Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz announced Monday that she will be seeking re-election in Indiana in 2024—a surprise reversal after announcing last year that she would not run again.
Spartz, a Ukrainian immigrant who represents a suburban district of Indiana, has already served two terms in Congress and initially said she would not seek a third because she wanted to spend more time with her family.
“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 her statement. Her decision should rattle the nine Republican candidates who have already filed to replace her in Indiana’s fifth congressional district.
ADVERTISEMENT
Spartz cited her Ukrainian background as part of her motivation to seek re-election.
“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.
Spartz, who immigrated from Ukraine in 2000 and gained U.S. citizenship in 2006, is the only Ukrainian member of Congress. She has consistently supported aid to the country in its nearly two-year war against Russia, even as her own party’s views toward spending on the conflict have soured.
Her announcement to seek re-election comes less than 24 hours after the Senate released the full text draft of a high stakes spending bill, which includes $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel, and a host of provisions aimed at managing immigration at the southern border.
For months, aid to Ukraine has stalled as Republicans attempt to force harsher immigration restrictions into the spending package. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) declared the new Senate bill “dead on arrival” in the House, all but certainly delaying funds for U.S. allies even further.
