From the beginning, U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz had pledged to serve no more than three terms in office.
It’s been one of the core issues on her campaign website since she first ran for the 5th Congressional District in 2020.
“Politics was never meant to be a career, but a duty to society,” it read. “I believe in term limits and will self-impose term limits to a maximum three terms or less.”
At some point in April, just weeks before the primary election for what could be her fourth term, the second sentence vanished.
It’s one of many twists and turns in Spartz’ political philosophy. The Ukrainian-born fiscal hawk has become notorious for changing her mind during high-stakes votes. In 2024, she decided to decline House Republican committee assignments. And if you ask some of the many Democratic contenders hoping to flip her purplish district containing Hamilton County, she’s politically vulnerable in November, though analysts who track which seats are at-risk of flipping seem to disagree.
Democrats’ optimism has led to a crowded Democratic primary with seven candidates on the ballot on May 5. On the Republican ballot, Spartz faces a challenger, too.
A few of those Democratic candidates are particularly well-financed: Democratic state Rep. J.D. Ford and small business owner Dylan McKenna have both outraised Spartz in the first quarter of 2026 and boast roughly double her cash-on-hand.
Spartz did not directly comment on her fundraising haul or her decision to break her term-limit pledge but criticized Democrats in a message sent to IndyStar via a spokesperson.
“Congresswoman Spartz looks forward to the fall campaign against a liberal Democrat who supports massive spending increases, more corporate subsidies for big insurance and believes the federal government should require teenage girls to share locker rooms with men,” the statement read. “America faces serious challenges and the Democratic candidates offer nothing other than failed big-government socialism. Congresswoman Spartz will continue fighting to change Washington’s broken ways to help the people of Indiana.”
Just money, or momentum?
Both Ford and McKenna were a bit surprised to see they’d outraised Spartz. And while their immediate focus is on winning the Democratic primary, they attribute their campaign finance wins to an energized Democratic base and hard work.
“I made a couple thousand phone calls and we pulled as many fish in the boat as we could,” said McKenna, whose day job is in technology sales.
McKenna never thought he would go into politics, he told IndyStar, but he decided to run when immigration enforcement agents shot and killed Renee Good in Minnesota.
“I felt sort of the ground shifting beneath my feet,” he said, “and I kind of had this feeling that I wasn’t in the country that I thought I was in.”
McKenna doesn’t know what’s motivating other Democrats, though many Americans seem to share a sense of dissatisfaction with the nation’s political direction. Trump’s approval rating peaked at 43% in 2026 and has generally declined since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Opposing parties tend to get a boost in midterm elections. Ford said his fundraising success is just one sign of that momentum.
“This district is prime for us,” he said.
Notably, Spartz has proven resilient in the past: she fended off eight Republican challengers in 2024 after entering the race days before the filing deadline and despite having less funds than her most formidable opponent. She has consistently beat her Democratic opponents by double-digits since the 5th Congressional District was redrawn during 2021 redistricting.
It still may be Indiana Democrats’ best hopes of a congressional pick-up in 2026.
“This one feels like an opportunity (for Democrats),” Laura Merrifield Wilson, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis, said.
The issue is relative for the minority party; in a state composed mostly of deep red and deep blue districts, Merrifield Wilson said, the 5th is somewhat of a purple “island.” There are some bright spots for Democrats, as the area encompasses Muncie, a former rust belt city that at one time leaned Democratic, and Hamilton County, a suburban county that has shifted 28 points to the left between 2012 and 2024. But no Democrat has held the seat since the 1990s, and it will likely be an uphill battle to break decades of Republican rule.
Is Spartz politically vulnerable in 2026?
Ford and McKenna both argue that the 5th Congressional District is growing tired of Spartz, fueled in part by broader dissatisfaction with the Trump administration and Congress. While the jury’s out on how widespread such feelings are, Spartz saw a piece of it during a particularly contentious town hall in 2025.
She’s also increasingly distanced herself from the party over the past year and a half. She’s refused to caucus with Republicans or sit on committees due to a lack of confidence in GOP leadership in Congress, though she’s a staunch supporter of Trump and his agenda. “I do not need to be involved in circuses,” she said in a 2024 post announcing the move.
The Republican has not shied away from occasionally being a thorn in her party’s side, either, such as when she was one of two House Republicans to vote against a measure to end the government shutdown in September. Other times, she’s used her vote as a bargaining chip on budgetary matters, usually joining Republicans after cajoling from the speaker.
Ford argues that voters in the 5th Congressional District are tired of that.
“She pretends to be a maverick,” Ford said, “but at the end of the day buckles at the last minute when the speaker calls, or when Donald Trump calls.”
Which candidates have the most money?
Here’s how much candidates have in their campaign accounts ahead of the primary election May 5, according to Federal Election Commission data:
Republicans:
Democrats:
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Democrats have more money than Rep. Victoria Spartz in 5th District race. Will it matter?
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
