Republican state Sen. Kyle Walker has announced his opposition to redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps despite his close ties with a leader of a pro-redistricting group.
Walker’s statement, which he first released Thursday, makes him the eighth Senate Republican to publicly come out against the push initiated by President Donald Trump for redistricting in Indiana and other GOP-led states.
“I’ve spent the past several months listening closely to my constituents on mid-decade redistricting,” Walker said. “With 93 percent opposed, and as their voice in the Indiana Senate, I’ll be voting no.”
Thirteen Republican senators have come out in support, but 19 of the 40-member caucus haven’t made their stances known publicly.
The following GOP senators have come out in support of redistricting:
Sen. Scott Alexander
Sen. Ron Alting
Sen. Scott Baldwin
Sen. Liz Brown
Sen. Justin Busch
Sen. Gary Byrne
Sen. Chris Garten
Sen. Mike Gaskill
Sen. Tyler Johnson
Sen. Eric Koch
Sen. Randy Maxwell
Sen. Daryl Schmitt
Sen. Andy Zay
Walker is up for reelection next year in one of the state’s few politically close state Senate districts, covering the northeastern corner of Indianapolis and the Fishers area in Hamilton County. He won the 2022 election with 55% of the vote.
Walker’s opposition is notable because he is a member of the 24-person Indiana Republican Party State Committee as the party’s 7th Congressional District vice chair.
He is also executive vice president of MO Strategies, a political consulting firm that is led by Marty Obst.
Obst is the chair of Fair Maps Indiana, a nonprofit group that says it has launched a six-figure advertising effort targeting undecided Republican senators pushing for their support of redistricting. The campaign includes texts, digital, television and mail advertising.
Obst served in senior leadership roles in Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns and was a senior political adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence.
Walker did not immediately reply Friday to a message from the Indiana Capital Chronicle seeking additional comment on his decision.
Indiana lawmakers are scheduled to meet starting Dec. 1 to consider drawing more Republican-leaning U.S. House districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections — following a months-long pressure campaign by Trump’s administration and his supporters.
Senate Republican leadership has said they do not yet have enough votes to pass a redistricting bill. Any new maps would need a majority of 26 senators or 25 with Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith breaking a tie in support.
Other Republican senators who’ve announced opposition to redistricting are: Eric Bassler, Vaneta Becker, Spencer Deery, Sue Glick, Jean Leising, Jim Tomes and Greg Walker.
Enough House Republicans are believed to be supportive of a redistricting effort for it to win passage in that chamber.
Walker has, at times, broken with other Senate Republicans on prominent legislation.
For instance, he voted earlier this year against Senate Bill 289, which was signed into law prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in state government and public schools. He also voted against the 2022 bill that established the state’s near-total abortion ban.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
