Free Republic

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Indiana voters on Tuesday elected a Muslim to Congress, only the second of that faith chosen in U.S. history. Andre Carson, grandson of the late Democrat Rep. Julia Carson, was elected to serve the balance of her term in the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election. She died in December 2007, after serving 11 years in the heavily Democratic district. The younger Carson, 33, a member of the Indianapolis City Council who converted to Islam about a decade ago, will serve out the remainder of his grandmother's term through calendar 2008. He beat Republican Jon...

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Indiana voters on Tuesday elected a Muslim to Congress, only the second of that faith chosen in U.S. history. Andre Carson, grandson of the late Democrat Rep. Julia Carson, was elected to serve the balance of her term in the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election. She died in December 2007, after serving 11 years in the heavily Democratic district. The younger Carson, 33, a member of the Indianapolis City Council who converted to Islam about a decade ago, will serve out the remainder of his grandmother's term through calendar 2008. He beat Republican Jon...

He is also is dogged by suspicions about his ties to the Islamic community, especially after Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan essentially endorsed the younger Carson during a eulogy at his grandmother's funeral two months ago... OVER A FIVE-DECADE career, Julia Carson parlayed her ties to the United Auto Workers union and her mentor, former Congressman Andy Jacobs, into a powerful coterie of churches and political officials that took control of one of the nation's few urban Republican strongholds. Her power was hard-won. Carson grand-mere worked all the angles, from sending out condolence letters to grieving constituents to cutting...

INDIANAPOLIS - A convert to Islam stands an election victory away from becoming the second Muslim elected to Congress and a role model for a faith community seeking to make its mark in national politics. Political newcomer Andre Carson is the Democratic nominee in a March 11 special election to succeed his late grandmother, Julia Carson, representing Indiana's 7th District. She died in December...If Andre Carson wins the Democratic-leaning Indianapolis district over a freshman Republican legislator and a longshot Libertarian candidate, he would join Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., as the only Muslims elected to Congress. Carson, 33, said he doesn't...

Over the coming weeks I'll be posting some tidbits on where Republican Congressional candidate Jon Elrod stands on various issues. The 7th District Special Election will be here before we know it - March 11th. Here's some of Jon's positions on issues which FReepers hold near and dear: 1. Fiscal Conservatism: balanced budgets; spending limited to inflation absent an emergency; funded social security, medicare, and medicaid; end pork barrel spending and earmarks. Wasn't the Democrat Congress supposed to implement PAYGO and end earmarks? They implemented PAYGO as their justification for increasing taxes but earmarks are still there. 2. Strong Military...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Andre Carson, the grandson of late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, was chosen Saturday as the Democratic nominee for a March special election to determine who will serve out the rest of her congressional term. Carson won 223 of the 439 votes cast by Democratic precinct committee members for eight candidates seeking the nomination for the March 11 special election for the 7th District. "We did it! Thank God, we did it!" he shouted after bounding onto the stage after the results were announced. Carson got 100 more votes than the runner-up, State Rep. David Orentlicher. Carson, a member...

The Marion County GOP will caucus this evening starting at 5 PM EST for the purpose of picking their candidate for not only the Special Election on March 11th to complete the term of the late Julia Carson, but also for the party supported candidate at the May 6th Indiana Primary. There are four candidates filed for the position, of which only 2 are realistically viable. State House of Representatives member Jon Elrod, and former Jerusalem Post boss and sometimes New York talk show host Tom Rose, and two "ballot fillers" Social Worker Gabrielle Campo and Real Estate professional Greg...

INDIANAPOLIS - A family spokeswoman said Representative Julia Carson has died at age 69. Spokeswoman Vanessa Summers says the first black and first woman to represent Indianapolis in Congress died this morning after a battle with lung cancer. The Democrat announced last month that doctors had diagnosed her with terminal lung cancer and that she would not seek re-election next year. Carson won more than two dozen consecutive campaigns for local, legislative and congressional elections. She also championed children's issues, women's rights, affordable housing and efforts to reduce homelessness. She was a staunch opponent of the war in Iraq. It...

As per WTHR 13, Indianapolis, Julia Carson passed early this morning. No articles found yet.

Indianapolis - US Representative Julia Carson says she has terminal lung cancer. The 69-year-old Democrat, who took a leave of absence from Congress because of a leg infection a couple of months ago, released a statement to the Indianapolis Star saying she had battled cancer before, it had gone into remission, but has returned with "a terminal vengeance". She said doctors discovered the cancer while treating her this summer. Carson, who is from Indianapolis, has served in Congress since 1996. She had also served in the state legislature and as Center Township trustee. Eyewitness News will have more on this...

More names are surfacing as another candidate announces his intention to run against Congresswoman Julia Carson. The ailing Carson has not publicly said if she will seek another term in Washington, but speculation is growing in this race and so is the field of candidates. Republican State Representative Jon Elrod first walked into the statewide political scene last year. In fact, he walked so much of the 97th District that he wore holes in the bottom of his shoes. Voters rewarded the 29-year-old southsider with an upset victory. Now he's going to try and tackle the 7th U.S. Congressional District....

Ailing U.S. Rep. Julia Carson did not say in a taped radio interview whether she would seek a seventh term in Congress next year. The interview aired Monday on Indianapolis radio station WTLC. Host Amos Brown did not say when or where the interview was recorded. The 69-year-old Democrat has been away from Washington since she was admitted to an Indianapolis hospital Sept. 21 for about a week for treatment of a leg infection. She went to a rehabilitation center about Oct. 1 and said in a statement last week that she was working from home. Carson's leg had a...

Indianapolis - Indiana congresswoman Julia Carson says she needs more rehabilitation from a serious leg infection and won't go back to Capitol Hill until mid-December. She hoped to return to Washington Thursday. But in a statement, the 69-year-old says she's frustrated, but unfortunately healing takes longer than expected.

Aides and colleagues regularly cast votes on Rep. Julia Carson’s (D-Ind.) behalf, raising questions about the congresswoman’s deteriorating health. Carson is 69 years old and her health has visibly declined in the last several years. She uses a wheelchair to move about the Capitol and requires the assistance of one or two aides while on the House floor. Several lawmakers said her mind is sharp, but she tires easily. “On those rare days when I think I need a little help, I feel so blessed that there are 434 other members of the House who are willing to lend a...

*LOTS OF NEWS FROM CONGRESS AND UPDATE ON NANCY PELOSI'S 100 HOUR AGENDA *LOCAL CITY-COUNTY COUNCILOR DECIDES NOT TO SEEK ANOTHER TERM *ISSAC RANDOLPH DECIDES NOT TO MAKE A RUN FOR MAYOR IN 2007 *CITY-COUNTY COUNCIL NEWS *THE END OF AN ERA: FORD ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF INDIANAPOLIS CHASSIS & STEERING *THE BODY COUNT FOR 2007 *STATE SENATOR MUGGED AT 56TH & ILLINOIS *CALLS TO ACTION: TWO ANTI-FREEDOM BILLS BEFORE THE STATE HOUSE!

[As written by Eric and posted to his campaign website] So my friends, after months of hard campaigning, here's what the race for Indiana's 7th District has come down to: In an act of electoral desperation, Julia Carson and her supporters have resorted to the most vicious kind of mudslinging. Campaign fliers paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee began showing up in mailboxes across the district this week. Many of you are furious that Julia has resorted to these negative attacks when she promised she would not. These fliers show that the real Julia Carson is someone who...

Like all of you, I was electrified by the recent news that our candidate Eric Dickerson had pulled ahead of Julia Carson a five term Democrat who won with just 54% of the vote in 2004. Aside from the obvious indications of a pick up of a seat, what makes this race still more exciting is that both candidates are Black. http://www.ericdickersonforcongress.com/ This is a very simple choice: Do we mobilize and contribute to the campaign of a Trained Marine war fighter or stand on the sidelines and let a cut and run surrender Liberal win by default? I have...

Poll suggests tight race in seventh district “Indianapolis - A year ago Julia Carson was bidding farewell to Rosa Parks, an African American pioneer she believes paved the way for her by refusing to give up her seat. Now with a decade of political service in Congress, it's Carson fighting to stay put. "I am a very optimistic person," she said. "I don't believe in failure." “In an exclusive WTHR People's Agenda Poll, Carson is trailing Republican Eric Dickerson. “Of the 468 voters polled in the Seventh Congressional District, 45 percent say they would vote for Eric Dickerson. Carson polls...

WASHINGTON – The United Nations has turned down a controversial request by nine members of the U.S. Congress to assign international observers to the U.S. presidential election in November. The request came in the form of a letter drafted by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, and signed by eight other members of the House. "We are deeply concerned that the right of U.S. citizens to vote in free and fair elections is again in jeopardy," the lawmakers wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Besides Johnson, the other representatives signing the letter to Annan – all Democrats – were Julia Carson...

When President Bush comes to Indianapolis next week, he'll be greeted by a few thousand Hoosiers who snagged the hottest ticket in town, a bunch of Republican dignitaries -- and at least one staunch Democrat.U.S. Rep. Julia Carson, the Democrat who voted with Bush fewer times last year than any other member of the state's congressional delegation, said she wouldn't miss it."He's the president," said Carson, who represents most of Marion County. "He's coming to my district. He's landing in my district. He's sleeping in my district. And he's speaking in my district."It's typical for the White House to invite...