Victoria Spartz maintains lead in GOP primary for 5th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz maintained an early lead in the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District Tuesday night with about 39% of votes counted just before 8 p.m.

Spartz currently leads with about 39% of the vote with state Rep. Chuck Goodrich at 34% of the vote and Max Engling with 10% of the vote, according to preliminary results.

Republican voters in the 5th District saw a primary with twists and turns that started more than a year ago in February 2023 when Spartz announced she would not seek reelection to Congress and planned to spend more time with her family.

Over the next ten months, Republican candidates lined up to run for the rare opportunity to fill an open U.S. House seat that had been redistricted in 2021 to favor Republicans. Raju Chinthala, Max Engling, Chuck Goodrich, Mark Hurt, Patrick Malayter, Matthew Peiffer, LD Powell and Larry Savage all launched campaigns last year.

From December: Is U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz in or out? Republicans lining up to run as she weighs decision

Spartz officially reversed course in early February and filed for reelection just days before the primary filing deadline. While the congresswoman has the power of incumbency in the nine-person primary, she has faced attacks from opponents both for flipping her decision and her record in Congress, mostly from Goodrich, a state representative from Noblesville and CEO of Gaylor Electric.

In the three months since Spartz announced her plans to seek another term, the race has largely been a fight between Goodrich and Spartz. Internal polling from both campaigns ahead of the primary showed voters were mostly split between the two, or were undecided.

Since February, Goodrich has swiped at Spartz and criticized her record in Washington D.C. in statements, mailers and television ads. The businessman has raised nearly $5.5 million, mostly boosted by a $4.6 million personal loan to his campaign and spent just over $4 million.

Spartz has swiped back at Goodrich, attacking his business experience, wealth and legislative record at the Statehouse. The congresswoman faced a major fundraising gap between her and Goodrich, largely due to her late entry in the race and Goodrich’s personal donations.

Fact check: What is true and false in Spartz and Goodrich 5th Congressional District attack ads?

In forums and events across the district, the biggest issues highlighted by 5th District candidates have been the economy, immigration, border security and foreign aid funding.

The winning candidate in the 5th District Republican primary will face the victor of the Democratic primary: Deborah Pickett or Ryan Pfenninger.

This story will be updated as election results are released Tuesday.

Contact IndyStar's state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X@CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Victoria Spartz maintains lead in 5th Congressional District primary