Nine candidates are running in the Republican primary in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District on May 7, 2024. Incumbent Rep. Victoria Spartz (R) and Chuck Goodrich (R) lead in polls and local media attention.
Spartz announced in Feb. 2023 that she would not run for re-election. Spartz rescinded her retirement decision on Feb. 5, 2024, in order to seek re-election. According to The Washington Post, “several campaign strategists have noted the difficulty she has had in regaining support from her constituents after Goodrich made inroads campaigning for the months while she was out of the race.” Both candidates have criticized their opponent’s foreign policy, with Goodrich accusing Spartz of prioritizing Ukraine’s interests over the United States and Spartz accusing Goodrich of prioritizing China’s interests over the United States.
Spartz, first elected in 2020, is running on her record. Spartz says she was responsible for “12 bills signed into law and many policies developed from scratch.” Spartz says her upbringing in the USSR guides her policy views: “limited government is always better, and financial and healthcare decisions should be made by individuals in the free market, not bureaucrats and special interests.”
Goodrich is a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and the owner of Gaylor Electric. Goodrich says he is running to promote “conservative principles, personal responsibility, the dignity of every individual, and a truly free market.” Goodrich says he is focused on ending generational poverty, including by introducing a law in the state legislature allowing students to receive vocational training without affecting their family’s eligibility to receive benefits.
Also running in the primary are Raju Chinthala (R), Max Engling (R), Mark Hurt (R), Patrick Malayter (R), Matthew Peiffer (R), Lonnie Powell (R), and Larry Savage Jr. (R).
As of April 11, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball each rated the general election Solid/Safe Republican. In 2022, Spartz defeated Jeannine Lee Lake (D) 61.1%–38.9%.
All 435 seats are up for election. Republicans have a 218 to 213 majority with four vacancies. As of March 2024, 42 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 41.0% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 57.0%.
