A third Republican senator from Indiana has been targeted in a swatting incident the morning of Nov. 20 as pressure on redistricting holdouts continues to mount.

Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, was notified around 8 a.m. that someone had falsely reported domestic abuse at his address and threatened violence to officers who responded. Deery is opposed to mid-decade redistricting. 

“It is disturbing that anyone would attempt to harm or intimidate lawmakers, but sadly not all that surprising in the current environment,” he said in a news release. “When our family decided to enter the public arena four years ago, we knew our lives would change, but we believed then – and still believe today – that it is important for people who are committed to representing the people with integrity and an attitude of public service to step up. We will continue to do our duty and to do what is in the best interest of our district, no matter the threats.”

The night before the incident, someone had delivered an unpaid pizza to Deery’s home. While not as serious as swatting, Deery said in the release, the tactic conveying “we know where you live” should always be condemned.

The Indiana State Police is investigating multiple incidents of swatting against lawmakers, it announced Nov. 20, and will seek criminal prosecution for those responsible.

“The Indiana State Police warn that not only is this potentially dangerous to all involved, but it is also against the law,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement. “While the motives for this type of activity may vary, we are working diligently with local, county and federal law enforcement partners to identify those responsible for these reckless, careless and illegal activities.”

Two other senators victims of swatting

The incident against Deery follows a string of other swatting attacks.

Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, was also a victim of swatting, he announced Nov. 19.

“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,” Dernulc said. “I have always done my best to serve my community, be their voice, and work alongside them and my colleagues at the Statehouse to help make Indiana a great state. It is sad because of these efforts and work that I am villainized in some minds to the point of harmful retaliation.”

Days earlier, Sen. Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute, was also swatted. The incident occurred hours after President Donald Trump mentioned Goode in a critical Truth Social post.

“While this entire incident is unfortunate and reflective of the volatile nature of our current political climate, I give thanks to God that my family and I are ok,” Goode said over the weekend in a statement.

While neither lawmaker has issued a public stance on redistricting, both voted to reconvene in January instead of December for redistricting.

The swatting incidents follow a decision by Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, to not take up the issue of redistricting. Bray’s announcement that the Senate doesn’t have the votes has brought fury from Trump and other redistricting proponents, including Gov. Mike Braun, who see Indiana as critical to maintain control of Congress.

Trump has called anti-redistricting senators “RINOs,” or “Republicans In Name Only,” and promised to primary those who don’t reverse course. His pressure on Braun to get the job done has also appeared to raise the stakes: the governor said Nov. 18 he would try to “compel” the Senate to meet.

Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or follow her on X @marissa_meador.

The third College Football Playoff rankings propelled the event closer to an endgame guaranteed to roil the masses.

Are you ready for five SEC teams?

The conference took a giant leap toward gobbling almost half the bids to the 12-team event when the rankings were unveiled Tuesday evening.

Oklahoma vaulted three spots, to No. 8, following its victory at Alabama. But critically, the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide did not drop below the cut line for CFP inclusion despite sustaining their second loss.

Add No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Georgia and No. 6 Mississippi to the Sooners and Crimson Tide, and the SEC would have five participants if the field were selected today: one automatic qualifier (the conference champion) plus four at-large teams.

Last year, in the first year of the 12-team event, the Big Ten led all conferences with four bids (one automatic and three at-large).

With two Saturdays remaining in the regular season, plus championship weekend, there is time for tumult.

But at this point, the SEC has a firm grasp on the pole position — at the expense of everyone else:

— The Big 12 is staring at another disappointing outcome if No. 5 Texas Tech wins the conference championship.

Both No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Utah are precariously positioned given the lack of schedule juice remaining (e.g., no ranked opponents) and the potential for teams just below them to move up.

The likelihood of the Big 12 collecting a single bid, as it did last year (Arizona State), is increasing by the week.

— The ACC faces a comparable fate with No. 13 Miami as the conference’s highest-ranked team.

Notably, the Hurricanes are four spots below Notre Dame even though they have the same record (8-2) and Miami won the head-to-head matchup.

But committee chair Hunter Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director who took over as chair last week when Baylor AD Mack Rhoades stepped down, said the teams were not close enough for the head-to-head result to be considered.

The difference in resumes, he said, is rooted in the quality of their losses: The Irish lost to No. 13 Miami and No. 3 Texas A&M, while the Hurricanes lost to two unranked teams, SMU and Louisville.

— And what of the Big Ten? The third installment of the CFP rankings wasn’t much more encouraging for the conference than either of the first two.

Yes, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana held their ground and are effectively locks for the CFP. But Oregon is No. 7, a tad too close to the current cut line (between No. 10 and 11) for comfort.

If the Ducks (9-1) lose at home to USC this weekend — or at Washington in the season finale — they could fall out of the field.