Flipping the House and flipping off Trump: Democrat J.D. Ford defeats 3-term Republican incumbent Victoria Spartz in Indiana 5th congressional district

Election results:  Ballotpedia, New York Times

Headline:  Indiana Capital Chronicle, 11/3/2026

Casey Smith reports:

Hoosier Democrat J.D. Ford won a major political upset Tuesday night, unseating three-term Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District and flipping a seat the GOP had held for years. 

Ford, a two-term state senator from Indianapolis, defeated Spartz in a closely watched contest that became one of Indiana’s most competitive congressional races as Democrats sought to gain ground in the U.S. House. 

The Associated Press called the race for Ford early Wednesday. With nearly all votes counted, Ford had received about 51.7% of the vote to Spartz’s 48.3%, according to AP results.

The victory marks a notable political shift in a district that stretches from Indianapolis’ northern suburbs into north-central Indiana, including Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Anderson, Muncie and Marion. 

It also ends Spartz’s six-year tenure in Congress and sends Ford, Indiana’s first openly gay state legislator, to Washington after eight years in the Indiana Senate.

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