 2018, has said he plans to run for Walker’s seat.
“I am going to run,” Smith told The Republic. “…In the General Assembly, we passed property tax caps, trying to protect homeowners from the property tax bill going up year after year drastically. That didn’t stop the tax bills from going up, and so I need to go back in session and lobby for taxpayers, so their tax bill won’t go up drastically from one year to the next.”
Former Congressman Greg Pence told The Republic that he has had conversations about the seat becoming vacant with leaders and others who may be interested in running in the GOP primary but cautioned that doesn’t mean he plans to run.
Pence, who is the older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, represented Indiana’s Sixth Congressional District for three terms from 2019 to 2025.
“I’ve talked to some people about it,” Pence said. “We’ve not made any decision at all. I talked to all of the people that are interested in running and said, ‘Hey, I’m not declaring,’ I’m just kind of talking to folks and kind of explain to them what I was thinking, the whys and the wherefores. But we’re probably pretty far from making a decision. It’s August. …When you’ve served the district for six years and ran for a year before that, you kind of owe it to people to say, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about this.’ …But I haven’t really done anything since I had those calls with those folks.”
Whoever wins the general election next year will be just the third person to hold the seat since 1970.
