House Republican walks back retirement, plans to run again

What she’s saying: Spartz, who was first elected in 2020, said in a statement on Monday that she had initially “decided to take some time off from running for public office to recharge and spend more time in Indiana with my family.”

• “However … urged by many of my constituents, I do not believe I would be able to deliver this Congress, with the current failed leadership in Washington, D.C., on the important issues for our nation I have worked very hard on,” she said.

The backdrop: The Ukrainian-born Spartz has emerged as something of a cypher this Congress, voting “present” on several ballots during the historic speaker election last year and occasionally breaking with GOP leadership in key moments.

• Nine other Republicans have already filed to run for Spartz’s heavily Republican district in the northern Indianapolis suburbs, according to the Federal Election Commission.
• Several of those candidates have already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, including state Rep. Charles Goodrich, who also loaned his campaign $1 million.