ANDERSON — After changing her mind and deciding to seek a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Victoria Spartz won her party’s nomination in a contentious primary.
Spartz is being opposed in the 5th Congressional District by Democrat Deborah Pickett, Libertarian Lauri Shillings and independent Robby Slaughter.
“I’m concerned about the leadership in Congress,” Pickett said of her decision to run for the office. “We could be doing a better job.”
She said members of Congress are putting their personal interests above those of the public.
“I’ve always been fascinated by policy,” Pickett said. “I want to bring people together to solve problems. There is a lack of cooperation on behalf of the American public.”
She said Spartz is supporting Donald Trump for president, which she believes is a threat to democracy.
“The biggest issue is restoring public confidence in our government and institutions,” Pickett said.
Concerning immigration, Pickett said she believes that, although the country has sufficient laws in place, the system has to be reformed.
“We need more judges and resources, and reform should take into account labor shortages,” she said.
Spartz said she is trying to get Republicans in Washington to govern and cited the nation’s debt as a significant concern.
During her two terms in Congress, Spartz has also advocated for health care reform, which she said is a problem in Indiana.
“As someone who has personally gone through our immigration system, I know first-hand that we need to make changes,” Spartz said on her campaign website. “The process takes too long and is too expensive and bureaucratic for those seeking the American dream.
“If we want to curb illegal immigration, we need to address our legal immigration process to better serve our national interests and have a more robust work visa program.”
Shillings on her website said Libertarians believe in free immigration and a free labor market, but that’s not leaving the door open. She supports a clearly defined path to legal citizenship.
“We are nearly all the children of immigrants at some point,” Shillings said. “Let’s make a legal and expedited pathway for those wishing to come to our great nation.”
Slaughter said the country is trying to control border crossings, but that people are slipping through the cracks.
Concerning the economy, Spartz said spending must be cut and changes made to reform welfare to empower low-income individuals and balance the budget.
“The debt can be tackled, not by raising taxes on U.S. citizens, but by taking a critical look at the unnecessary spending of the federal government,” Spartz said.
Pickett believes tariffs should be reduced and bureaucratic hurdles eliminated to promote stability.
Shillings wants to cut government spending to deal with inflation, noting that strict adherence to a budget is a key to controlling spending.
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