Indiana Rep. Spartz fends off GOP primary challengers in bid to retain House seat

Indiana Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Ukrainian-born lawmaker, has won the GOP primary election to represent Indiana’s 5th Congressional District in the House.

Spartz’s victory in the election comes after she announced in February that she would seek re-election, walking back a previous announcement she made last year.

“Looking where we are today, and urged by many of my constituents, I do not believe I would be able to deliver this Congress, with the current failed leadership in Washington, D.C., on the important issues for our nation that I have worked very hard on,” Spartz said in a statement at the time.

INDIANA REPUBLICAN REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION, REVERSING 2023 DECISION

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., has represented Indiana’s 5th Congressional District in the House since 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In February 2023, Spartz announced she would not run for re-election in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis so she could spend more time with her family.

Spartz – the first and only Ukrainian-born House member – previously backed support for the war-torn country, but recently opposed sending aid to Ukraine ahead of her primary contest.

Earlier this year, Spartz voted against sending $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. She defended the switch, arguing her loyalty is to America first and that she wanted to see policy on the U.S.-Mexico border included in the aid package, a position largely shared by her Republican challengers.

The issue of U.S. funding for Ukraine amid its war with Russia has become an increasingly divisive topic among Republicans in the nation’s capital, where many have pressed for a drawdown in aid. 

Spartz is the first House Republican to lose a primary this year in a race that wasn’t affected by redistricting.

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Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., in the O’Neill House Office Building on February 28, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The primary marks the latest twist in Spartz’s political career. She won a tight primary race in 2020 and wasn’t challenged for the GOP nomination in 2022.

Multiple Republicans challenged Spartz in the GOP race to represent the Hoosier State’s Fifth Congressional District, including Indiana state Rep. Chuck Goodrich, who outraised her by millions of dollars and became her main competitor in the primary.

Others who posed an election challenge to Spartz include: Max Engling, Mark Hurt, Patrick Malayter, Matthew Peiffer, Lonnie Powell, Raju Chinthala, and Larry L. Salvage Jr.

“As someone who grew up under tyranny, I understand the significance of these challenging times for our Republic, and if my fellow Hoosiers and God decide, I will be honored to continue fighting for them,” Spartz said of her constituents in February.

Indiana GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz questions AG Merrick Garland during his testimony on September 20, 2023 in Washington, DC.

The Democrats running to represent the state’s Fifth Congressional District include Ryan Pfenninger and Deborah A. Pickett.

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The general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.