Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), the first Ukrainian-born member of Congress, held on to her seat in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District just months after she decided to run for reelection in a primary fight against eight GOP rivals on Tuesday.
She won her GOP primary with 39.1% of the vote after the Associated Press called the race at 8:29 p.m. with 77% of the vote counted. The Indiana congresswoman narrowly defeated well-funded state Rep. Chuck Goodrich, who received 33% of the vote, and seven other challengers.
Spartz’s initial decision to retire set off a crowded primary and one of the most expensive campaigns this cycle. Initially, Spartz announced more than a year ago that she would not run for reelection, saying she wanted to spend more time with family. She ultimately reversed that decision days before the filing deadline in February.
The sudden change in heart wasn’t necessarily a shock coming from the Indiana Republican. Spartz is known for her unpredictability, often telling reporters she’ll vote one way before changing her support in the middle of a vote series on the floor.
The campaign focused on Spartz’s record on aiding her homeland in its war against Russia. She had previously been an outspoken supporter of aid when Russia first invaded the country two years ago. Ahead of her primary contest, she reversed her position and voted against an aid package that provided $61 billion to Ukraine and was critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Goodrich launched attack ads against Spartz, trying to characterize her as a flip-flopper on her reelection plans and then on Ukraine aid.
In the final weeks of the campaign, Spartz dumped $700,000 of her own money into her campaign after being significantly outspent by Goodrich, who bankrolled his campaign with $4.6 million from his own pockets, according to federal campaign finance numbers.
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Spartz was first elected in 2020 to the 5th District, winning a coveted open seat in Congress that Democrats had been targeting. That year, Spartz loaned her campaign more than $1 million in the competitive race and beat Democrat Christina Hale 50%-46%.
Spartz will now face Democrat Deborah Pickett, a former researcher and Army reservist who won her Democratic primary with 60.2% of the vote after the Associated Press called the race at 8:13 p.m. with 62% of the votes counted.
