Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz and Democratic challenger J.D. Ford are exchanging accusations over stock transactions and campaign spending as they compete for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District seat, according to a Sept. 24 report by Indianapolis Star reporter Marissa Meador.
Meador’s reporting for IndyStar examines Ford’s allegations and Spartz’s responses, including important distinctions about whose stocks were sold and what financial disclosures show.
Ford, a state senator, accused Spartz of trading $5 million in stocks in industries she regulates and opposing restrictions on congressional stock trading. Spartz denied personally owning or trading individual stocks and said she voted for the Stop Insider Trading Act in 2026.
According to IndyStar, a 2024 financial disclosure lists a sale of Simon Property Group stock by Spartz’s husband, Jason, valued between $1 million and $5 million. That disclosure range does not establish a $5 million sale. Spartz said the actual amount was substantially lower. Ford argued that she still benefits from her husband’s transactions.
The dispute also involves a Westfield property owned by Spartz and her husband that serves as her campaign headquarters.
Ford questioned campaign payments covering rent, utilities and property taxes. Spartz said a $30,000 payment to her husband reported in 2025 covered six years of back rent for the campaign’s use of the property.
Meador interviewed Brendan Fischer, director of strategic investigations at the Campaign Legal Center, who questioned aspects of the arrangement. He described using a house as campaign headquarters as unusual and raised concerns about the campaign paying property taxes separately from rent.
IndyStar also reported that the property’s treatment changed from a $750 monthly in-kind contribution to a $2,500 monthly rental payment. Spartz’s campaign attributed the change to a compliance review that found the earlier valuation was below market rate.
Spartz said she plans to stop using the property as campaign headquarters after the election and has listed it for sale.
The exchanges come as Democrats hope to make the district competitive, although political analysts still rate it solidly Republican, Meador reported.
This summary is based on reporting by Marissa Meador of The Indianapolis Star/IndyStar. Read the entire story at this link. (NOTE: You will need an IndyStar subscription to access the story. I recommend you subscribe to your local media)