INDIANAPOLIS — A Ukrainian-born lawmaker who recently opposed sending aid to her war-torn country defends her seat Tuesday against a fellow Republican who has outpaced her in spending and fundraising .
US Representative Victoria Spartaz is the first and only member of the House of Representatives of Ukrainian descent and has a history of supporting the country. But before her primary, she changed her position and voted against sending $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. She has defended the change, arguing that her loyalty is to America first and that she wants to see policy on the U.S.-Mexico border included in the aid package, a position widely shared by her Republican opponents.
Elections in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis will determine whether Spartz’s maneuvers bear fruit. More broadly, the race is a barometer of whether support for Ukraine is an important issue among GOP voters. The issue has become an increasingly contentious topic among Republicans in Washington, where many are pushing for aid cuts.
If defeated, Spartz would be the first House Republican to lose a primary this year in a race that was not affected by redistricting.
The primary marks the latest twist in Spartaz’s political career. She won a close primary race in 2020 and was unchallenged for the GOP nomination in 2022. She had initially planned to leaving Congress last yearchoosing not to seek re-election to her House seat and forgoing a chance to run for the Senate seat vacated by Republicans. Mike Braun.
She then changed course, deciding to run for another term in the House. But his changing plans allowed state Rep. Chuck Goodrich to outsell Spartaz by millions of dollars and become his main competitor in the primary.
Former Chairman of Presumptive Statewide Presidential Candidates Donald Trump and president Joe Biden are looking to gather more delegates en route to their respective party conventions later this summer. Trump took Indiana by 16 points in 2020. The only question on the GOP side is how many votes will go to former South Carolina governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is still on the ballot primary after abandonment of the race in March.
Voters in Indiana are barred from voting » uncommitted“The protest movement in some states against Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas has cast doubt on the president’s Democratic support in November.
The most watched and costliest contest in the state is the six-way race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. Braun is considered the frontrunner in the race, bolstered by several advantages: notoriety, money and support from Trump. It spent more than $6 million in the first three months of 2024 alone.
Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch campaigned to reduce the state income tax. Also in the running are two former commercial secretaries, Brad Rooms – who contributed $10 million to his campaign – and Eric Doden.
Once considered a likely governor of the Hoosier State, former Attorney General Curtis Hill…
