Victoria Spartz defeats Christina Hale in Indiana 5th Congressional District race
UPDATE: 8:31 p.m. Wednesday
Republican Victoria Spartz has won election to the U.S. House in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District, The Associated Press projects.
Spartz issued a statement minutes later: “I am so honored and humbled by the trust the people of Indiana’s 5th District have placed in me. This has been a long, tough campaign and I look forward uniting Hoosiers around real solutions and serving every resident of Indiana’s 5th District by ensuring we have the right policies for a strong economy, good schools, affordable healthcare and a great quality of life.”
At 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, with 99% of precincts reporting, Spartz had 50% and Christina Hale trailed with 46%.
Spartz planned a news conference for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Hamilton County Republican Headquarters in Westfield.
Hale also issued a statement Wednesday night:
“Congratulations to Victoria Spartz, our next Congresswoman from Indiana.
“Today, I would like to acknowledge the effort of everyone who supported our campaign. From our talented and hardworking staff to the hundreds of volunteers who spent hours phone-banking on our behalf, to the thousands who put up a yard sign, and everyone who contributed. I am in awe of the depth of support from my husband Chris and all of my dearest friends and family. We would not have gotten this far without you and I’ll always be thankful for your help.
“For more than a year, we spoke about protecting and expanding every Hoosiers’ right to affordable health care and promoting bipartisanship and civility in our politics. This was a historically close race, and our message clearly resonated with voters. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to talk about the issues that matter most to our community and lift up the voices of so many people in our district.
“Lastly, I want to congratulate all of the incredible candidates across the country who ran tonight – both those who won their races and those who came up short. Now is the time for all of us to come together and to do the hard work of defeating this pandemic and building a brighter future for all Americans.”
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This is breaking news. Below is previous coverage.
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – A heated race between two Indiana women in the 5th Congressional District is not over yet.
Republican Victoria Spartz claims her campaign is on track to win.
Democrat Christina Hale is not conceding and the race has not yet been called.
The Associated Press has not projected a winner in the race.
On Tuesday evening, Spartz addressed the media and declared victory.
The Hale campaign released the following statement:
Hoosiers deserve to have their votes counted and voices heard. The Spartz campaign’s declaration is premature and flies in the face of our democratic process. As we said earlier, there are almost 100,000 mail-in votes in the Fifth District that have not yet been counted, specifically in Marion and Hamilton Counties. We will continue to monitor vote totals before making any formal announcements and we would ask that Victoria Spartz extend voters that same courtesy.
At 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, with 89% of precincts reporting, Spartz has 51% and Hale trails with 45%.