U.S. Rep. André Carson emerged victorious from the four-way race for the Democratic nominee for Indiana’s 7th District.
“Tonight, I was honored to receive the backing of the people of Indiana’s 7th Congressional district,” Carson said in an emailed statement, in part. “This win belongs to the volunteers, activists, and voters who have never given up on the promise of our country.”
Carson, who has held the seat since 2007, will face Republican Patrick McAuley in November.
The candidates will battle over a district that just months ago was the subject of intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration to carve Indianapolis into several congressional districts. The effort, part of a national push, failed after Indiana State Senators joined Democrats to reject the measure.
In his toughest primary to date, Carson faced three candidates — George Hornedo, Destiny Wells and Denise Paul Hatch — who all criticized the congressman for taking political donations.
“I have never, and I will never, allow anyone to impact my vote, other than the people of Indiana’s 7th Congressional District,” Carson told Mirror Indy earlier this year.
Hornedo, a lawyer and activist, ran a campaign fiercely critical of Carson’s track record. In a statement after his defeat, Hornedo congratulated Carson and celebrated a campaign he said was built “from nothing.”
“No corporate PAC money. No institutional backing. No party support,” he said. “The largest Democratic field operation Indiana has seen — built on people, not corporations.”
With 92% of votes counted, Carson had 63% of the votes, according to the Associated Press.
Destiny Wells is a former deputy attorney general for Indiana who served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Denise Paul Hatch is a former Center Township constable for Marion County Small Claims Court. She was removed from that office after pleading guilty to official misconduct, a felony.
McCauley, the Republican candidate, has served as an intern for two U.S. Senators, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. He told Mirror Indy that public safety and improved community police relationships is his highest priority.
Indiana 6th District Republican primary
U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve has defeated Sarah Janisse Brown in the race to become the Republican nominee for Indiana’s 6th District.
With 91% of votes counted, Shreve has 59% of the vote.
Shreve, a first-term member of Congress, sailed to victory in 2024 after defeating six candidates in a crowded Republican primary. He served on the City-County Council for six years and ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Indianapolis in 2023.
In Congress, he sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. He touts securing funding for County Road 144 in Bargersville and improving performance at the Indianapolis USPS hub among his accomplishments.
Brown, an author and mother of 15, said she was moved to challenge Shreve out of a “responsibility to steward the American Dream and pass the torch to the future generations.”
Shreve will face Democrat Cynthia Wirth in November. She defeated three other candidates — William Kory Amyx, Nicholas Frederick Baker and David Lawrence Boyd — with 59% of the vote to secure the nomination.
Wirth spent more than 10 years teaching high school biology and environmental science. She served as a congressional fellow in Washington, D.C. from 2018 to 2019.
Indiana 6th District Democratic primary
With 87% of the votes counted, Cynthia Wirth has won the Democratic nomination for Indiana’s 6th District. She received 59% of the vote.
Four candidates are competing to be the Democratic nominee for the 6th District.
- William Kory Amyx has spent more than two decades helping families navigate financial aid for higher education.
- Nicholas Frederick Baker has been an attorney for more than 20 years. He’s argued on cases related to the rights of Marines exposed to contaminants at Camp Lejeune.
- David Lawrence Boyd is a licensed catastrophe insurance adjuster and former federal officer with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He’s also worked as a field representative for the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Wirth spent more than 10 years teaching high school biology and environmental science. She served as a congressional fellow in Washington, D.C. from 2018 to 2019.
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Emily Hopkins is a senior reporter at Mirror Indy. You can reach them by phone or Signal at 317-790-5268 or email at emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis or on Bluesky @emilyhopkins.bsky.social.
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