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Nonpartisan Voter Resource May 5 · Nov 3
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Safe D Congressional

IN-07: Indianapolis

Indianapolis, Lawrence, Speedway, Beech Grove

The Incumbent

Other candidates on this ballot

George Hornedo D Primary Challenger
Denise Paul Hatch D Primary
Patrick McAuley R Primary
Felipe Rios R Primary
James Sceniak Libertarian (General)

IN-07 is Indiana's only safe Democratic seat — and one of only two held by Democrats at all. Andre Carson has represented this Indianapolis-centered district since winning a 2008 special election to succeed his grandmother, Julia Carson, who held the seat from 1997 until her death.

Carson wins by comfortable margins. His 2024 result was approximately 59%. He serves on the House Intelligence Committee and the Transportation Committee, and is one of three Muslim members of Congress. His hold on the district is not seriously contested.

The primary is the meaningful election in IN-07. In a D+11 district, the Democratic nominee wins. Carson has faced occasional primary challenges but has dispatched them without difficulty. For 2026, no credible challenger has emerged in either primary.

What makes IN-07 noteworthy in context is what surrounds it. The district is an island of blue in a sea of red — bordered by IN-05 (Spartz, R+8) and IN-06 (Shreve, R+12). It exists because Indianapolis itself votes overwhelmingly Democratic, and redistricting has packed those voters into a single district. The proposed Trump redistricting map would have diluted this concentration, though less dramatically than its treatment of IN-01.

Why It Matters

This seat is not competitive. But it matters as context: IN-07's existence as a safe Democratic seat is itself a product of how maps are drawn. The redistricting fight that dominates Indiana's 2026 cycle is, at its core, about whether districts like this one are allowed to exist — or whether their voters are spread thin enough to neutralize.

Sources

  1. 1. Biography -- Congressman Andre Carson https://carson.house.gov/about/biography
  2. 2. Andre Carson -- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Carson
  3. 3. Rep. Andre Carson 2024 Report Card -- GovTrack https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/andre_carson/412258/report-card/2024
  4. 4. Indiana's 7th Congressional District election, 2026 -- Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana%27s_7th_Congressional_District_election,_2026
  5. 5. WIBC: Wells Enters Democratic Primary for Rep. Carson's U.S. House Seat https://wibc.com/871024/wells-enters-democratic-primary-for-rep-carsons-u-s-house-seat/
  6. 6. Andre Carson -- Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Andr%C3%A9_Carson
  7. 7. Andre Carson -- FEC Candidate Overview https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H8IN07184/
  8. 8. George Hornedo B.A. '13 Launches Congressional Bid -- Cornell Daily Sun https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2025/10/george-hornedo-b-a-13-launches-congressional-bid-to-rebuild-the-democratic-party
  9. 9. Rep. Andre Carson's 7th District seat at risk in Indiana redistricting -- Axios Indianapolis https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2025/11/03/rep-andre-carson-7th-district-seat-at-risk-indiana-redistricting
  10. 10. Redistricting Defeated: Indiana Senate votes against redrawing congressional map -- Indiana Citizen https://indianacitizen.org/redistricting-defeated-indiana-senate-votes-against-redrawing-congressional-map/
  11. 11. George Hornedo says a win over Andre Carson is 'inevitable' -- Axios Indianapolis https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2025/05/16/george-hornedo-andre-carson-7th-district
  12. 12. George Hornedo -- FEC Candidate Overview https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6IN07394/
  13. 13. Perennial Loser Destiny Wells Makes Desperate Last-Minute Bid to Unseat Rep. Andre Carson -- Hoosier Enquirer https://www.hoosierenquirer.com/post/perennial-loser-destiny-wells-makes-desperate-last-minute-bid-to-unseat-rep-andr%C3%A9-carson
  14. 14. Get to know 2024 attorney general candidate Destiny Scott Wells -- Indiana Daily Student https://www.idsnews.com/article/2024/02/destiny-scott-wells-attorney-general-election-primary-indiana-2024
  15. 15. Destiny Scott Wells -- Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Destiny_Scott_Wells
  16. 16. Destiny Wells Challenges Carson in Indiana Congressional Primary Race -- News Directory 3 https://www.newsdirectory3.com/destiny-wells-challenges-carson-in-indiana-congressional-primary-race/
  17. 17. Indiana Attorney General election, 2024 -- Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_Attorney_General_election,_2024
  18. 18. Day after filing to challenge Andre Carson, Destiny Wells sparks party tensions -- Yahoo News https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/day-filing-challenge-andr-carson-184654889.html
  19. 19. Destiny Wells -- FEC Candidate Overview https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6IN07469/
  20. 20. Shoving the Door Open -- The Good Fight (Destiny Wells Substack) https://tgfight.substack.com/p/shoving-the-door-open