Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) bucked a Washington trend Monday — rejecting her original plan to retire and announcing she would seek a third term in Congress after all.
The Ukraine-born Spartz, 45, announced almost exactly a year ago that she would not seek re-election — passing up a potential Senate bid in the process.
“Deciding where your duty lies – family, work, or country, is never an easy task. Earlier last year, I decided to take some time off from running for public office to recharge and spend more time in Indiana with my family,” Spartz said in a statement.
“As someone who grew up under tyranny, I understand the significance of these challenging times for our Republic, and if my fellow Hoosiers and God decide, I will be honored to continue fighting for them.”
At least nine Republicans have filed candidate papers to replace Spartz in Indiana’s safe Republican 5th Congressional District, which includes the northern suburbs of Indianapolis.
Last February, when she announced her initial retirement plans, Spartz argued that “being a working mom is tough” and that she wanted to spend more time with her family.
As of Monday, 40 House lawmakers — 23 Democrats and 17 Republicans — have opted against seeking another two-year term, according to Ballotpedia.
While 17 congresspeople are seeking higher office — be it governor, senator or, in the case of Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), the presidency — the remaining 23 want out of public life completely.
Seven sitting senators are also leaving Congress after the 2024 election, including Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Manchin (D-WV).
The number of retirements in this cycle isn’t a record — with 55 members of Congress stepping away in the midterm years of 2022 and 2018.
However, it has surpassed the 40 who walked away in 2020 and the 45 who did not seek re-election in 2016.
Spartz’s announcement will come as a relief to Republicans, who hold a slim 219-212 majority in the House.
