Republican Indiana Representative Victoria Spartz defied her past proclamation on Monday by saying she would run for reelection to the House of Representatives. Spartz had previously planned to retire.
The 45-year-old Spartz, born in Ukraine, decided not to run for reelection about a year ago.
Spartz said choosing between your family, your job, and your nation is never easy. For personal reasons, including wanting to spend more time with her family in Indiana and recharge, she stepped away from the race.
She said that coming from a background of tyranny, she truly grasped the gravity of these difficult times for the United States and that it would be a privilege to continue fighting for her fellow Hoosiers and God.
To succeed Spartz in the reliably Republican 5th Congressional District of Indiana—which encompasses the northern Indianapolis suburbs—nine Republicans have already filed their candidacy papers.
At this point, forty members of the House have chosen not to seek reelection, with seventeen Republicans and twenty-three Democrats making up the total, according to Ballotpedia.
The remaining 23 lawmakers would prefer to stay out of politics altogether, in contrast to the 17 vying for higher office (such as senator, governor, or, in the instance of Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.)—the presidency included.
Mitt Romney (R–Utah) and Joe Manchin (D–WV) are two of seven sitting senators who will be departing Congress following the 2024 election.
Republicans, who have a razor-thin 219-212 majority in the House, will be relieved by Spartz’s announcement.
Even though the Republican from Indiana did not join the eight other Republicans who ousted previous House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October, she gained notoriety for voting “present” during the first battle for the speakership.
This development further complicates Spartz’s congressional seat campaign, as nine Republicans have previously submitted their candidacy paperwork to the Secretary of State. Public records maintained by the Secretary of State’s office show that no Democrats had submitted their paperwork as of Monday.
