This Should Never Happen In America

By VRF Staff

No elected official should face armed officers at their home for doing their job.

Yet that is exactly what has unfolded in Indiana over the last two weeks.

Across the country, redistricting battles are intensifying as both major parties look for political advantage heading into the 2026 elections. Behind the scenes, pressure campaigns, public threats, and coordinated intimidation have escalated dramatically.

But what’s happening in Indiana is something different, and far more dangerous.

Indiana lawmakers were asked to support a mid-cycle redistricting plan pushed by national political figures. Despite the heavy political pressure, a number of senators refused to go along. They insisted that maps should not be rewritten mid-decade simply to benefit powerful interests.

And now, those same lawmakers are being targeted.

Eight Indiana senators have been swatted in the span of days.

False emergency calls were made to authorities, claims of violence, abuse, or threats.

HERE IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED:

• Senator Greg Goode was targeted when a fabricated domestic-violence call sent police to his home.

  
  

• Senator Spencer Deery faced a hoax report that police later confirmed was an attempted swatting.

  
  

• Senator Rick Niemeyer also had a false emergency call directed at his residence.

  
  

• Senator Greg Walker experienced a similar swatting attempt just days later.

  
  

• Senator Dan Dernulc reported a false-report incident aimed at provoking a police response.

  
  

• Senator Kyle Walker received threats and intimidation attempts during the same wave.

  
  

• Senator Andy Zay had a bomb threat directed at his business.

  
  

• Senator Linda Rogers reported repeated intimidation incidents tied to the redistricting standoff.

  
  

• Even Governor Mike Braun’s family has been swept into this pattern of threats.

This is not an accident.

This is not a coincidence.

This is political retaliation.

And whether the threats come from the left, the right, or anyone in between, the message is the same: do what we want, or we will punish you.

That cannot be the standard in a free society.

Indiana lawmakers who refused to manipulate district lines for partisan gain were met with fear tactics meant to silence them. But instead of backing down, they stood firm.

That kind of resolve deserves support, not threats.

We cannot allow political violence, intimidation, or terroristic hoaxes to shape public policy.

Let’s stand with the Indiana lawmakers who refused to cave to political pressure and who refused to be intimidated.