Spartz won't seek elected office in 2024

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) delivered a astonishment announcement Friday, saying she would not activity Indiana’s unfastened Senate spot aliases reelection to nan House adjacent year.

“I won a batch of reliable battles for nan group and will activity difficult to triumph a fewer much successful nan adjacent 2 years,” she said successful a statement. “However, being a moving mom is reliable and I request to walk much clip pinch my 2 precocious schoolhouse girls backmost home, truthful I will not tally for immoderate agency successful 2024.”

Spartz’s announcement removes different obstacle to Rep. Jim Banks’ (R-Ind.) quest for nan unfastened Senate spot being vacated by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who’s moving for politician of their location state. Her decision-making was 1 of nan biggest remaining unfastened questions successful a Senate section that winnowed earlier this week erstwhile former Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.) passed connected a bid.

The Indiana Republican only arrived connected Capitol Hill successful 2021, but she’s trim a peripatetic way since getting there. Just past month, she voted “present” aggregate times arsenic Kevin McCarthy struggled to triumph capable support for nan speakership, a move aft initially supporting him.

Then she issued a beardown connection opposing nan removal of House Democratic members from their panels, citing owed process concerns, earlier backtracking amid statement leaders’ non-binding concessions and supported yanking Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from nan Foreign Affairs Committee.

The first Ukrainian-born lawmaker elected to Congress besides drew cringes from wrong her ain party aft aggravated criticisms of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid nan country’s struggle against a Russian invasion. Many feared Spartz’s comments would beryllium utilized to undermine nan U.S.-Ukraine confederation astatine a important constituent successful nan conflict.

Spartz has besides drawn scrutiny for her mediocre unit retention rate. Several of her erstwhile aides described to POLITICO a dispute activity environment wherever nan leader wielded an unpredictable and volatile temper.

Her district, Indiana’s 5th, was made importantly much Republican-friendly during redistricting, truthful nan GOP will beryllium favored to clasp it adjacent fall.