A trailblazing Indiana Democrat’s next mission: Figuring out how to represent Republicans | CNN Politics
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J.D. Ford flipped a barn-red district in one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states. Now, like many of his soon-to-be colleagues across the country, the unlikely Democratic midterm winner is thinking about how to keep from becoming a one-term congressman.
State Sen. J.D. Ford speaks at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis in December.
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Carmel, Indiana —
J.D. Ford flipped a barn-red district in one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states. Now, like many of his soon-to-be colleagues across the country, the unlikely Democratic midterm winner is thinking about how to keep from becoming a one-term congressman.
Ford ousted Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz in Indiana’s 5th District — terrain that stretches from the wealthy suburbs northeast of Indianapolis into farm country and old automotive industrial towns in the state’s north-central region. President Donald Trump won there by 17 percentage points in 2024, and Spartz outperformed him, winning by nearly 19 points.
