Democrat Christina Hale and Republican Victoria Spartz to face off in House race in Indiana

Former Democratic state Rep. Christina Hale and Republican state Sen. Victoria Spartz won their respective House primaries in Indiana on Tuesday and will face off in November in the race to replace retiring Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.).

Both Hale and Spartz were leading their respective primaries in Indiana’s 5th District with nearly 70 percent of precincts reporting, according to The Associated Press. 

The race is expected to be competitive, with the Cook Political Report rating it before the primary as “lean Republican.”

Mitt Romney won the district by 17 points in 2012 and President Trump prevailed by 12 points in 2016. Brooks won reelection to her seat in 2018 by about 14 points.