INDIANAPOLIS, March 11, 2008
Second Muslim Elected To Congress
Andre Carson, Grandson Of Late Rep. Julia Carson, Wins Special Election In Indiana
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Andre Carson folds his ballot after voting in a special election in Indianapolis, Tuesday, March 11, 2008. Caron won the special election to replace his grandmother, Julia Carson, who was in her sixth term representing Indiana's 7th Congressional District when she died Dec. 15, 2007. (AP)
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Carson, who on Tuesday won the office formerly held by his late grandmother and became the second Muslim ever elected to Congress, will face seven challengers in the May 6 Democratic primary for a full two-year term.
"We have to hit the ground running because the future is ours," Carson said in his victory speech Tuesday night at a downtown Indianapolis hotel.
In other results Tuesday, voters in Mississippi chose candidates for two rare open congressional seats.
Former state Sen. Charlie Ross and attorney Gregg Harper advanced to a Republican primary runoff in Mississippi's 3rd District, which stretches from Oktibbeha County in the north to Adams and Wilkinson counties in the southwest. The winner will face Democrat Joel Gill.
Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers and state Rep. Steve Holland were headed for a runoff in the Democratic primary in northern Mississippi's 1st District. On the GOP side, former Tennessee Valley Authority chairman Glenn McCullough and Southaven Mayor Greg Davis also were headed to a runoff.
The runoffs will be April 1.
In Indiana, Carson had 54 percent of the vote compared with 43 percent for Republican Jon Elrod. Carson finished with a 9,000-vote edge out of nearly 85,000 votes cast.
Carson, 33, received congratulatory phone calls from Democratic presidential contenders Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
One of his top priorities, he said, would be ending the war in Iraq. "We need to bring our men and women back home and end this useless war," Carson said.
Carson will represent the 7th District, which covers most of Indianapolis, for the remainder of the year. The district's voters will next select candidates for the November election to a full two-year term for the congressional seat.
If Carson wins on May 6, he may again face Elrod, who is a candidate in the GOP primary, along with two political unknowns.
Julia Carson, Carson's grandmother, a Democrat who first won election to Congress in 1996 and died in December, was the first black to represent Indianapolis in Congress — from a district that is nearly two-thirds white.
"We really wish the congresswoman was here. She is here — in us," Carson told supporters.
Carson, whose grandmother raised him in a Baptist church, converted to Islam more than a decade ago and will join Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., as the only Muslims in Congress. His religious identity has drawn little attention during the campaign, and Carson says he doesn't believe it hurts him politically.
"I'm a proud Hoosier," Carson said after his speech Tuesday night. "I'm an Indy 500 Hoosier, I'm a Covered Bridge Festival Hoosier, I'm a Black Expo Hoosier, I'm a state fair Hoosier. I just happen to be a Hoosier of the Muslim faith."
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See all 117 CommentsThey hope to pretend that they are like you until you elect them and knowing how completely ignorant the majority of Americans still are they will foolishly vote one in. I hope am dead and gone by the time that happens for that will be the end of us.
We don''t need to be cautious about any Muslims they love us just like we love them, that%u2019s why all Islamic countries are so open and loving%u2026but you should have know that already.
Who is killing our boys overseas? It%u2019s not the girl scouts moron.
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Posted by SgtRDS at 04:04 PM : Mar 12, 2008
Just pork chops and Brittney Spaniels so far. Not so on anything else. Thats why it is always such a surprise when we do.
Posted by singinrick at 03:32 PM : Mar 12, 2008
No, sadly, we''re only a rapidly growing majority! looking at this board is like looking at the future . . . how does that make you feel, Rick?
Posted by nottellin1 at 03:56 PM : Mar 12, 2008
Now I''m hungry! Think I''ll pick up some pork chops on the way home from work...........Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
We''ve agreed on other things though, right?
Posted by nottellin1 at 03:56 PM : Mar 12, 2008
Now I''m hungry! Think I''ll pick up some pork chops on the way home from work...........Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
We''ve agreed on other things though, right?
you left out the part about recovering from Addiction, and your modd swings,
tells allot about your "Owning" up to your sins..
Its one thing to accept your faith, to follow it,
but yet onother to be in Denial about how your
past is still influencing your mental state,
prayer alone wont solve those issues,
youre very erratic, the only constant i see is your
use of the bible allot,
but really no intelectual substance whatsoever,
Sigotratando proved that yesterday....
Posted by nottellin1
Bad research indeed, considering most of it comes from that work of fiction he calls the bible.
Posted by nottellin1 at 03:11 PM : Mar 12, 2008
Ans as a former Catholic I can tell you we eat it a LOT and love it. Sunday dinner calls for ham.
But your leaders are saying otherwise.
Posted by singinrick
rick, why do you keep posting the same claims over again but don''t answer to the responses? Is it because there is no basis to your statements?
Posted by singinrick
You''re accusing Obama of being a muslim when you said earlier you didn''t say he was a muslim. So which is it? Do you believe he''s muslim or not? And if so, what do you base your "research" on?
let me ask you a question,
I know you found Religion after a life of Drugs and Booze,
do you not think its affecting your judgement a bit?
Recovery is a long process im sure.
but you are realy showing your addictive personality with your views,
you dont see it, but just yesterday people were commenting on how they hoped you werent going postal soon.......
indeed, need we suffer for your past sins?
think about it,
I have news for you ricky, Catholics eat pork.
Posted by singinrick
Obama has noted in his two books, "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope," that he spent two years in a Muslim school and another two years in a Catholic school while living in Indonesia from age 6 to 10.
Stop spreading lies rick, although that''s what you do best.
Posted by singinrick
CNN debunks false report about Obama
%u2022 Report alleges Illinois senator attended radical Muslim school as a child
%u2022 CNN reporter visits Indonesia school in question, sees no radicalism
%u2022 Former classmate calls school "general," with multiple religions
Posted by singinrick
Quote from Farrakhan:
"We are witnessing the phenomenal rise of a man of color in a country that has persecuted us because of our color,"
Posted by singinrick
Maybe Farrakhan supports Obama because he''s a black man. I think Farrakhan claimed Obama is the only hope for healing the nation''s racial divide. Doesn''t sound like muslim talk to me. But you fear mongers will continue to preach it.
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