(Amazing round-up of the event. Thanks! - promoted by Thomas)
So I just got home from the 7th District Democratic candidate forum, which featured a whole host of candidates from different regions, races, genders, and even political philosophies. Present were State Representatives Carolene Mays, David Orentlicher, and and Gregory Porter; Indianapolis City County Councilors Joanne Sanders and Andre Carson; Attorney Randle Pollard; Marion County Treasurer Michael Rodman; and former Indiana State Health Commissioner Woodrow Myers.
I think the first and most important thing to point out is that we have a strong field of candidates. I went into the forum not knowing what to expect (including the fact that it was apparently oriented to the gay community-I just thought it was odd how the candidates were all talking about gay issues), and left with positive and negative impressions of different candidates, for different reasons.
Of the serious contenders for the seat, State Representative David Orentlicher was the first to give his opening statement, video of which can be found below. I apologize in advance for the low quality of the video throughout this diary, but it gets the point across.
Primarily, David O. focused on the need to restore moral leadership to Washington, that we have a "disgraceful" history when it comes to dealing with discrimination and equal rights. He wants to provide universal health care and will work as hard as he does as a state legislator. His wife Judy worked the room and passed out a letter with some of his issue positions. Key thing: David Orentlicher is leading on property tax reform. That's a huge issue in Indianapolis.
Next up was State Representative Carolene Mays. She showed up and admitted to the audience that she was warned she would find few friends at the event (that was an understatement). She defended her vote in favor of an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage and civil unions. She had the distinction of giving the longest opening statement of all the candidates:
Later in the Question and Answer session, Marion County Auditor Billie Breaux gave Ms. Mays a very public spanking. She said, "Representative Mays, I was looking at the information available on Project Vote Smart, and you have a very conservative voting record." Breaux went on to detail Ms. Mays' ratings on gay rights, abortion rights and several other issues. Rep. Mays retorted that she is "100% pro-choice" and that Vote Smart was wrong about her record and she was working to correct it. She kept hitting on the electability factor, reminding us several times that she was the highest vote getter in her district for any office in 2004 and 2006.
Ms. Mays had to leave the forum early because her daughter had to be picked up and get ready for bed. She was only able to answer a few questions.
Next was Representative Gregory Porter. Mr. Porter is my state representative, but I had never met him. He was hilarious. He was engaging. He talked about his 16 years of experience in state government and his work in the community. He talked about representing the same values Julia Carson represented. He hits issues of poverty, education and health care.
The two City County Councilors were quite late to the event, as their city council meeting started at the same time as the forum. First up was Democratic Minority Leader Joanne Sanders. She talks about how we are all "entitled" to health care, peace, and job security. She views crime as an economic issue and believes in a living wage as a means of reducing crime.
One of the most-awaited moments of the night came when Andre Carson spoke. He started off talking about his opposition to the Iraq War, but said residual troops would likely be necessary. He said that gays and lesbians choose to be the way they are, but he supports gay rights and doesn't care what happens in their bedrooms. He also doesn't support universal health care, preferring universal health insurance because he doesn't believe it's the government's role to be giving health care.
One of the best moments in the forum came when City County Councilor William Oliver, as establishment as establishment gets, asked the candidates to promise not to run in the May primary against the party's candidate. He prefaced his 'question' with the statement, "I'm one who hasn't made up his mind." First Rep. Porter and then Councilor Sanders demurred, saying they would decide when the time came. Then Randle Pollard made an impassioned defense of the primary system.
Notice that after Pollard goes off, Michael Rodman says "I'm kind of old fashioned," and that he would support the party's pick. Woody Myers said he was "a new fashioned Democrat" and would make the decision to run in the primary when the time came. Andre Carson too said he would make a decision when the time came, prompting Porter to lighten the mood saying he wanted to change his vote.
Like I said, the forum was quite successful and I think we learned a lot about the candidates. Several of the candidates expressed frustration that this would be the only forum before Saturday's caucus. I spoke with several candidates after the event and they confirmed to me, privately, that they were indeed running in the primary but couldn't very well say so before the caucus.
With the Democrats announcing their caucus will be held next Saturday, and the Republicans selecting the next day for their shindig, it now appears that all of the pieces are set in the lead-up to the anticipated special election to replace the late Rep. Julia Carson. The Indianapolis Star reports:
Republican and Democratic state party officials said today that they agreed the special election to fill out the rest of U.S. Rep. Julia Carson's term should be March 11.
The Tuesday date was chosen after party officials realized their original choice of Saturday, March 1, would be a day too soon under state law.
Gov Mitch Daniels must set the date for the special election but had asked party leaders to reach a mutally acceptable date before submitting it to him for approval.
For those who are keeping score at home, the task of tracking who is in the race to represent the 7th District has become a lot more difficult in the last week or so. To recap:
Democrats:
Julia Carson's grandson Andre Carson has filed to run in the special election, and so has Marion County Treasurer Mike Rodman. State Rep. David Orentlicher has filed with the FEC and is rumored to be looking at avoiding the special election and making a stand during the May primary election. City-County Councilwoman Joanne Sanders has made it clear to supporters that she intends to run, but I have yet to receive word on whether she will compete in the special election. State Reps. Carolene Mays and Greg Porter are also rumored candidates who have apparently been testing the waters behind closed doors. There are other candidates who are also rumored to be wanting in on the action, but I haven't seen conclusive proof.
Republicans:
At this point, State Rep. Jon Elrod is the only potentially viable candidate on the GOP side to toss his hat into the ring, but the deafening silence on that end of the political spectrum has many wondering if there isn't a plan in motion to put a more experienced (qualified?) candidate out on the campaign trail. I've heard a lot of names, and none of them impress me, so until they file or at least announce their intentions, I'm not going to bother looking them up.
There's a lot out there to digest at this point, and unfortunately we don't have a lot of time before the caucus next week. It is important to remember, though, that even if Andre Carson is slated as the nominee for the special election in March -- word on the street is that he enjoys a decent level of initial support among his grandmother's supporters -- he would almost certainly face a contested primary in May. That is the path that I expect you will see a lot of the above mentioned Democratic candidates taking rather than staking their fortunes in a rather small caucus room.
Vox Populi has been doing a series on the potential Democratic candidates, and I recommend you check it out for a primer on the names and faces in question here. The most recent (and final) was a look at Andre Carson, and I think this section in particular is important no matter how you feel about the young Carson's candidacy:
Aside from that brief synopsis, I can't tell you much about Andre Carson. His legislative website is empty of any information. Unlike the other councilors, there isn't even an email address to contact him at-though there is a phone number. There is no biographical information. There are no issue positions. When you visit his campaign website, the only content is a picture of Andre and Julia together. That is understandable with her recent passing, but there was a similar picture on the website in the run-up to his run for City-County Council.
If he expects to run on his own merits, rather than his grandmother's, Mr. Carson needs to let us know who he is, and he needs to do so before the upcoming caucus. He needs to address the rumors of his involvement with the militant Nation of Islam organization. He needs to tell us what makes a first-term city councilor qualified to be a member of Congress. More than anything, he needs to tell us what makes him not only qualified, but what makes him the best choice for the job. Why is he a better option than those with more experience and those with proven competence?
A lot of questions folks, and not many answers. I've put in an interview request with a few of the Democratic candidates, and I want to extend an open invitation to all of them should they want to make their case here on the site.
This is the fifth and final edition of a diary series to introduce us to the Democratic contenders for the upcoming party caucus and special election in Indiana's 7th Congressional District. Previous installments have introduced us to the most likely and most credible candidates. State Representatives Carolene Mays, David Orentlicher, and Gregory Porter, as well as Indianapolis City-County Council Democratic Minority Leader Joanne Sanders are all strong candidates and are all qualified for the job.
This edition is dedicated to the front-runner, the most likely nominee, and the one we probably know least about: City County Councilor and grandson of Julia Carson, Mr. Andre Carson from the west side of Indianapolis.
This is the fourth in a series of profiles introducing us to the potential replacements for Indiana's 7th Congressional District. The seat became vacant in December due to the death of Congresswoman Julia Carson. Previous profiles have been written on State Representatives Carolene Mays and David Orentlicher, as well as Indianapolis City-County Council Democratic leader Joanne Sanders.
This article is dedicated to 8-term State Representative Gregory Porter, from the near-northeast side of Indianapolis.
I just got off the phone with Indianapolis City-County Council minority leader Joanne Sanders. She confirmed to me that she is running for the open Congress seat caused by the passing of Congresswoman Julia Carson. She joins Andre Carson (Julia's grandson and an Indianapolis CCC member), Mike Rodman (Marion County Treasurer), and State Representative David Orentlicher as Democratic candidates. State Rep Carolene Mays is also rumored to be interested.
You can go check out the rest of Bil's post to see where he stands on the race for the 7th District Democratic nomination. It's not clear to me -- and perhaps Bil (or Joanne) can answer this -- whether Joanne will run for the caucus slating, the May primary, or both. That's the question of the moment for all of the candidates, with only Andre Carson making it clear he intends to file for the caucus slating in less than two weeks.
Update: The Indianapolis Star reports that Andre Carson has officially filed to run.
State party officials said Carson, who could not be reached for comment, filed his paperwork on Wednesday for the caucus on Jan. 12 to choose a nominee.
Republicans will hold their caucus on Jan. 13.
The date for a special election has not yet been set, but leaders of both parties have said they do not want the district to go without representation until the May primary, as Gov. Mitch Daniels suggested last week.
Let's hope that he begins to return requests for interviews.
(Bumped from the user diaries. - promoted by Thomas)
This is the third diary in a series profiling potential candidates for the upcoming 7th District Caucus and primary brought on by the death of Congresswoman Julia Carson. My previous diaries were on State Representatives Carolene Mays and David Orentlicher.
This diary is dedicated to introducing you to Councilor Joanne Sanders, the Democratic minority leader of the Marion County City County Council.
Any advance in gay rights, especially in Indiana, is hard fought and won at a political price. As a community, we can't forget those politicians who support us. With our recent human rights ordinance victory, several Indianapolis City-County Councilors put their necks on the line for us.
The Indiana Fairness Network (formerly the Greater Indianapolis Fairness Alliance and Indiana Action Network) will be holding a fundraiser for Councilors Joanne Sanders (left) and Angela Mansfield (right) this Wednesday evening, September 12th from 7pm - 9pm at Boulevard Place Cafe - 4155 Boulevard Place in Indianapolis. This event is important enough that the owner of the restaurant is donating all the food and shutting the doors to his dinner crowd just to support our community. We planned most of our lobbying and activism strategies for the HRO at Boulevard Place, so what better host for a fundraiser to honor two councilors that fought right beside us?
We're asking for $25 donations for each candidate. You can make checks payable to "Elect Angela L. Mansfield" and "Committee to Elect Joanne M. Sanders." Please make out two separate checks. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available. If you can't attend, but would like to make a donation, please e-mail me and I'll give you the address where you can send checks. These two women gave courageously of their time and political clout to protect our community. Isn't that worth the cost of a dinner out? I hope to see many of you at the event.
This afternoon Bil Browning and Jerame Davis of Bilerico Project and myself met with Angela Mansfield (pictured on the left) whose District 16 in northwest Marion County runs around the St Vincent Hospital area and Vice President of the City County Council Joanne Sanders (pictured on the right) for the very first session of a new project being launched called Blogiversity.
Blogiversity is an effort that Bil, Jerame and I are leading up to educate our Democratic leaders, party officials, candidates for office and volunteers who want to learn more about the Netroots from some local bloggers who will take time to sit down and discuss how Internet technology will help them retain their offices if already elected (as in Angela and Joanne's cases) or help them get elected. More after the flip.
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