George Hornedo says a win over André Carson is "inevitable"
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George Hornedo (left) is challenging incumbent André Carson. Photos: Courtesy of George Hornedo and Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Inevitable. That's how George Hornedo describes winning a seat in Indiana's 7th Congressional District.
Why it matters: Democrats nationwide are preparing themselves for what they expect to be a wave of insurgents who'll try to harness grassroots fury to unseat some of House Democrats' longest-serving members, including nine-term incumbent André Carson, whom 34-year-old Hornedo is challenging in next year's primary.
State of play: Hornedo is riding that wave, but the circumstances of the 7th District race are a little different.
- Hornedo doesn't label himself a progressive, like some upstart candidates do, and Carson isn't a septuagenarian, like some incumbents facing primary challenges. He's a progressive 50-year-old Black Muslim who sits on the House Intelligence committee.
- Still, Hornedo lumps Carson in with the "do-nothing Democrats" that voters are frustrated with, pointing to a report from the Center for Effective Lawmaking that ranks Carson as one of the least effective Democrats in the House.
What he's saying: "The win is inevitable because the community is clearly yearning for change," Hornedo told Axios. "It's not about me, it's not about Carson. It's about the change."
- Hornedo says the response his campaign has already received, the number of volunteers he's signed up and individual donors contributing to him are signs of that.
Reality check: Carson has a strong base of support that goes back decades to his grandmother, Julia Carson, whose seat he took over in 2008 after her death the previous year.
- He hasn't faced serious primary threats and has handily won every reelection campaign.
"The Center for Effective Lawmaking is just one institution, and it doesn't take into account Congressman Carson's classified work with the House Intel committee, grant funding secured for the district, and community project funding — which is funding that goes directly to Indianapolis projects," said Caroline Ellert, spokesperson for the campaign. "The congressman listens to his constituents on the job he's doing, not a website."
Between the lines: The primary is about a year out, but the race is already getting contentious.
- Hornedo says that he's received pushback from some local Democrats, including being turned away from a local organizing meeting recently.
Hornedo, a Park Tudor graduate, spent much of the last decade in Washington interning in the Obama White House after doing his undergraduate work at Cornell and grad school at Harvard.
- He went to law school at George Washington and worked for Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign.
- He moved back to Indianapolis full-time last year.
- "Indy was always home," he said.
What we're watching: Enthusiasm is great, but it still takes money to win a congressional race in America.
- Campaign finance reports for the second quarter of the year are due July 15 and should be telling.
- The primary election is May 5, 2026.