Donald Trump’s redistricting effort in Indiana has hit a road bump. Several Republicans have now come out against a bill to redraw the state’s congressional map and give their party an advantage, including state Sen. Michael Bohacek, who announced his “no” vote in a social media post in which he criticized the president’s use of a slur for people with intellectual disabilities.
“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, perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority,” Bohacek wrote in a Facebook post Friday.
Bohacek, whose daughter has Down syndrome, joined “The Weeknight” on Tuesday to discuss why he chose to publicly oppose the bill and call out Trump for his behavior.
The Indiana Republican said the plan would “significantly” affect his own district. Bohacek expressed concern that the new map would split up “communities of interest,” noting that under the proposal, the state’s steel mill centers would be broken up.
“When you break it up as much as what’s being proposed, it’s just not good policy,” he said.
Bohacek isn’t the only member of his party who opposes the Trump-backed redistricting plan. He told MS NOW he believes Republicans in Indiana are a “pretty independent group,” adding, “We take direction, but we take it very deliberately and that’s just how we are.”
Symone Sanders Townsend, co-host of “The Weeknight,” contrasted that independent spirit to that of Republicans in Washington, D.C., who she said “have had such a tough time standing — not even just standing up to the president, but standing up for what they believe and what they know to be true.”
The MS NOW host acknowledged lawmakers like Bohacek were standing up to the president at the risk of “great personal peril,” referencing threats and swatting attacks aimed at some Indiana Republicans in recent weeks. At least 11 Republican lawmakers in the state have been targeted since Trump publicly pressured the elected officials to pass the new map. Bohacek himself was the target of a bomb threat.
Despite those threats, Bohacek said he and his fellow lawmakers would continue to stand firm and carry out their duty to the people of Indiana. “We’re very close to our constituency,” he said. “I go to the town council meetings. I’m at the basketball games. I’m in the community.”
You can watch Bohacek’s interview on “The Weeknight” in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.