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Jennifer-Ruth Green (R) has conceded her campaign to represent Indiana’s 1st congressional district after failing to break Democats' decades-long hold on the seat.
Though Green's candidacy turned the contest into a closely watched toss-up race, her loss to incumbent Rep. Frank Mrvan (D) ensures Democratic control in a district that hasn't sent a Republican to the House in nearly 100 years.
Had she been elected, she would've been the first Asian American woman elected to represent Indiana in Congress, the only Black Republican woman serving in the House, and just the second Black Republican woman in congressional history.
In a speech Tuesday night, she thanked her supporters and reiterated her commitment to serving. "Changing a district is something that doesn't happen overnight, but I believe we came within four points," she said. "You put your trust in me, you gave me an opportunity, you were able to put the 1st district on the map. Thank you for coming alongside me in this way."
Green, an Air Force veteran who remains on active duty in the National Air Guard, ran a platform similar to other GOP candidates across the country, coming out hard against the Biden administration on the economy. She also focused her campaign on national security, school choice, and conservative family values.
“As a military member and as a conservative, I just saw this clear lack of leadership and I just felt underrepresented,” Green said in a May interview on Fox News. “I felt there was great silence. Also, I see that policies are being failed to be enacted and people are suffering.”
Green, whose father is Black and mother is Filipina, said her identity strengthened her ties to Asian American voters in her district, many of whom listed the economy as their top concern.
“Sharing pictures of my mom … or talking about some of my favorite foods, or just enjoying that publicly and sharing that culture publicly, has allowed people to be more relatable,” Green told the National Review in August.
“The [economic] struggle is apparent, and in connecting people at the basic level, they trust you to solve the economic difficulty that they’re having,” she added.
Green presented the GOP as the party for working people, as well as those who want to “take care of our society as a whole.” She pushed back on the idea that every system is “inherently racist” when asked about critical race theory in schools, and emphasized her connections to the U.S. military.
National Republican PACs and campaigns funneled millions into Green’s campaign to flip the seat.
Experts say Republican women of color have to navigate a delicate balancing act to enhance their appeal to voters, who typically perceive women and people of color candidates as more liberal no matter their platform, The 19th reports.
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Green criticized POLITICO for publishing details of her sexual assault while serving in Iraq. The incident had led to one of two alleged instances of leadership reprimanding her during her military career. She accused Mrvan of leaking the information to the reporter. Mrvan denied the allegations.
Utah voted to send the first Black Republican woman—Mia Love—to Congress in 2014.
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