• Wion
  • /World
  • /Republican Victoria Spartz wins Indiana congressional primary - World News

Republican Victoria Spartz wins Indiana congressional primary

Republican Victoria Spartz wins Indiana congressional primary

Republican Victoria Spartz

Two-term US Rep. Victoria Spartz won a tightly-foughtRepublican primary to defend her Congressional seat in Indiana. Spartz's win camemonths after she decided to run for re-election in a campaign that focused on her opposition to sending aid to her native Ukraine.

She defeated eight rival Republicans to secure her place on the ballot this fall in a solidly Republican district.

"My victory in this election is a testament to the American people and my fellow Hoosiers that money and lies do not buy elections," Spartz said in a statement. "I am honoured to represent Indiana and ready to get back to work to get our great Republic back on track."

Also read |Biden’s approval rating plummets to new low as Trump gains momentum

Statewide in Indiana, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and President Joe Biden piled up more delegates while heading to their respective party conventions later this summer.

Also watch |US Presidential Election 2024: Early voting in SC Republican primary ends

Trump took Indiana by 16 points in 2020 and is favoured there against Biden this year. Butformer UN Ambassador Nikki Haley was still attracting support months after dropping out of the race.

Spartz's stance on Ukraine aid bill

The first and only Ukrainian-born House member, Spartz previously supported Ukraine amid the war with Russia. But ahead of her primary contest, she reversed her position and voted against sending $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. She defended by arguing her loyalty is to America first and said that she wanted to see policy on the US-Mexico border included in the aid package, a position that's largely shared by her Republican challengers.

The election in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis was partly a test of whether Spartz's turnaround paid off or not.Her stance was widely shared by her competitors, including state Rep. Chuck Goodrich, who loaned $4.6 million to his campaign.

Goodrich slammed Spartz over her previous support for Ukraine, saying she puts "Ukraine first". Spartz trailed Goodrich in spending and fundraising by millions of dollars.

The primary is the latest interesting twist in Spartz's political career. She won a tight primary race in 2020 and was not challenged for the GOP nomination in 2022.

(With inputs from agencies)