“Carson, Come Fight Me Directly!”: Hornedo Slams Party Leadership After Voter File Access Denied

Grassroots campaign gains steam. Establishment hits back.

 

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

​

Indianapolis, IN — Today, congressional candidate George Hornedo called out Indiana Democratic Party leadership for what he described as “a coordinated effort to rig the playing field” in favor of incumbent Rep. André Carson. The Indiana Democratic Party has officially denied Hornedo access to the VAN voter file—a tool used by nearly every Democratic candidate in the country.

 

“This isn’t neutrality. It’s sabotage,” Hornedo said. “I’m a lifelong Democrat, a member of the Indiana Democratic Party’s governing board, and the only candidate with real momentum. They say giving me access would look like picking favorites, but blocking me doesn’t?”

 

Hornedo formally requested access to VAN on May 21. After six weeks of misdirection and contradictory explanations from local and state party officials, Indiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Tallian issued a denial with no basis in rule, policy, or precedent.

 

“They’re trying to sideline the only real challenger Rep. Carson has ever had because they know we can win,” Hornedo continued. “If Carson wants to beat me, he should come fight me directly rather than hide behind state party staff and the institutional decay he’s allowed to set in.”

 

The George Hornedo for Congress campaign has already built one of the largest grassroots volunteer operations in Indiana and drawn hundreds of individual donors, without corporate PAC money or institutional support. The party isn’t trying to stop a candidate. They’re trying to stop momentum they can’t control.

 

Yet despite the energy generated by his candidacy, party insiders have:

 

• threatened him not to run;

• barred him from Democratic events; and now

• denied him the basic tools to compete.

 

“This is what it looks like when the Democratic establishment puts its finger on the scale. But just like they learned in New York City—they can delay this moment, but they can’t stop this movement.”

 

The George Hornedo for Congress campaign has now taken steps to procure voter file access through alternative means despite additional cost and burden.