The Winner

Rep. André Carson (D-IN) will represent Indiana’s 7th Congressional District for another term after defeating Republican Patrick McAuley and Libertarian James Sceniak. The Associated Press called the race for Carson on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. ​

With about 99% of the expected vote counted, Carson has 77.0%, McAuley has 20.4% and Sceniak has 2.6%, a margin of about 57 points, according to NBC News results. That’s up from 2024, when Carson won 68.3% of the vote.

The Race

Carson is Indiana’s longest-serving current member of the U.S. House. He has held the seat since winning a 2008 special election after the death of his grandmother, Rep. Julia Carson. This year he faced a rare serious primary challenge and won the Tuesday, May 5 Democratic primary with 62.4%, ahead of Destiny Wells at 23.4% and George Hornedo at 10.5%, according to NBC News primary results.

McAuley is a 29-year-old Indianapolis investment associate making his first run for office. He won the Republican primary with 84.4% over Felipe Rios. Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Democratic, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic, according to Ballotpedia’s race page.

The district sits in the center of the state and covers most of Indianapolis and Marion County, WFYI reported. About 752,700 people live there, the median age is about 34 and the typical household earns about $64,100 a year.

About 36% of adults hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Residents are about 47% white, 32% Black, 15% Hispanic and 2% Asian, unemployment is about 5.4%, and about 16% live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Carson’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027, and the results stay unofficial until Indiana certifies them. On election night, Carson told WIBC that his priorities include working across party lines to lower taxes, raise wages and bring down inflation.

With Democrats winning the House, Carson has said he expects to chair the House Transportation Committee’s aviation subcommittee. In a September interview with WFYI, he also said he hopes to win federal money for high-speed rail linking Indianapolis to Louisville, and possibly to Chicago or St. Louis.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article