Meet the candidates running for U.S. House District 5

Two candidates are running for U.S. House District 5: Democratic candidate Jeannine Lee Lake and incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz.

The district covers the northside of Indianapolis and the city’s eastern and north suburbs, including Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers, Marion, Anderson and parts of Kokomo. Lee Lake is from Muncie, and she is a journalist with the Good News, a newspaper focused on minority and faith news. Spartz won the District 5 seat in 2020. Before that, she served in Senate District 20, appointed in 2017 following the departure of Luke Kennley. Originally from Ukraine, Spartz has worked as an accountant and a business owner.

WFYI sent each of the candidates five questions to help voters learn more ahead of the election on Nov. 8. Their answers are presented in alphabetical order.

Editor’s note: Candidate responses were edited for AP Style and grammar, and any numbers used were checked for accuracy. When a statement required more clarification or could not be independently verified, WFYI reached out to candidates before publication. Those instances, and those candidate responses, are noted throughout in editors’ notes.

Jeannine Lee Lake

What do you see as the most pressing issue lawmakers will address in the next two years?

Continued disparities when it comes to health care and ensuring that every American is able to seek medical treatment in a timely manner. COVID has wreaked havoc on millions of Americans who suffer from minor virus maladies to long-ranging effects of asthma, organ damage, autoimmune issues and more.

U.S. inflation eased in recent months, but it hit a 40-year high of 9.1 percent earlier this year. What action would you propose to lessen the burden of inflation?

Hold Fortune 500 companies in America accountable for the decades-long scourge of corporate greed. These business titans don’t have to take advantage of hard-working Hoosiers, but they are always looking out for the bottom line, plus some. It’s one thing to be accountable to shareholders, it’s quite another to raise prices on goods and services just because. Case in point: legislative efforts to put a $35 cap on insulin. Companies make insulin at a much lower cost than what they sell it for.

Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks. What role should the federal government play in deciding abortion law?

None. Next question. (By the way, Victoria Spartz believes there should be no exceptions for abortion and that includes pregnancy, rape, incest and life of the mother.)**

**Editors’ note: WFYI asked for clarification about Lake’s assertions. While Spartz’s campaign website does not specify her stance on abortion, she has an A+ rating from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion lobbying group, and was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee. 

President Biden’s executive order canceled $10,000 in student debt for low-to-middle income borrowers. What additional action, if any, would you propose to address student debt?

Increase funding for Pell Grants, eliminate interest rates for any student taking out school loans, and ask this nation’s universities why on earth the costs of a college education have skyrocketed in the last four decades!

Will you accept the results of the 2022 election, win or lose?

Yes. Unlike my opponent, I accepted the 2020 election and I’m not an election or 1/6 insurrection denier.**

**Editors’ note: WFYI asked for clarification about Lake’s assertions. Spartz voted to certify the 2020 presidential election. Spartz did not vote in favor of forming a committee to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Lake did not respond by deadline.

Victoria Spartz

What do you see as the most pressing issue lawmakers will address in the next two years?

Congress needs to address border security and immigration; economy and inflation; energy policies; health care; congressional oversight and spending; constitutional rights, including Big Tech and DOJ/FBI powers; education; and foreign policy challenges.

U.S. inflation eased in recent months, but it hit a 40-year high of 9.1 percent earlier this year. What action would you propose to lessen the burden of inflation?

Common sense energy policies, not politics; stable and predictable regulatory environment; and diversification of the supply chain.

Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks. What role should the federal government play in deciding abortion law?

The Supreme Court just ruled that this is a state issue.

President Biden’s executive order canceled $10,000 in student debt for low-to-middle income borrowers. What additional action, if any, would you propose to address student debt?

Reform higher education and allow more flexibility for K-12, including addressing burdensome testing requirements.

Will you accept the results of the 2022 election, win or lose?

Of course I will. As a state senator, I worked on election laws in Indiana and know that we have a good legal framework. States need to be reassessing their legal frameworks and auditing procedures to address risks and assure confidence in election results.

How to vote in Indiana:

Vote by Mail Application deadline: Oct. 27, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. (local prevailing time). Election Day is Nov. 8, and you can find your polling place at the Indiana Voters Portal.