SHERIDAN, Ind. (AP) – Rep. Victoria Spartz, the first and only member of Congress of Ukrainian descent, emerged early as a natural proponent of supporting her native country in its war against Russia. But when $61 billion in additional support for the war This effort recently came up for a vote in the House, but she voted against it.
Instead, she called for greater control of U.S. funds and opposed giving “blank checks” to the Ukrainian cause. She believes U.S. border security should be a top priority.
That puts her more in line with conservative House Republicans and especially voters in her deeply conservative central Indiana congressional district. She is engaged in a tough fight for re-election in the May 7 Republican primary, made even more complicated by her public announcement more than a year ago that she would not seek another term, a decision she then canceled.
The aid package, part of a larger bill that also included aid to Israel, Taiwan and other global hotspots, was approved by the House on April 20, the Senate Tuesday and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Spartz said she was “a little dismayed” that her heritage could dictate her support for the Ukrainian cause if she felt the money would be wasted.
“My responsibility is to protect the American people,” she said in a recent interview.
Spartz spoke at an event hosted by the Hamilton County GOP at a community center in Sheridan, Indiana, a town of a few thousand people. The event, held in a venue just off the city’s Main Street, featured eight of the nine GOP primary candidates, who were able to make their case to voters and Republican officials in the county, one at a time, during a meeting that also included short speeches from the candidates.
Mike Murphy, a former Indiana state representative and political commentator, said in a phone interview that funding Ukraine isn’t really a priority for Republican voters these days. Concerns about the southern border are a bigger catalyst for turnout, something not lost on candidates in the conservative district. Most of Spartz’s opponents in the 5th District seat have said protecting the U.S.-Mexico border should be a bigger priority than sending money to Ukraine.
“They all want to be as much like Trump as possible,” Murphy said.
Border security was hammered during the state representative’s campaign. Chuck Goodrich, the best financed of Spartaz’s eight challengers. He attacked Spartz over her initial support for Ukraine, saying she prioritized “Ukraine.”
Goodrich, who attended Sheridan’s event, acknowledged that Indiana is far from Mexico, but said illegal drugs such as fentanyl enter the United States through the southern border and pose a threat to the heart of the country.
“Every state is a border state,” he said in an interview.
Spartaz beat a crowded 2020 primary field with Donald Trumpwith almost 40% of the votes. She ran unopposed in the 2022 primaries.
Spartaz did things…
