U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, the first and only Ukrainian-born House member, is facing a challenging primary contest on Tuesday against fellow Republican Chuck Goodrich in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis.
Spartz, who supported previous packages to aid her war-torn home country, recently voted against a package containing $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. She argued that her loyalty is to America first and that she wanted to see policy on the U.S.-Mexico border included in the aid package.
The race between Spartz and Goodrich, who has outraised her by millions of dollars, will serve as a barometer of whether support for Ukraine is a powerful issue among GOP voters, as the topic has become increasingly divisive among Republicans in Washington.
If Spartz is defeated, she would be the first House Republican to lose a primary this year in a race not affected by redistricting.
Spartz’s political career has been marked by several twists and turns. She won a tight primary race in 2020 and was unchallenged for the GOP nomination in 2022. Initially planning to leave Congress last year, she reversed course and decided to seek another term in the House.
On a statewide level, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are seeking to gather more delegates ahead of their respective party conventions later this summer.
The most watched and expensive contest within the state is the six-way race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun is considered the front-runner, bolstered by name recognition, financial resources, and Trump’s endorsement.
Other notable candidates include Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former commerce secretaries Brad Chambers and Eric Doden, and former Attorney General Curtis Hill.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Jennifer McCormick, is running unopposed in the primary.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.