INDIANAPOLIS

Spartz, Hale claim victory in Indiana 5th District

Kaitlin Lange
Indianapolis Star

Republican Victoria Spartz and Democrat Christina Hale have claimed victory in the Indiana 5th District primaries, with many votes still left uncounted. 

Whoever wins in November will fill retiring U.S. Rep. Susan Brook's seat, which has historically been Republican-leaning. 

That election in the 5th District, which stretches from the northern parts of Marion County up to the city of Marion and includes all of Hamilton County, will likely be one of the most watched races in the nation come November. 

"I’m humbled and honored to earn the support of my fellow Hoosiers of the 5th District," Spartz said shortly after her victory. "Our country is going through very challenging times. It's not the first time, it's not the last time. We will emerge with the right leadership stronger than ever."

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When the Associated Press called the race, state Sen. Spartz led the Republicans with 38.9% of the vote, with 51% of precincts reporting statewide, followed by former nurse Beth Henderson with 18.7% of the vote and former student worship pastor Micah Beckwith with 13.1% of the vote. 

Meanwhile, former state Rep. Christina Hale led the Democrats with 39.4% of the vote with 59% of precincts reporting, followed by corporate consultant Dee Thornton with 27% of the vote and scientist Jennifer Christie with 17.2% of the vote. 

"I am honored to be the Democratic nominee in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District, and want to thank everyone who has supported our campaign," Hale said in a statement. "Our community is facing unprecedented challenges, and I’m committed to taking action on the issues most critical to families across the 5th District."

Democratic 5th District nominee Christina Hale

For more than two decades, Republicans have had little trouble winning the 5th District. But now, with Brooks' retirement and other similar suburban districts turning more blue, pundits and Democrats alike think there's a chance a Democrat could win. That’s what made these 5th District primary elections so important.

Is Hale moderate enough to flip the district, or will Spartz be able to fend off Indiana and national Democrats in search of a win?

The result could be a high-priced election with involvement from national groups and politicians. 

The Republicans

On the Republican side, 15 candidates filed to run, making the race one of the most crowded in the country. 

With a large field and the uncertainty of an unprecedented race, Republicans struggled to stand out. Candidates used controversial statements and loaned themselves large sums of money in an attempt to give themselves a leg up.

And in the final weeks of what was mostly a docile primary, some candidates went on the attack against Spartz, who had the most money as of mid-May.

More than half of the Republican candidates turned to personal loans, six of which relied on personal money to raise more than 50% of their total funds.

Spartz by far contributed the most money to her campaign with a total of $900,000 in personal loans, including a last minute $150,000 loan she gave herself just last week. 

Meanwhile, state Treasurer Kelly Mitchell raised nearly $335,000 by mid-May, the most of any candidate when not including personal loans. 

Spartz had the most cash on hand by mid-May followed by Henderson, Mitchell, veteran Kent Abernathy and former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi. 

The Democrats

On the Democratic side pundits knew Hale would  be difficult to beat. 

The former Democratic lieutenant governor nominee ran against scientist Christie; Jacobs, the son of former Indiana congressman with the same name; Ralph Spelbring, a former 6th Congressional District candidate; and Thornton, a Carmel corporate consultant who ran against Brooks as the Democratic nominee in 2018.

Hale already had raised at least 16 times the amount of money that her fellow Democratic opponents had by the middle of May and has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Plus, because the coronavirus ruined candidates' chances to campaign door-to-door and shifted voters' attention off the election, pricey ad buys — the kind that Hale can afford— became all that much more important.

Hale had raised more than $1 million by the middle of May when not including personal loans, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission. Thornton raised the next highest with nearly $64,800, followed by Christie,  with $34,700 and Jacobs with $12,800. Ralph Spelbring did not filed with the FEC. 

Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.