Voters in Indiana's 1st Congressional District will decide May 5 whether to return U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan to Congress and which Republican challenger they want him to face on the November ballot.
Mrvan's district is one of only two in Indiana held by a Democrat, and was a target of President Donald Trump's push last year to have state lawmakers redraw its congressional map mid-decade to favor Republicans.
Proposed maps would have made it harder to re-elect a Democrat in the 1st Congressional District, but some Republicans, including Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville), who in November argued the party should try to run a strong candidate in the 1st Congressional District instead of redrawing it.
From his own party, Mrvan faces a challenge from LaVetta Sparks-Wade, a former Gary councilwoman and former city park director.
Three Republicans are also competing for their party's nomination: Porter County Commissioner Barb Regnitz, small business owner David Ben Ruiz and a former communication manager Jim Schenke.
Lake and Porter counties and parts of LaPorte County, covering most of the Indiana portion of the Chicago metropolitan area.
WFYI contacted each campaign to ask why the candidate is running and what their priorities are. For candidates who did not respond, information was gathered from their campaign websites and social media. Candidate statements have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Frank J. Mrvan (incumbent)
Party: Democrat
Occupation: U.S. representative
Website: mrvanforcongress.com
Campaign message: Mrvan, who is running for a fourth term, says on his website that he is fighting to protect women's access to reproductive health care, grow Northwest Indiana's economy through good-paying union jobs, and protect the regional steel industry from "bad actors around the globe."
Top priorities: Mrvan's website lists growing the Northwest Indiana economy, lowering healthcare costs, supporting public education, and protecting the border. Mrvan wrote that securing the border is important because of the impact he's seen from illegal drugs coming through an international port in the district.
Barb Regnitz
Party: Republican
Occupation: Porter County commissioner
Website: barbregnitzforcongress.com
Campaign message: On Regnitz's campaign page, she said her career as a software engineer at United Airlines and later as a certified financial planner taught her "the value of fiscal responsibility, transparency and careful decision-making." Her campaign vision, according to her website, is "safe cities, secure borders and smarter spending."
Top priorities: Regnitz's seven-plank platform centers on supporting law enforcement and ending what she calls "catch-and-release" policies, securing the border, reducing federal spending and the national debt, and what her site calls "100% election integrity" through in-person voting and watermarked paper ballots. Her education and health planks include refocusing schools on "how to think, not what to think," reserving girls' sports and facilities for "biological females."
Ben Ruiz
Party: Republican
Occupation: Self-described small business owner
Website: benruizforcongress.com
Campaign message: On his campaign website, Ruiz said "American Faith, Families, and Country should always come first." Ruiz said he will be a fighter in Congress protecting values and morals. "It's time to end Leftist Socialism and Gender Ideology from our Society."
Top priorities: Ruiz's platform centers on protecting freedom of speech, American energy independence, defending the Second Amendment, codifying President Donald Trump's executive orders, revitalizing American manufacturing, supporting Indiana farmers and reducing foreign spending.
James Kent (Jim) Schenke
Party: Republican
Occupation: Former communications manager
Website: schenkeforcongress.com
Campaign message: On his campaign website Schenke said he's running for Congress to ensure the 1st District "remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family." Schenke said he will stand up for Northwest Indiana's working families, defend American manufacturing, secure the U.S. borders, and protect freedoms.
Top priorities: Schenke lists a number of priorities, including securing the southern border against illegal immigration, reindustrializing Northwest Indiana, and defending the working class. "I will vote to drastically cut federal spending, eliminate bloated agencies like the Department of Education, and end wasteful programs," Schenke wrote. He said he will uphold the Second Amendment, fight federal overreach, and defend the unborn.
LaVetta Sparks-Wade
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Former Gary parks director
Website: Facebook
Campaign message: Although she has no official website, Sparks-Wade has posted often on Facebook, outlining her disappointment with U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan and support for various issues, including reining in ICE and the full release of the Epstein files. "The 1st Congressional District of Indiana deserves someone who isn't afraid to speak up and fight for constituents even in this toxic political environment," Sparks-Wade wrote.
Top priorities: In a March 26, post Sparks-Wade lists a number of priorities, including expanding the U.S. Supreme Court, affordable housing for everyone, eliminating utility monopolies and increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. She also reiterated her desire to have the full Epstein files released.
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
