Victoria Spartz announces retirement at end of term

Rep. Victoria Spartz announced Friday she is not seeking reelection to the House or launching a bid for Indiana’s open Senate seat next cycle.

“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,” Ms. 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.”

Ms. Spartz, a Republican, will have served only two terms after the 2024 cycle is finished. Born in Ukraine, she later immigrated to the U.S. and served as a state lawmaker in Indiana’s Senate. In 2021, she replaced former Rep. Susan Brooks, a Republican, in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District.

Ms. Spartz was reportedly considering a run for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Sen. Mike Braun, a Republican who plans a gubernatorial run next year. However, former Republican Study Chairman Rep. Jim Banks began to clear the GOP field when he announced his Senate candidacy last month and received the support of the Senate GOP campaign arm and former President Donald Trump.

According to the Cook Political Report, her district is an R +11, which means it performed 11 points more Republican than the nation did as a whole. 

During her time in Congress, Ms. Spartz made a name for herself as an advocate for Ukrainians fighting against the Russian invasion. More recently, she and some of her fellow Freedom Caucus members were among the group of GOP lawmakers who temporarily frustrated Speaker Kevin McCarthy bid to become speaker.