Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Eleven candidates—nine Republicans and two Democrats—vying to represent Indiana’s 5th Congressional District took part in a forum Thursday evening at Anderson High School. But despite the crowded field and non-debate format, incumbent U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz found moments to throw jabs at her closest competitor.
The two-hour-long event was hosted by the League of Women Voters Indiana. The candidates each had about a minute to answer the questions posed about their priorities if they were elected to the seat.
Spartz is the presumptive frontrunner, but state Rep. Chuck Goodrich’s campaign has said its internal numbers show the race is close with a significant number of undecided voters.
The congresswoman did not hold back attacks on Goodrich during an otherwise amiable forum.
Spartz doubled-down on claims she uses in an ad against Goodrich in which she says he voted to allow Chinese companies to buy Indiana farmland. In closing remarks, Spartz accused Goodrich of “supporting bills to funnel money to China.”
The farmland statement is related to House Bill 1138, which Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law earlier this year. It prohibits people or organizations from six countries—Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela—from owning or leasing Hoosier farmland along with mineral, riparian or water rights.
Goodrich voted for House Bill 1138 when the House passed it initially and again on final passage after the Senate made changes, according to legislative records. But Spartz’s ad and comments appear to refer to a change made to the bill to accomodate an existing property owned by a Switzerland-based agri-chemical company that was acquired by ChemChina in 2017
Spartz also said that in the Legislature, Goodrich was “on the opposite side” of votes that were anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment. “My opponent has a record,” Spartz said.
Because it was not a debate, the candidates were not given opportunities to rebut or respond. On Friday, the Goodrich campaign sent a statement to IBJ saying the Republican “is 100% pro-life” and voted “to make Indiana one of the most pro-life states in the country.” Legislative records show Goodrich voted yes on final House passage of the 2022 law that bans abortion in Indiana except in just a few circumstances, including when the life of the mother is at risk.
In answer to a later question at the forum, Goodrich said that he supported the Second Amendment by voting in favor of Indiana’s permitless carry law. “No other candidate was ranked higher by the NRA than Chuck Goodrich,” the campaign said Friday.
The other GOP candidates in the 5th District primary are Raju Chinthala, Max Engling, Mark Hurt, Patrick Malayter, Matthew Peiffer, Lonnie D. Powell, and Larry Savage.
Chinthala, the founder and president of the Indiana-India Business Council and formerly a senior adviser for India for the Indiana Economic Development Corp. was endorsed by former Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard. Engling served as a staffer for former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Spartz had announced last year that she planned to forgo a second term to spend more time with her two young daughters. Then, after several Republicans had already started campaigning to replace her, Spartz announced in February that she would seek reelection after all.
She said onstage Thursday that she was determined not to become a “career politician” and intially “decided maybe I need to take some time off to get my sanity back.” Ultimately, she said, she believed she was the only candidate who could protect the country from “corrupt as hell” RINO Republicans, a term that stands for “Republican in Name Only.”
“I had to get back in,” Spartz said in her opening remarks.
Two Democrats, Ryan Pfenninger and Deborah Pickett, also appeared onstage Thursday. Although Spartz faced a competitive race in 2020 against Democrat Christina Hale, the seat is expected to lean more Republican this election cycle due to redistricting. Parts of Marion County, which lean more Democratic, were redrawn into the 7th District, which is represented by U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, who is seeking reelection.
Here’s where the leading candidates in the GOP primary stood on the issues.
Aid to Ukraine
A fight between Spartz and Goodrich on aid to Ukraine has attracted national media attention.
Spartz was born in Soviet-controlled Ukraine in 1978 and immigrated to the United States in 2000. Goodrich is airing ads accusing Spartz of putting “Ukraine first,” prioritizing aid for the country over securing U.S. borders, The Washington Post reported.
But despite her strong ties to the war-torn country, Spartz indicated only moderate support for aid, stating that any aid needs to be given strategically with “no slush fund and no blank checks.” Her comments mirror reporting from The Wall Street Journal that the two-term congresswoman is skeptical of a Senate funding package that includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Engling and Chinthala echoed that the U.S. can’t give Ukraine “blank checks.” Instead, Chinthala said, the U.S. needs to focus on taking care of homeless people in it’s own borders.
Goodrich said simply that he does not support additional aid to Ukraine.
Marijuana legalization
Chinthala separated himself from the field by supporting the legalization of medical marijuana.
Prior to his recent work in economic development, Chinthala worked in the health care field as a speech pathologist. He cited this experience in his support of medical marijuana.
“I’ve seen patients dying in the nursing homes, more than 100-year-olds, so I’m all for it. But it has to be medical marijuana,” Chinthala said.
Engling, Goodrich and Spartz said they would not support federal legalization of marijuana.
“I believe that we have to support our veterans and we have to support the folks with mental health [problems], but I do
not believe that legalizing marijuana is the way to do that,” Goodrich said.
Spartz said she is concerned about harsh sentences for individuals charged with possession of marijuana. She said Congress needs to ensure “the punishment fits the crime.”
Support for Mike Johnson
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is currently facing a motion to vacate filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. The move to remove Johnson from his leadership position has come less than six months into his tenure and follows months of GOP infighting.
All Republican candidates said that, at least for now, they would support Johnson.
Engling, who has worked in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 12 years, said he knows and supports Johnson.
“The House needs to just get to work, and I don’t think kicking Speaker Johnson out when they get back in session is going to do anything to get them back to work,” Engling said.
Spartz said Johnson is “a good human being” who “has a good heart” but that she would hold any speaker accountable.
Goodrich and Chinthala said they would support Johnson, with Chinthala adding that he would also support bipartisan legislation that provides “common sense solutions.”
Another candidate forum for the 5th District candidates will be April 10 at Bible Baptist Church in Kokomo. That 6 p.m. event is sponsored by the church and Biblical Citizenship in Modern America.
The primary election is May 7. The deadline to register to vote is April 8.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Think trying to call Goodrich “an ally of China” is a bit of a reach. And someone to announce they are getting out, only to change 3 days before the filing deadline, actually looks like someone who realized the “gig was pretty good, maybe I shouldn’t give that up?”
Change is good. Think a self-made business person like Goodrich is worth a try for DC.