• Election results from WISHTV.com

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U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, who lost her congressional seat, admonished Hamilton County voters after Tuesday’s election.

The Republican issued a statement early Wednesday: “This election is a wake-up call for Indiana. An influx of liberal voters has turned Hamilton County, once one of the top 20 most conservative counties in the country, blue – with not enough rural Indiana voters to offset those numbers. Democrats significantly outspent us and ran a very dishonest campaign, but I urge my supporters not to get discouraged. We may not win every battle, but WE WILL WIN THE WAR!”

Shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, The Associated Press projected Spartz, 48, would lose her seat to Indiana state Sen. J.D. Ford, 43. He won his state Senate seat in 2018, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the General Assembly.

In a statement, Ford declared victory shortly after 10 p.m. “This victory belongs to every person who has felt ignored by Washington, every family struggling to make ends meet and every voter who refused to believe that change was impossible,” Ford said in part of the statement. “Hoosiers are working harder, paying more and getting less in return.”

With 99% of votes counted at 1:03 a.m. Wednesday, Ford led with 134,476 votes over Spartz’ 125,851, AP reported.

Spartz was the first Ukrainian-born member of the U.S. Congress, having assumed office in 2021.

Both candidates called for more government accountability. Ford’s platform also included affordability and access to health care, while Spartz called for reducing federal spending and debt and changing immigration policies.

Last week, the Cook Political Report changed its rating of Indiana’s 5th Congressional District from “Likely R” to “Lean R.” Earlier this year, the report rated Spartz’s seat “Solid R.”

Major cities in the 5th Congressional District include Anderson, Carmel, Fishers, Fortville, Frankfort, Greentown, Hartford City, Kokomo, part of Lawrence, Lebanon, Logansport, Marion, McCordsville, Muncie, Noblesville, Pendleton, Peru, Sheridan, Tipton, Wabash, Westfield, Whitestown and Zionsville.

The last Democrat to represent Indiana’s 5th District, which then covered Hamilton County and surrounding northern Indianapolis suburbs, was Jim Jontz, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993.

Indiana has nine congressional districts. Six Republican incumbents and two Democratic incumbents were projected to win reelection.

In the 1st District, Democrat Rep. Frank Mrvan was projected to win reelection in the northwest Indiana district. He had about 63% of the vote.

Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman was projected to win reelection to the 3rd District, with about 54% of the vote. The northeast Indiana district includes Fort Wayne, Angola, Auburn, Huntington, Kendallville and New Haven.

In the 4th District, Republican Rep. Jim Baird was projected to win reelection, with about 54% of the vote. Cities in the district include Lafayette, West Lafayette, Plainfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Lebanon, Crawfordsville, Greencastle, Martinsville, Mooresville, Frankfort and Danville.

Republican Rep. Jefferson Shreve was projected to be reelected to the 6th District seat. The district includes parts of south Indianapolis, as well as the cities of Greenwood, Columbus, Richmond, Franklin, Greenfield, Shelbyville, New Castle, Beech Grove and Connersville. Shreve won about 56% of the vote.

Democrat Rep. André Carson was projected to win reelection to the 7th District, which covers Indianapolis, with about 70% of the vote.

Republican Rep. Mark Messmer was projected to win reelection to the 8th District with about 55% of the vote. The district includes the cities of Evansville, Terre Haute, Vincennes, Jasper, Princeton and Washington.

In the 9th District, Republican Rep. Erin Houchin was projected to win reelection, with 54% of the vote. The district includes Bloomington, part of Franklin, part of Greenwood, Jeffersonville, New Albany, Paoli, and Salem. She said in a statement that she hopes to continue to hold government accountable, lower the cost of healthcare, secure elections, and strengthen communities.

In December, the Republican supermajority in the Indiana Senate voted down a proposal to redraw congressional district boundaries ahead of Tuesday’s midterm election, perturbing Gov. Mike Braun and President Donald Trump.

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