ELECTIONS CAN BE SPECIAL
Although Marion County voters just got done with one election, another could be right around the corner should 7th District Congresswoman Julia Carson not complete her term in office due to health reasons.
Unlike state or local races where if an incumbent doesn’t finish his or her term, their political party gets to fill the vacancy, with congressional offices a special election would be held and political parties would only get to choose their nominees. This would likely be done by a vote of 7th District precinct committeemen who would face each other in a runoff. So there is no guarantee that if an incumbent leaves, someone of their political persuasion would automatically get the spot.
So far the only declared mainstream challenger for the seat is Republican Representative Jon Elrod. Marion County Treasurer Mike Rodman has also openly expressed interest running if Carson doesn’t. Former Congressman Andy Jacobs is endorsing City-County Council Member Andre Carson for the job. Andre is also the grandson of the incumbent and has not made his intentions public.
And speaking of “special” elections, my sources tell me City-County Council Democrats are deadlocked over who should be their minority leader. They are split (long racial lines) over whether the leader should be current Vice-president Joanne Sanders or Monroe Gray, the current Council President.
Nominating a possible successor to Julia Carson can be complicated with all the factors involved, but this one seems like a no-brainer to me.
