Loading ...THE CONTENDERS
Although no one will admit this publicly there are a number of elected and appointed officials lining up to run for the 7th Congressional District. Incumbent Julia Carson is battling terminal lung cancer and has declared that she will not run for another term. Unfortunately, because she is in hospice care Carson may not complete this term as the point of hospice care is usually to make individuals comfortable at the end of their lives.
I’ve been going down my list of potential contenders who will probably run if and/or when the seat becomes vacant.
Democrats
Marion County Treasurer Mike Rodman, State Representatives Greg Porter, Vanessa Summers, David Orentlicher, outgoing Mayor Bart Peterson, Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer, City-County Council member Andre Carson and outgoing City-County Council Member Sherron Franklin.
There was some Internet speculation that Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson might run for the seat, but Anderson lives in Geist which is in Dan Burton’s District.
Republicans
State Representative Jon Elrod (who has already declared), former candidate Eric Dickerson.
Feel free to add someone to the list. And no, I do not feel ghoulish about this because you know these conversations are taking place behind closed doors.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:12 am
Like Anderson, Peterson lives in Dan Burton’s district. It doesn’t matter anyway, because the Representative need not live in the district.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:32 am
I will only vote for someone WHO LIVES IN MY DISTRICT! How ridiculous that you wouldn’t live in the area you are representing.
Anderson would just be the same old same old, time to get someone who will work FOR us.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Mike Rodman?
Isn’t he the genius that put credit card applications and other junk mail in our property tax bills?
November 27th, 2007 at 8:02 am
I remember hearing certain Democrats complaining that Andy Horning did not live in the district back in 2004.
November 27th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Melina Kennedy…..I have heard her name being tossed around….but don’t know how true it is
November 27th, 2007 at 8:31 am
You left out Carolene Mays, who has been campaigning for the position for weeks.
November 27th, 2007 at 8:37 am
I can’t imagine the Democrats would want Melina Kennedy to run for this seat, not if they want to keep the momentum of the ‘blue-ing’ of Indiana Congressionally. Kennedy couldn’t win in a season where the tide was with the Dems, against the GOP, and Marion County was showing itself a Democratic bellweather. Mainly, she lost a race she should have won if only she could restrained herself from being so negative. Truly, in those conditions, a Democratic lineholder would have fared better.
November 27th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Carolene Mays would be an excellent candidate. She’s extremely intelligent and is a hard worker. She would be the best Democrat for the job!
November 27th, 2007 at 9:22 am
I’m starting to hear that former council candidate Bruce Henry could be considering a run for the Republicans. Anybody else heard that?
November 27th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Ed, I gotta disagree with you. As a incredibly low-level party activist, I can tell you that Melina Kennedy is beloved within the party. And she lost in 2006 because she got outspent 2.5 to 1. It’s a shame. She’s a helluva lady.
November 27th, 2007 at 9:59 am
I an not a Democrat but if I had to choose one from that side of the aisle that one would be Ann Delaney.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Rob, with all due respect, Carolene Mays is not a very good democrat at all. She is too anti-labor and she voted in favor of the same-sex marriage ban. What kind of democrat favors business and discrimination?
November 27th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Carolene Mays doesn’t let others speak for her. She votes in a manner that is consistent with the needs of her voters. She may not pass everyone’s litmus test (that’s all the same-sex issue is, by the way), but she is influencial on matters that are of substance.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Melina would have been a better prosecutor than the current hack, and would have ousted that hack had the election just been this year instead of last, with the anti-incumbent vote just looking to vote out smiling fakes.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:47 am
What we really need is someone who is responsive to the district’s constituency (on all sides of the fence), yet not overly beholden to any particular interest group. Someone who has displayed some good judgment within the public purview, and who has shown a commitment to serving the common good. Someone who will serve as a good example of what a public servant should be to both the district’s constituents and to people outside of Indiana.
That is what the 7th U.S. Congressional District’s voters ought to be looking for. A candidate (of any party) ought to strive to convey to the voters how they could fufill that kind of campaign ‘promise’.
Almost everything else is just window dressing.
November 27th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I’m with the others on Melina. I’ve always found her thoughtful, balanced and fair. She’d be an excellent candidate.
November 27th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Elrod does not have a chance in hell, and the GOP knows it. If he goes through slating, however, he’ll be their guy. The local GOP loves the slating. Ninety-one other counties in Indiana disagree.
Eric Dickerson was not supported by the GOP because he chose not to jump through those hoops. He won a majority in a four-way primary, and still didn’t get their support. Anyone else see a problem with that?
November 27th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Both the GOP and the Dems party machines are at the root of many of our ills. The first party majority to break out of this “ole boy” connections approach will be the party that puts distance to the other. 70% of the people, Dem or GOP, are looking at leadership capabilities, not strict party ideology.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Malina lost because she was outspend 2.5 to 1?? Seems to me that Greg Ballard was outspend 10 to 1 and won anyway. Why? Because the voters are sick of incompetent, corrupt, Democrats! THAT’S why Malina lost!!
November 27th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Malina lost because she didn’t have any court experience. Since last year’s election, Brizzi has tried exactly zero cases, 1/8th of his entire career there, and has tried less than one hand-count in 5 years. Statistically speaking, Malina is catching up. With crime still going up, incumbent-Brizzi would have been a sitting duck this year, regardless of funding. Incompetence is not isolated to one party, the GOP machine that ignored Ballard is proof of that.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Oh honey! We aren’t sick of incompetent corrupt Democrats…we are sick of them on the other side of the aisle too!
So far the Libertarians have not earned our anger.
Bring Back The Guillotine! The revolution is here!
November 27th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Vanessa Summers has stated in public on the radio she’s flat-out NOT in the running for Congress.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
My money is still on Andre. No one other than Andre will make it thru a special election if Julia passes. Julia’s current staff stays on to provide Andre with on the job training.
If Kennedy enters the fray will O’Conner run her losing campaign again. If Peterson enter the fray will O’Conner runs his losing campaign again?
Summers and May are not Carson blood and get the gong. Franklin? Spare me.
It’s Andre, like it or not. He’s the only one left that can hold together what’s left of the machine.
Remember, nobody ever said that good politics meant good government.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Andre is a puppet. Please. Just WHAT has he done? ***whistling*** yeah, I thought so.
November 28th, 2007 at 1:56 am
Carolene Mays is a Deer in headlights, taking orders from her “mbe setaside money” pimp uncle Bill Mays.
Carolene Mays doesn’t have an original idea in her head. She is phoney and has said “she can’t wait for Julia Carson to die” and that “she’ll destroy anyone who gets in her way”.
Who would want her to represent the 7th? Her newspaper last week had Klansmens and words in buring fire, invoking hatred toward white people in Indianapolis among her black readership base. Her paper also accused us all of attacking black men when we expressed disapproval of Monroe Gray and Ron Gipson’s behavior. No, she will not make a good representative and I will actively protest against her and what she stands for, race baiting and monopolies and abuse of power. All ghetto mafia characteristics.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Wilson,
That is the most intelligent thing I’ve ever heard Vanessa Summers say.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:49 am
If I win Powerball tonight I’ll run.
November 30th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Bruce Henry will announce his bid on Monday.
Mike B., to clarify I’ve never heard a Dem mention Horning’s residency issue. In fact, as far as I know I’m the only one who has ever publicly mentioned the fact that Horning moved out of the District during the summer of ‘04 and used his mother’s address on election day.
Just to clarify, you know…
December 8th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Watch closely!!! Someone from the outside will get the post. I think it will be someone retired as a cop, principal, or business owner.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Jacob, you know darned well that Julia herself made a deal about me selling my house before Election Day (it was in October).
You didn’t invent anti-Andy rhetoric. Just to clarify, you know…
December 26th, 2007 at 9:21 am
I have talked to Bruce recently and he’s not interested in running for district 7. A friend of mine has also spoken with Eric Dickerson and was informed that he’s not running either. I do think that Carolene Mays will make a run for it. This would be a good thing since her seat will open up at that point.