Democrat J.D. Ford unseated Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District, the Associated Press declared.
The two-term state senator from Indianapolis will become Indiana’s first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress, according to LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. He defeated a three-term Republican in a district that favored the GOP heading into Election Day.
Ford declared victory Tuesday night, before the AP called the race. “Tonight, Hoosiers made history, and they sent a message that will be heard far beyond Indiana’s 5th District,” he said. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported his statement.
“Tonight, voters proved that no seat belongs to a political party. It belongs to the people,” Ford said, according to the Capital Chronicle.
“Congratulations to J.D. Ford on his momentous victory tonight!” Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement.
How JD Ford Became Indiana’s First Openly Gay Legislator
Ford lost his first race against Republican state Sen. Mike Delph in 2014. He won their 2018 rematch, becoming Indiana’s first openly gay state lawmaker, WFYI reported.
“I think there is something special about a story of someone who loses and then gets back up and gets back out there,” Ford said after he won. “That’s exactly what Hoosiers do on a daily basis.”
The Victory Fund’s candidate page says he won by “unseating a 13-year incumbent who led the charge to ban same-sex marriage.”
Delph congratulated the winner on Facebook. “He worked hard and has a genuine desire to want to help others,” he wrote of Ford, Eagle Country 99.3 reported.
Ford told supporters that night, “Yes, this is a historical moment, but it’s not about me,” the station reported. “It’s about the LGBTQ+ Hoosiers and generations to come that can be proud of what we attempted to do and did do.”
He’d campaigned against Indiana’s 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the station noted.
When Equality PAC endorsed his House run in September, it pointed to that 2018 flip. “J.D. Ford knows what it takes to win in tough places,” the PAC said, LarryInFishers reported.
Spartz Ad Showed Ford in a ‘Protect Trans Kids’ Shirt
Spartz called Ford a “radical puppet” and said he was spreading lies about her, WFYI reported Oct. 31. One of her ads, aimed in part at his Statehouse record on LGBTQ+ issues, showed Ford in a shirt that read “Protect Trans Kids,” the station reported.
Her campaign sent cease-and-desist letters over what it called “fabricated AI images” in a Ford ad and mailers. Ford’s team answered that her claims were false and “baseless.”
Spartz proposed a policy debate at a local TV station, “not a staged rally with his activists,” WFYI reported.
Her campaign called Ford’s supporters “obnoxious and disrespectful” after claiming her yard signs had been stolen and swapped for his, WFYI reported. Ford, in turn, questioned Spartz’s financial disclosures and her family’s stock transactions, the Capital Chronicle reported. Spartz disputed those allegations and accused Ford of misleading voters.
“Hoosiers are demanding leaders who put people ahead of powerful interests and deliver results that make their lives better,” Ford said in his Tuesday night statement.
Victoria Spartz’s Votes on Marriage and the Equality Act
Spartz was born in Ukraine and worked as a certified public accountant before serving in the Indiana Senate. She won the House seat in 2020, after Republican Rep. Susan Brooks chose not to run again.
In October, Spartz told State Affairs she faced an “extremely difficult political environment,” the Capital Chronicle reported.
“So the political environment is challenging, and we are not taking this election for granted,” Spartz said.
House Clerk records show Spartz voted against the Equality Act on Feb. 25, 2021.
She also voted against the Respect for Marriage Act twice in 2022: on House passage July 19 and on the final version Dec. 8.
“Representation and visibility matter, and I’m running to make sure that we continue to have a seat at the table in Congress so our voices are part of every decision,” Ford said in September, when Equality PAC endorsed him, LarryInFishers reported.
Indiana’s 5th District Runs From Carmel to Muncie
The district includes Carmel, Fishers and Noblesville in Indianapolis’ northern suburbs. It also reaches Anderson, Muncie and Marion, the Capital Chronicle reported.
“All across the 5th district, I hear families talk about the high cost of groceries, utilities and gas,” Ford said. That statement came before the election, in comments to State Affairs quoted by the Capital Chronicle.
It includes Hamilton County and reaches Kokomo, WFYI reported. The Cook Political Report, which moved the race to “Leans Republican” before the vote, called it “a tough race for any Democrat,” the station reported.
The Victory Fund said Ford’s House run was “motivated in part by the failed Republican push to redraw Indiana’s congressional map.”
When Does J.D. Ford Take Office in Congress?
Ford’s congressional term begins at noon Jan. 3, 2027. The 20th Amendment sets that date for the start of House terms.
“Tomorrow, we begin the work of delivering the change they voted for,” Ford said Tuesday night, the Capital Chronicle reported.
He had a line for voters who didn’t back him, too. “Whether you voted for me or not, I will fight for you,” Ford said, according to the Capital Chronicle.
Gayety’s live results hub and Election Day guide cover the rest of the night’s LGBTQ+ races and ballot measures.
