Ukrainian-born congresswoman defeats challengers at Indiana primary

Rep. Victoria Spartz won the nomination on Tuesday night to defend her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the upcoming election. With nearly 60 percent of the vote, the two-term incumbent beat out eight other candidates vying for her seat. She will face the 5th district’s Democratic candidate Deborah A. Pickett in November. Spartz recently voted against sending more funding to Ukraine, where she was born.

U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump picked up more party delegates on the way to their formal nominations. Biden has faced rising opposition from the Democratic party for his continual support for Israel in its war on Hamas. Democratic voters in Indiana on Tuesday didn’t have an option to vote “uncommitted” on ballots in protest. But voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania have already done so, demonstrating that support for Israel may have cost Biden political support.

Any other notable results from Indiana? U.S. Sen. Mike Braun won the GOP nomination in the upcoming gubernatorial race to take over for term-limited Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. An endorsement from Trump helped Braun beat out five other GOP competitors. He also ran a campaign that spared no expense, burning through more than $6 million in just the first three months of 2024. He will now face the state’s former Republican superintendent of schools, Jennifer McCormick, who is now running as the presumptive Democratic candidate.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report on House members blocking Ukrainian aid earlier this year.