Brian Howey: Spartz Sets Herself Apart from Current 'Zombie Congressmen'

There are and have been Hoosier public officials who would be aptly referred to as “zombie congressmen.” Then there is U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz.

The zombies — which would include current Rep. Jim Baird and former Reps. Greg Pence and Trey Hollingsworth — write big personal checks to win their safely gerrymandered districts. During campaign cycles, they don’t debate or make joint appearances with their opponents. Once elected in a landslide, they tend to do minimal staffing. They don’t do town halls, fearing their constituents in unscripted settings. They no longer share basic information — like schedules — with the media and the public.

The brilliantly gerrymandered maps of 2011 and 2021 have become the incumbent protection program, applicable to general elections. Only one Indiana congressional seat has changed parties since 2012 and that was when Democrat Rep. Joe Donnelly ran for the Senate.

Though former Republican Rep. Larry Bucshon conducted frequent town halls during his seven terms in office, his successor, Rep. Mark Messmer, became so intimidated during his mobile office hours at the Boonville-Warrick County Library last month that his chief of staff wanted to summon the cops. U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin’s regularly scheduled office hours with constituents in Bedford have been “put on pause,” WFIU-FM reported.

Indiana’s two Democratic congressmen — André Carson and Frank Mrvan — have done virtual town halls through Zoom.

Then there is Spartz, who is as predictable as a March tornado.

The Ukrainian-born congresswoman had decided to retire after pondering a U.S. Senate run and then abruptly changed her mind. She is seen as a wild card by her Republican colleagues and district mayors. She has feuded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, is seen by Kyiv media as a Putinist and in December refused to caucus with her fellow House Republicans.

Asked recently whether she would demand the resignation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others for participating in a Signal conversation on Houthi airstrikes, Spartz said, “No, I will not demand their resignations. And, actually, all of the resignations go through the Senate anyway, so you should talk to the senators. Maybe they’ll have town halls.”

Indiana’s two U.S. senators aren’t doing town halls. Sen. Jim Banks mocked his constituents when he had a staffer deliver doughnuts to an “empty chair” town hall in Fort Wayne on March 22 and posted a video of the escapade on social media.

The office of Sen. Todd Young, who skipped a similar event in Indianapolis, said in a statement, “Sen. Young regularly meets with Hoosiers in a variety of formats.”

Give Spartz some credit, particularly in contrast to the zombies, when she conducted two uproarious town halls in Westfield and Muncie against the advice of GOP leadership.

America has reached its bookend with the early Tea Party movement of 2010. Back then, it was boisterous Republicans badgering Democratic members. Now, it’s reversed.

Over four hours, Spartz bravely listened to the hooting and hollering of her constituents, many of them Democrats, but Republicans and independents asked questions and listened. At times, the sessions seemed poised to veer out of control.

These Hoosiers were angry because President Donald Trump’s tariffs are positioning the U.S. for a self-induced recession, tanking 401(k)s while jeopardizing agricultural exports. Elon Musk’s DOGEsters are targeting Social Security, medical research made possible by the National Institutes of Health and the potential closure of USAID and the Department of Education, as well as significant staffing cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A man in Westfield asked Spartz, “Are tariffs an indirect tax on this country? I’m sure as a CPA you’ll steer us in the right direction.”

Spartz’s response was cubed. “It depends,” she began. “It depends. It depends and I’ll tell you why. If you do it smartly, it will bring growth to the domestic economy. It depends on how they are applied and for what reason. As a long-term solution it is not a sustainable solution. As a short-term mechanism to realign, it will be done.”

Another constituent asked whether Social Security benefits would be available to “those who deserve them when they retire.”

“There will have to be a discussion,” Spartz responded. “Everything should be on the table.”

Everything? Like finding $2 trillion in Social Security Administration funds, enough for Musk and Trump to balance the budget? “We’ll have to make sure the people get their benefits. President Reagan was right — we have to keep promises,” Spartz finally said after a rain of booing.

An attendee who said he was a native of Ukraine asked Spartz, “Would you support peacekeepers in Ukraine to end the war?”

“I think Russia has been allowed to get away with too much,” Spartz responded. “President Trump has put everything on the table. The war is going in the wrong direction and we cannot let it escalate. I understand what is happening. It is a very difficult situation. We have to deal with Russia. It will be a very tough negotiation.”

When the dust settled in Muncie, Rep. Spartz may have left with some ruffled feathers and a hoarse voice, but she held her ground. “These town halls are not easy in the current political environment but an important part of the process,” Spartz said.

Town halls should be an essential part of our democracy.

Brian A. Howey is senior writer and columnist for Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs. Find Howey on X @hwypol.