In case you somehow missed all of this yesterday, here's a write-up of the 7th District caucus, courtesy of Mary Beth Schneider of the Indianapolis Star:
Democrats have selected Andre Carson to run in a special election to fill the U.S. Congressional term of his grandmother, the late Julia Carson.
Carson, a member of the City-County Council, garnered 223 of the 439 votes cast. He was among eight candidates seeking the nomination.
Julia Carson, a legend in Indiana politics, died Dec. 15 after a battle with lung cancer, and her presence loomed over Saturday's caucus which began with a moment of silence in her memory.
Many of the precinct committee men and women leapt to their feet, cheering and clapping, when Carson's victory was announced.
The ubiquitous Wilson has posted a video of the immediate aftermath of yesterday's vote, which you can check out here:
Now, I've made it pretty clear that I have some reservations about a Carson candidacy. The nepotism argument is a strong one, but honestly my bigger concern is a lack of message from the fledgling campaign. While we're all fans of left-leaning platitudes, someone needs to sit down with Andre and craft a more concise, in-depth platform on which he will run. That means doing more than yelling about the Kyoto protocol, but rather knowing why that fight may have already passed us by. It means being able to justify a rallying cry such as, "Bring the troops home immediately." And most importantly, it means being able to address the numerous questions that have arisen about Andre's qualifications for a place in the national legislature.
The relatively strong second-place finish from state Rep. David Orentlicher yesterday is likely to encourage his effort to mount a primary challenge in May. Should Andre prove himself incapable of running the type of political campaign that will ensure this is a safe Democratic seat for years to come, we shouldn't just expect a vigorous effort to replace him next year, we should support it.
This process is about finding someone who can provide long-term stability and consistency for this seat while representing the best interests of the 7th District. No more, no less.
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