Republican senator against Indiana redistricting not seek reelection

Republican state Sen. Kyle Walker won’t seek reelection next year, making him another opponent of the proposed GOP-redraw of Indiana’s congressional maps who will be leaving the Legislature.

Walker announced Wednesday that he would complete his Senate term through the November 2026 election.

Walker’s Senate District 31 is one of the state’s few politically close 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 statement did not mention the congressional redistricting that’s been demanded by President Donald Trump, who has berated several Republican state senators who’ve come out against the redraw.

“I remain fully committed to serving with the same focus and energy for the remainder of my term, and to ensuring a smooth transition for the district’s future leadership,” Walker said in his statement. “But I also want to make this announcement now, in advance of the February filing deadline, so that potential candidates have some time to consider their interest and ability to serve this district.”

Walker is among about a dozen Republican senators to publicly oppose redistricting. Their opposition leaves the fate of the redistricting push uncertain even though Republicans currently hold 40 of the 50 Senate seats as about a dozen GOP senators have not yet revealed their stance.

Walker joins Sens. Eric Bassler of Washington and Greg Walker of Columbus as Republican redistricting foes who won’t seek reelection in 2026.

Kyle Walker announced his redistricting opposition last month despite his close ties with a leader of a pro-redistricting group and being a member of the 24-person Indiana Republican Party State Committee as the party’s 7th Congressional District vice chair.

“I’ve spent the past several months listening closely to my constituents on mid-decade redistricting,” Walker said at the time. “With 93 percent opposed, and as their voice in the Indiana Senate, I’ll be voting no.”

A Walker spokesman told the Indiana Capital Chronicle that Walker has resigned from his position as executive vice president of MO Strategies, a political consulting firm where he worked for several years that is led by Marty Obst.

Obst is the chair of Fair Maps Indiana, a nonprofit group that launched a six-figure advertising effort targeting undecided Republican senators pushing for their support of redistricting. 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 alluded to the job change in his statement Wednesday without giving any details.

“As some of my colleagues, friends and family know, this is a decision I’ve wrestled with for several months,” his statement said. “I am forever grateful for having the opportunity to represent the people of our district. This, however, is a season of change for me. Looking forward, I have also decided to start a new chapter in my professional career.”

Walker campaign spokesman Luke Thomas said Walker planned to continue as a state Republican committee member.

“He and Marty are great friends, and he’ll continue working with him and the team long enough to ensure a smooth and successful transition,” Thomas said.

Walker’s announcement cited key accomplishments from his Senate tenure, including a change the state’s local income tax distribution formula to ensure the city of Fishers receives a more equitable share of local income tax revenue. He also created a Sports and Tourism Bid Fund to help communities across Indiana access resources to host major events to stimulate local economic growth.

This story has been updated with Walker resigning from a political consulting firm.

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.