Andre Carson (D-Ind.)

U.S. Representative (since 2008)

Why He Matters

A political novice, Carson ran in a March 2008 special election to succeed his grandmother, Rep. Julia Carson (D-Ind.), who died serving Indiana's 7th district. Since taking his seat, Carson has continued in the political tradition of his grandmother, representing the city of Indianapolis while promoting a progressive agenda that includes support of universal health care and an end to the Iraq war.

Prior to his political career, Carson was an investigative officer with the Indiana State police alcohol-and-tobacco division and part of an anti-terrorism unit in the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

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Andre Carson (D-Ind.)

U.S. Representative (since 2008)

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At a Glance

Career History: Investigator, Indiana Dept. of Homeland Security (2006-08); Indianapolis/Marion County City-County Council (2007-2008); Investigator, Indiana State Excise Police (1996-2005)
Birthday: Oct. 16, 1974
Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.
Alma Mater: Concordia University, B.A., 2003; Indiana Wesleyan University, M.B.M., 2005
Spouse: Mariama

Religion: Muslim
Committees: Committee on Financial Services
DC Office: 425 Cannon House Office Building, 202-225-4011
District Office: Indianapolis, In., 317-283-6516
Web site

Path to Power

Born in 1974 in Indianapolis, Carson traces his interest in politics to his 1984 visit to the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco.

Raised going to Baptist church and educated in a Catholic school, Carson at one time considered becoming a priest. Carson converted to Islam in the 1990s after becoming interested in the poetry of the Sufi mystic Rumi and "The Autobiography of Malcolm X."

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Carson ended up as a law enforcement officer after high school, enforcing alcohol and tobacco laws for the Indiana State Excise Police from 1996 to 2005.

In 2003, he received a criminal-justice management degree from Concordia University. Two years later, he received a master's in business management from Indiana Wesleyan. In 2006, he joined the state Department of Homeland Security.

Carson took his first elected seat in August 2007 as a member of the Indianapolis and Marion County City-County Council.

2008 Special House Election

In 2008, Carson's grandmother, Julia, who represented Indiana's 7th district and was known for her opposition to the Iraq war, announced she would not seek a 7th termdue to illness. In December 2007, the representative died of lung cancer. Gov. Mitchell Daniels (R-Ind.) called for a special election to be held in March 2008.

Andre Carson was often working on behalf of his grandmother and while he was seen as a likely heir by some, others viewed him as too politically inexperienced. Local Democratic leaders opted for Carson over three other candidates.

Carson defeated state Rep. Jon Elrod (R) in the special election with 53 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, candidates for the May 2008 Democratic primary for a full term in the seat, including state Rep. David Orentlicher, Carolene Mays and former state Health Commissioner Woodrow Myers, were preparing for that race.

Carson ran in the seven-way Democratic primary for the full term. It was expensive: Myers spent $1.6 million of his own money in the campaign; Orentlicher spent $300,000 of his from his personal coffers. But Carson had the backing of national and local party leaders and ran by drawing connections with presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). He won the nomination with 47 percent of the vote. After Elrod dropped out of the race after winning the GOP nomination, Carson won the general election by nearly a two-to-one margin.

Carson sits on the House Committee on Financial Services. He is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus.

The Issues

A loyal Democrat, Carson voted with his party 98.9 percent of the time during the 110th Congress.

Carson said his 2008 special election campaign was a referendum on his opposition to the Iraq war and his support of universal health care.

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Carson has been critical of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, saying in a February 2008 debate, ""We are thin in the military and we're going to worry about if someone's gay? This is ridiculous."

In April 2008, Carson's wrote his first enacted amendment making it easier for African universities to work with medical experts in the United States for HIV/AIDS research.

The Economy

After the $787-billion economic stimulus bill was passed in February 2009, Carson specifically pointed to provisions in the bill that would help individuals immediately, including tax cuts and funding for unemployment insurance, education products and infrastructure projects.

In 2008 and 2009, Carson supported aid to U.S. automakers saying if the government did not do so it would be "putting millions of jobs at risk." In June 2009, Carson introduced the "Jeremy Warriner Consumer Protection Act," which would force post-bankruptcy General Motors and Chrysler to honor liability insurance commitments for current and future claims.

Carson voted against the first version of the $700-billion, fall 2008 financial bailout bill, saying the bill rewarded Wall Street and punished Main Street and didn't include provisions to "increase our nation's affordable housing stock." Carson voted for the second version, calling it a "substantively more inclusive bill."

Health-Care Reform

Carson has criticized health-care reform plans in both in the Senate and the House that he felt would hurt the potential for universal coverage. Carson is a strong supporter of a public option for health care.

In October 2009, Carson expressed concern about the exclusion of a public option in the Senate bill, saying such a provision is "the most effective and efficient way to drive down costs." "The Senate bill would give the insurance industry a windfall by adding millions of people to their rolls, but offers little incentive for insurers to lower prices and create efficiencies within the system," Carson said.

He ultimately voted for House passage of the Senate bill in March 2010, however.

Muslim Issues

As one of only two Muslims in Congress, Carson's faith has drawn interest. But he says it attracts little notice during election campaigns and Carson has said it doesn't hurt him politically.

After President Obama's June 2009 speech to the Muslim world, Carson applauded the address saying in a CNN interview: "I love that the president acknowledged that Islam is a monotheistic faith, but he also acknowledged that Muslims are not a monolithic group. And it's critically important to get away from our tendency as human beings to generalize and put people into boxes."

Carson and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Congress' other Muslim member, have been featured speakers for the "Muslim Voices for Darfur," which held a news conference on Capitol Hill in May 2008 urging the U.S. government to help quell violence in the Sudanese region.

The Network

During his 2008 special election campaign, several prominent Democrats attended a Carson fundraiser, including Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

Additional Resources

House Roll Call vote on HR3590, March 21, 2010
Almanac of American Politics
Toeplitz, Shira, "Carson's Clout Could Aid Her Grandson in Special Election" Roll Call, Dec. 18, 2007
Reuters, "Second Muslim elected to Congress," March 11, 2008
"Rep. Julia Carson; Indiana Democrat Opposed Iraq War" The Washington Post, Dec. 16, 2007
Kraushaar, Josh, "Andre Carson faces complex path" Politico, Feb. 18, 2008
Davies, Tom, "Carson's grandson has advantages, hurdles to fill vacancy" The Associated Press, March 8, 2008
"CNN NEWSROOM" June 4, 2009
Udell, Emily, "2nd Muslim Elected to Congress From Ind." The Associated Press, March 12, 2008
Frommer, Frederic J., "Ellison, Carson urge US to take action in Darfur" The Associated Press, May 14, 2008
"House Passes Landmark Economic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" Feb. 13, 2009
"Congressman Carson's First Sponsored Amendment Passes House, Included In Landmark Global HIV/AIDS Legislation"
"Ind. reps. vote on financial rescue package" The Associated Press, Oct. 3, 2008
"Carson: Nation Benefits From a Stronger GM, But Consumers Must be Protected in Process"
Kusmer, Ken, "Indiana Muslim running for Congress wants to combat ignorance about his faith" The Associated Press, Feb. 15, 2008 quoted on GetReligion.org.
"Washington Post Votes Database"
"While Lauding Committee Vote as Progress, Carson Concerned that Senate Health-Care Bill Will Hurt Economy" Oct. 15, 2009
"Carson Statement on Financial Rescue Bill Vote" Sept. 29, 2008
Rep. Andre Carson's Web site, biography
O'Shaughnessy, Brendan, "Carson wins special election" Indianapolis Star, May 7, 2008
"Carson Calls on Bush Administration to Quickly and Responsibly Aid Ailing Auto Industry"
O'Shaughnessy, Brendan, "7th District candidates hit many topics in debate" Indianapolis Star, Feb. 21, 2008
"Indiana: Carson's Grandson and Elrod Bid for Open Seat" Roll Call, Jan. 15, 2008

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