Victoria Spartz passes on Senate run, to retire from Congress at end of term

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) on Friday announced she will not run for Congress in 2024, retiring from the House and passing on a bid for Indiana’s open Senate seat.

“It’s been my honor representing Hoosiers in the Indiana State Senate and U.S. Congress and I appreciate the strong support on the ground. 2024 will mark seven years of holding elected office and over a decade in Republican politics,” Spartz, 44, said in a statement. 

“I won a lot of tough battles for the people and will work hard to win a few more in the next two years. However, being a working mom is tough and I need to spend more time with my two high school girls back home, so I will not run for any office in 2024,” she added.

Spartz, a Ukrainian-born lawmaker, has seen her profile rise over the last year over her support for the European nation against the ongoing Russian invasion. 

She has also been in the spotlight in recent weeks for voting “present” several times as Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) sought to lock down votes during a marathon, 15-ballot Speakership fight, as well as for initially vowing to vote against ousting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the Foreign Affairs Committee, before McCarthy won over her and other holdouts.

The lawmaker will leave Congress after only two terms, having replaced former Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) in 2021. She previously served in the Indiana state Senate. 

The news means she will not join the battle to replace retiring Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) in the state’s upcoming Senate primary, which former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) also passed on. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) is the clear favorite in the race, with both the Senate GOP campaign arm and former President Trump both endorsing him within the past week. 

The retirement also means an open race to fill the 5th Congressional District seat, in addition to one in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, which Banks is leaving. 

Former President Trump won the district in 2020 with 57 percent to only 41 percent for President Biden. Spartz won the seat by only 4.1 percentage points in 2020, 50 percent to 45.9 percent, before expanding that margin to 22.2 percentage points last year.

According to the Cook Political Report, the 5th Congressional District is R +11, meaning the district performed 11 points more Republican than the nation did overall.