What Has André Carson Done On the Martindale-Brightwood Data Center?

His Donors Were in the Room. He Was Silent Until It Was Too Late.

Tuesday, April 21

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Indianapolis, IN — For months, the residents of Martindale-Brightwood said no.

 

They showed up to hearings. They testified. They organized through their churches and neighborhood associations. They begged decision-makers to pump the brakes on a $500 million data center proposed for their neighborhood, next to one of the only grocery stores in the area, near homes, near a daycare. Nearly 100 residents testified against it. The Indianapolis NAACP reversed its support under community pressure. State Rep. Greg Porter stood with them publicly.

 

On April 1, 2026, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission approved it anyway.

 

And André Carson—the congressman representing this community, with an office on Capitol Hill and 18 years of relationships—was silent through the entire process.

 

Not present at the hearings. Not on record opposing it before the vote. Not using his platform to force the conversation. His contribution was a statement issued after approval, and a tweet the day-of the decision calling it an opportunity for the community to be heard.

 

The community had already been heard. They were ignored.

 

What Carson didn't mention is the law firm that represented Metrobloks at the MDC hearing—Bose McKinney & Evans—is among his top campaign donors. AES Indiana, which will supply power to the facility and has contributed to his campaign, stands to benefit from the project. The same corporate donors who fund his campaign were in that room pushing this project through while the congressman who represents the neighborhood said nothing.

 

This is what the donor conflict looks like in practice. Not a hypothetical. A community that loudly said no, a congressman who stayed quiet, and a hearing room full of his financial backers saying yes.

 

"I was at that hearing," Hornedo said. "I heard the residents. I heard the organizers. A community spoke loudly, clearly, and repeatedly. And they were ignored. When your donors are in the room pushing something your constituents are begging you to stop, silence is a choice. And Indianapolis deserves a congressman who makes a different one."

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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.

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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.