State Sen. Spartz makes run for Congress official

Indiana State Sen. Victoria Spartz, R-Noblesville, on Wednesday officially announced that she was entering the crowded race for U.S. Congress in the 5th District.

The announcement comes less than a month after she publicly disclosed she was “suspending her race for state Senate to explore her run for Congress.”

Spartz defeated six other candidates in a caucus vote in September 2017 to fill former Sen. Luke Kenley’s seat in Senate District 20. Her term ends in 2020.

At least 12 other Republicans have entered the race to replace Susan Brooks, who has represented the district since 2013 and announced in June that she would not seek re-election in 2020.

Former Bureau of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Kent Abernathy, retired Riley Hospital for Children doctor Chuck Dietzen, Indiana State Treasurer Kelly Mitchell, Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith, Concise Capital Management fund accountant Danny Niederberger and farmer Beth Henderson are among those running.

Republican Steve Braun suspended his campaign for the seat in October due to an unspecified health issue.

The 5th District includes the northern portion of Indianapolis and the northern and eastern suburbs.

“We must reverse our country from the socialistic course we are on and return to the founding principles of limited government and individual freedoms,” Spartz said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Our country is run by special interests, large corporate groups, and the Washington political machine. The politically connected and rich keep getting richer and everyone else is becoming more and more equally poor.”

Prior to becoming a state senator, Spartz served in financial leadership positions for Fortune 200 companies and was the chief financial officer of the Indiana Office of Attorney General.

Spartz, who was raised in the Ukraine before becoming an American citizen, is a Noblesville resident, an adjunct faculty member at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis and has served as the vice chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party.