Republican candidate Victoria Spartz told supporters late on Election Day that she expects to win the Fifth District Congressional seat, even as thousands of absentee ballots are still to be counted in the tight race.
With 22 percent of statewide votes counted, Spartz had 55.5 percent of the vote compared to 41.1 percent for Hale and 3.4 percent for Libetarian Ken Tucker. Spartz had approximately 30,000 more votes than Hale.
Spartz, a state senator, took the stage at approximately 11 p.m. Nov. 3 to speak to supporters gathered at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel.
“We know they’re still counting the vote, but we feel we’re on a good track to win,” she said.
The announcement came approximately 45 minutes after Democratic candidate Christina Hale’s campaign manager stated that the race isn’t over and that Hale and her team are confident in their path to victory.
“There are still tens of thousands of mail-in votes in the Fifth District that have not yet been counted, particularly in Marion and Hamilton Counties, where we have done a significant amount of voter outreach over these past few months,” stated Joann Saridakis, Hoosiers for Hale campaign manager. “This race is not over and we will continue to monitor vote totals before making any formal announcements. The circumstances of this election are unprecedented with a record number of people voting early and by absentee ballot, and we want to make sure that all Hoosiers have their voices heard in this process.”
