At least nine elected Republicans in Indiana have been the target of swatting attacks in the weeks since President Donald Trump publicly pressured state lawmakers to pass new congressional maps that would benefit Republicans.
In a lengthy social media tirade on Nov. 16, Trump blasted Indiana state Senate Republicans for not supporting the effort, naming two state senators and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun. The next day, Trump said he would “strongly” endorse against anyone who opposes the push.
Indiana House lawmakers began taking up redistricting legislation on Monday, formally introducing new maps. The state Senate is expected to do the same next week.
“I believe these threats are a result of the redistricting pressure on Indiana,” state Sen. Jean Leising said Monday in a statement, saying that she was the target of a pipe bomb threat over the weekend. “Threats like these to public officials are unacceptable, and I know law enforcement will do everything they can to bring whoever did this to justice.”
She added: “This threat will not stop me from serving my community to the best of my ability. As legislators in the Indiana General Assembly, we must do what is right for our constituents.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Leising’s statement.
Indiana State Police spokesperson Ron Galaviz confirmed that law enforcement is “aware of this incident” targeting Leising.
Leising is the latest state lawmaker to say she has faced threats since Trump’s post, which came after state Republicans initially declined to take up the midcycle redistricting effort.
“Very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats,” Trump wrote in his Nov. 16 post.
State Sen. Greg Goode said he was the victim of a swatting attack hours after he’d been targeted in Trump’s post, which also named Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray. Bray had said that there was not enough GOP support to pass the maps.
Indiana State Police confirmed on Nov. 20 that it was investigating “multiple” swatting attacks. Swatting refers to hoax emergency calls that prompt law enforcement response in an effort to harass, intimidate or otherwise harm the targets.
On Nov. 19, state Sen. Dan Dernulc said in a statement that he and his family were also victims of a swatting attempt. “It is scary and shocking to me that someone would go so far to try to cause harm or fear to me or my family,” he said.
Also on Nov. 19, state Sen. Rick Niemeyer faced “an attempted swatting incident,” his spokesperson Emma Balzer said in a statement. Kristen Gorsk, a spokesperson for state Sen. Greg Walker, confirmed that he was also the victim of a swatting attack on the same day.
On Nov. 20, state Sen. Spencer Deery also released a statement saying that law enforcement “thwarted an attempted swatting attack on me and my family.”
“The swatting attempt on our home was preceded the night before by someone sending an unpaid pizza delivery to my address,” he said in a statement. “This may seem like a harmless prank, and it certainly isn’t as serious as a swatting, but it still is an attempt to intimidate an elected official by conveying ‘we know where you live’. Even this less serious tactic should be condemned and never normalized.”
On Nov. 21, state Sen. Linda Rogers said she was “the victim of several intimidation incidents,” and state Sen. Andy Zay announced that his business had been targeted with a bomb threat.
Braun was also targeted, he said in a post to X on Nov. 21.
“Enough is enough,” he said. “These threats to lawmakers, including those received by me and my family in recent days, need to stop.”
State House Speaker Todd Huston, a Republican, and the chamber’s top Democrat, Phil GiaQuinta, released a joint statement on Nov. 21 condemning threats and swatting as “abhorrent and completely unacceptable.”
“This is no way to express political disagreement, and it must stop,” they wrote.
Indiana is one of several Republican-led states that have taken up midcycle redistricting this year. In response, California voters approved a new Democratic-drawn map last month, and several other blue states have said they may pursue their own redistricting efforts.