Democrat J.D. Ford declared victory Tuesday night in Indiana's 5th Congressional District, unseating three-term Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz in one of the state's biggest election upsets.
With 93 percent of votes counted as of 10:15 p.m., Ford held 51.6 percent of the vote to Spartz's 48.4 percent, according to the Associated Press, with nearly 255,000 votes tallied at that point. Results remain unofficial until certified.
The district stretches from Indianapolis' northern suburbs into north-central Indiana, including Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Anderson, Muncie and Marion. Spartz had won reelection two years ago by more than 18 percentage points, and the seat had been considered safely Republican after the state's 2021 redistricting. In the final days of the campaign, the Cook Political Report moved the race from Likely Republican to Leans Republican as it tightened.
Ford, a two-term state senator from Indianapolis first elected in 2018, was the first openly gay member of the Indiana General Assembly. He campaigned on household affordability, healthcare and government accountability, criticizing federal tariffs and calling for protections for Medicaid funding and rural hospitals.
Spartz, a former state senator first elected to Congress in 2020, campaigned on federal spending reductions, healthcare changes and border enforcement. Ford will take office in January for a two-year term, and his move to Congress will open his Indiana Senate seat, which covers parts of Marion and Hamilton counties.
