Posted on March 12, 2008

Carson Wins Seat in 7th District Race

Mary Beth Schneider, Tim Evans, and Brendan O’Shaughnessy, Indianapolis Star, March 12, 2008

Another Carson is going to Congress.

Democrat Andre Carson won Tuesday’s special election to succeed his grandmother, the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, and fill out the final 10 months of her term.

Carson’s win makes him the first Muslim to represent Indiana in Congress, and only the second Muslim nationwide to serve there.

Carson’s 54-43 percent win, with 100 percent of the vote tallied, over Republican state Rep. Jon Elrod, was strong. But it might not have been the type of knockout blow that would fend off the competition he faces in the May 6 primary.

The campaign for that election, a mere 55 days away, begins today.

He now must win the trifecta of not only Tuesday’s special election, but also the May primary election and the November general election to win a full term in Congress and be more than a footnote to his grandmother’s legacy.