Screenshot from Senate elections hearing Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, left, is shown speaking before the elections committee Monday night.
By Andy East
aeast@therepublic.com
INDIANAPOLIS — Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, gave an impassioned 20-minute speech Monday night, urging state lawmakers to reject pressure from President Donald Trump and his allies to redraw Indiana’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
After a roughly six-hour hearing on Monday, the Senate Committee on Elections voted 6-3 in favor of sending the proposed map to the Senate floor for consideration. Walker was the only Republican on the nine-member committee to vote against sending the bill to the Senate floor.
“I refuse to be intimidated,” Walker said shortly before the vote. “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 from fear for my safety. …I fear for this institution. I fear for the state of Indiana. I fear for all states if we allow intimidation threats to become the norm. I’ve heard from Congress, and they say, ‘But it is the norm, Greg. We get (threats) every day.’ Well, shame on anyone that does that. And what has that done to the political climate? …What has that done to the political climate in Washington, D. C.? Do we see a spirit of cooperation? Do we see a spirit of moving forward ideas that that are nonpartisan issues?”
“No one wants to give anyone an advantage,” Walker added. “No one wants to give anyone the win. So, we defeat, and we fail to talk about the things that America desperately needs for Congress to do. They need to do their job, and they feel threatened and intimidated, and they don’t do their job. What a disservice to Indiana. What a disservice to the nation.”
Redistricting is a process that is normally done once a decade after the census. However, Trump and his allies have pressured Republican states — including Indiana — to redraw their congressional maps to help preserve the GOP’s narrow national majority in Congress. Republicans currently hold seven of Indiana’s nine seats.
The proposed map would place all of Bartholomew County within Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, eliminating the current split between the 6th and 9th districts the county. A total of 5,964 registered Bartholomew County voters currently reside in the 9th District, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office.
The issue of early redistricting has divided state lawmakers representing parts of Bartholomew County.
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, and Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, voted in favor of the proposed map last week, while Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, R-Shelbyville, was one of 12 Republicans who voted against it.
Walker has opposed early redistricting and has said “my opinion will not change.”
