Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said on Feb. 3 that she will not run for reelection to her Indiana congressional seat next year, nor will she run in the Republican primary for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Spartz, 44, said in her statement that she found being a working mother to be a difficult balance, and she wanted to spend more time with her two high school-aged daughters.
“[The year] 2024 will mark seven years of holding elected office and over a decade in Republican politics.
“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.”
Despite being Ukraine-born, the Indiana Republican has been critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government since the Russian invasion began last February. Spartz has alleged high-level corruption within the Kyiv government.
Spartz’s decision to resign likely strengthens the hopes of Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) for the Senate seat from the Republican-dominated state after former Gov. Mitch Daniels withdrew to run earlier this week.
Current GOP Sen. Mike Braun’s decision to run for governor in 2024 sparked a flurry of activity in the Senate, but Banks has backing from former President Donald Trump and the Senate Republican national campaign group.
Since being initially elected to Congress in 2016 from a strongly Republican district in central Indiana, Banks has evolved into a fierce supporter of Trump.
Spartz was elected to her second term in a central Indiana district in November after facing a tight and costly campaign to win the seat for the first time in 2020.
A redrawn district map shifted the Democratic-leaning north side of Indianapolis out of her district and gave her the more GOP-friendly rural areas north and northeast of the city.
Consequently, she defeated her Democratic contender with 61 percent of the vote to take her second term.
