Hornedo Challenges Carson to Debate Before May 5th Primary

Any Time. Any Place. Any Moderator. Indianapolis Deserves to See Us in the Same Room.
Monday, April 6

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Indianapolis, IN — With 4 weeks until the May 5th Democratic primary and early voting opening tomorrow across Indianapolis, George Hornedo is issuing a direct challenge to Congressman André Carson: debate him before Indianapolis votes.

 

Any time. Any place. Any moderator.

 

"The voters of Indianapolis deserve to see us in the same room before they cast their ballots," Hornedo said. "André Carson has had 18 years to make his case. I'm asking for one hour to make mine and to let Indianapolis watch us answer the same questions about what this seat is for and who it serves."

 

Carson has spent this campaign avoiding direct engagement with his record. He has issued statements. He has attacked challengers. He hasn’t defended—in a public forum, before the voters he represents—what 18 years of incumbency has actually produced for this city.

 

When asked about his record on ICE, Carson called Hornedo a "modern-day slave master" rather than defend his timeline. When ranked 197th out of 220 House Democrats in legislative effectiveness by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, Carson blamed classified committee work rather than point to what he’s built. When Martindale-Brightwood residents spent months organizing against a data center they didn't want, Carson stayed silent until after it passed while his donors were in the room supporting it.

 

These are the questions a debate would answer. In public. On the record. Before Indianapolis votes.

 

A debate is a basic obligation of democratic accountability. Eighteen years of incumbency doesn’t exempt a congressman from explaining his record to the people who sent him to Washington. If anything, it makes that explanation more necessary.

 

Early voting is open tomorrow at the City-County Building downtown. Indianapolis voters are making their decisions right now. They deserve the opportunity to see both candidates answer the same questions, in the same room, at the same time.

 

The Hornedo campaign is prepared to debate at any time before May 5th and welcomes any local media outlet, civic organization, or community institution to serve as host and moderator.

 

A congressman who has never lost an election and claims an unimpeachable record should have nothing to fear from an open conversation with a first-time challenger. Any refusal to debate speaks louder than anything he could say on a stage.

 

The question is whether André Carson will show up.

 

Indianapolis has been asking that question for 18 years.

 

 

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This is part of the Hornedo campaign's daily accountability series, What Has André Carson Done?, running through May 1st. Learn more at georgehornedo.com.

 

Indianapolis deserves more than a vote in Washington. It deserves a congressman who uses the full platform of the office to fight for federal resources, to force the conversation at every level of government, and to show up for this community before the cameras arrive. That's the standard. That's what's been missing.

 

RECORD CHECK: The Center for Effective Lawmaking ranks Congressman Carson 197th out of 220 House Democrats in legislative effectiveness. Of his claimed 22 bills signed into law, 2 are standalone enacted bills—the Ariel Rios Federal Building naming and the Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site Act. 

 

73% of Congressman Carson's campaign funding comes from PACs, much of it from corporate PACs including AES Indiana, BlackRock, and defense contractors. Only 7% comes from small-dollar donors.

 

When Julia Carson held this seat, Indianapolis was a competitive Democratic stronghold that helped power statewide wins. Under André Carson, the 7th Congressional District has become the worst in Indiana for voter turnout and Democrats haven't won statewide since 2012.

 

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