IN-05: Democrats eye quickly changing district in ruby-red Indiana
ndiana is considered the “crossroads of America” — the state people don’t go to, but go through. But in one of the most conservative states outside the Deep South, House Democrats see an opportunity to expand their ranks in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District.
The race pits Republican state Sen. Victoria Spartz against former Democratic state Rep. Christina Hale in a battle for the suburban district. If fundraising numbers were votes, Democrats would already hold the advantage. From April to June, Hale raised about $535,000, nearly doubling Spartz’s $279,000.
Spartz’s background as an immigrant from then-socialist Ukraine is central to her campaign in an effort to brandish her support for the free market and entrepreneurship. She was appointed to her state Senate seat in 2017.
Hale takes a bipartisan approach in her election bid, focusing on kitchen table issues and her bipartisan record in Indiana’s legislature. Over 60 of her bills passed in the state House during her four-year tenure, even as Democrats only controlled a third of seats in the chamber.
In June, Spartz sailed to victory in the Republican primary, receiving 40 percent of the vote in a crowded 15-person field. Hale received 41 percent of the vote in her five-way race.
Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) has represented the district since 2013. She shocked many members of her conference with her retirement, citing her belief in term limits, though she vowed to help keep the district in Republican hands, Politico reported. She won the district, which covers the northside of Indianapolis and its suburbs, by 14 points in 2018. The seat has a Cook Partisan Voter Index of R+9, and the Cook Political Report rates the 2020 race as a “toss up.”
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/07/democrats-eye-5th-indiana/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twitt_in05-art-20-072820
