The grandson of the late Julia Carson defeated his Republican opponent Tuesday in their race to succeed her in Congress.
With 73 percent of 445 precincts reporting, Democrat Andre Carson had about 53 percent of the vote compared with about 44 percent for Jon Elrod.
Carson will represent the 7th District, which covers most of Indianapolis, for the rest of the year. Carson, who converted to Islam more than a decade ago, joins Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) as the only Muslims in Congress. Carson says he doesn’t believe his faith hurts him politically in a predominantly Democratic district.
Carson will face seven challengers in the May 6 primary to select a candidate for the November election to a full two-year term.
Julia Carson, who was the first black person to represent Indiana in Congress, died in December.
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Page compiled from Tribune news services
